The best food for football in cold weather is obviously not the best food for football in hot weather. If you’re a fan on a budget, then you’re not going to want to spend the price of a regular season ticket to feed everyone who is popping by your house. And if you’ve got people coming over to play cards, then there are certain snacks you should avoid altogether.
In this post, we’re dealing with a few common snack situations, and the ways that you can show your expert sport abilities by handling them well. And as always, make sure you’re dressed for the occasion with great accessories, including team-proud ways to hydrate.
Best Food For Football on a Hot Day
When it’s cold out, everyone wants a piece of that steaming, hot barbeque and a warm drink. But what happens when things start to warm up a little?
While many football fans bundle up to support their team in the bitter cold, other fans, like those in California or Texas, might be facing hot tailgating conditions. When sports get a bit warm, you’ll want the right entrees and appetizers to match the tailgating outfits that Californian’s wear. Try some of these crowd pleasers:
Cucumber and Carne Asada Skewers
Cucumbers have a refreshing, fresh taste. And it pairs amazingly with some well-seasoned carne asada. If you still want to grill things up for gameday but it’s a bit warm out, try making skewers that alternate with some cucumber and carne asada. Make the carne asada really savory, and add a little dusting of chili powder to the cucumber to keep it fresh and spicy. But you can also get creative with this recipe! There are tons of ways to grill cucumbers, and loads of ways to combine them with other ingredients.
Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream
Did you know that you don’t have to pay premium prices for honeycomb, but you actually make your own synthetic honeycomb at home? Simply combine a fourth cup of dark corn syrup with a half cup of sugar in a small saucepan, and swirl without stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is a dark, rich color. Then turn off the heat and mix in about a teaspoon and a half of baking soda. The mixture will begin to bubble and aerate, which is good. Quickly pour the mixture out onto parchment paper in a pan or onto a silicone baking mat.
Once the mixture cools, you can break it into smaller pieces and put it into vanilla ice cream! Make sure you pack this up on ice before heading out for the tailgate, even though this ice cream will be gone before you know it.
Gameday Food On A Budget
If you’re prepping for gameday, you might not want to spend a ton of money on food. After all, when you start to run up that grocery bill, you could’ve put a few items back and bought a t-shirt for your favorite team instead.
While your go-to snack for gameday food on a budget might simply be “chips and salsa,” this isn’t usually the cheapest way to feed the starving fans. If you’re trying to tailgate on a budget, try out a few of these ideas instead.
Veggies. Lots of Veggies.
While you might not think vegetables are cheap, you’d be surprised at how affordable they can be. Also, veggies aren’t loaded with the empty salt and calories that many other snacks use to make your body crave more and more of it. Investing in some tasty veggies with a good dip can take your gameday party pretty far. Plus, veggies have a ton of different color options. You could even make a platter to salute your favorite team colors—check out our list of strange college team colors and where they’ve come from.
Chicken: The Cheapest Way to Make Tacos
You can usually score a handful of chicken breasts for less than $10, and if you pair them with tortillas, cheese, and a little bit of shredded lettuce then you can make chicken tacos for a whole crew for less than $20. Plus, if you’ve got an instant pot, you can make the chicken simply by dousing it with salsa and turning it on high pressure for about 10 minutes. Instant chicken tacos are a hit for everyone.
Football Game Food Crockpot
There are lots of really cool gameday rituals. Wasting your whole morning making food doesn’t have to be one of them. If you want to make excellent gameday food but don’t want to spend all day standing over the stove, then you should invest in a crockpot or an instant pot. Both are excellent cooking solutions that will help you make your guests happy without killing your Sunday afternoon.
Meatballs
An absolute classic. You can score the meatballs from Costco in the freezer section and simply pop them straight into the crockpot with a barbeque sauce that you really love. Plus, you can also stick them all with toothpicks to make a great party platter. They pair great next to cheese and crackers. If you need a new twist on this old classic, check out this recipe for grape jelly meatballs.
Chili
Chili is a tailgating staple because it is super easy to make and can stay hot in a crockpot all game. Pair it with a bit of sour cream and cheese to give your fellow fans some great snacking options. There are lots of great chili recipes out there, but the one on Chelsea’s Messy Apron is a great choice.
Finger Food for an At-Home Party
Maybe you are hosting a party and home and want to keep your hands free to chase around the kids—or maybe to keep a cold one in your hands at all times. While it might be easy to sit on the couch and toss back salty, greasy, buttery snacks while watching a game, it’s a bit harder to toss those same snacks while playing cornhole. Finger food can be a bit difficult to figure out, but it’s essential for a happy experience.
Also, keep in mind that if you’ve got on your favorite gameday attire, then this list is a great way to keep your clothing free from wing-sauce stains.
Put Things on Sticks
Putting food on skewers must have been invented by people that multi-task. Seriously, it’s the best way to deliver a finger food to your mouth without getting the food all over your fingers on the way there. You can put loads of different things on sticks, like vegetables, meat, and cheese. Of course, there are more creative options as well. You can stick mini PB&J sandwiches on a stick, mini deli sandwiches, or even pineapple wrapped in prosciutto.
Food That Isn’t Coated With Stuff
If you don’t want to use sticks, forks, toothpicks and other non-finger delivery methods, then you’ll need to select some foods that aren’t coated with different items. Of course, bread is a great choice for these things. Even if a few crumbs get on your fingers it won’t ruin your card playing abilities. Go for sandwiches made from bread, or even mini avocado toast or mini brie toast.
Final Thoughts
As you prep for those warm weather tailgates and gameday festivities, make sure you are stocked up on the essentials.
Think we left a rockstar dish off the list? Let us know!
