— Recipes & Entertaining —

A Deliciously Simple Game Day Party Menu

October 5, 2018

Football season is in full swing and so are all the awesome game-day parties.  Whether you are a sports fan or not, it is always fun to get together with friends and family to watch (or pretend to watch) the big game.  Here is a deliciously simple menu to make your next football party a hit!

This game day party menu is a tasty and crowd pleasing smorgasbord.  The main feature of this meal is the loaded baked potato bar with all the fixin’s.  Besides the normal toppings of butter and sour cream, be sure to add other creative and amazing topping options like chili, crumbled bacon, a variety of shredded cheeses, cooked broccoli, chopped tomato, diced avocado, blue cheese crumbles, and sliced jalapeños.  The possibilities are endless and all these choices will fit any of your gues’ts dietary needs or restrictions.  This deliciousness is served alongside two tasty appetizers, a decadent dessert and one killer margarita recipe.  Are you ready for some football?  I know I am.

Game Day Party Menu

1) Appetizers

Tortilla chips with guacamole & salsa

Fresh vegetables with hummus

Serving Tips:

  • Guacamole turns brown after being exposed to the air for too long.  To prevent discoloring, add a few squeezes of lime juice to the dip just before serving to keep your guacamole looking tasty and fresh.
  • I am a huge fan of store bought hummus but to “luxe” up this grocery store dip add some salt, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper to taste and then top with a handful of chickpeas.  
2) The Main Course

Loaded Baked Potato Bar with All The Fixin’s

Serving Tips:

  • To keep the baked potatoes warm the duration of the party, keep them in a large crock pot on the lowest setting.   Same goes for the chili or any other toppings you want to keep warm.
  • To take your baked potatoes to the next level, rub them all over with olive oil and sea salt before baking.  Wrap each potato individually in aluminium foil and then bake until the potato is soft to the touch.  This simple trick makes the potato’s skin crispy and flavored and makes it taste like an enormous french fry.
3) Dessert

Football Brownies

Serving Tips:

  • Use store bought brownie mix.  It tastes just as good as homemade and eliminates extra hassle in the party preparation.  My go-to brownie mix is Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix.
  • The brownies can be made a day in advance but do not frost or decorate them until the day of the party.
4) Signature Cocktail

Fresh Lime Margaritas or Spicy Jalapeño Lime Margaritas

These two killer margarita recipes are prepared the exact same way except that the spicy version uses Jalapeño & Chile Simple Syrup (click here for recipe) instead of regular simple syrup.  I prefer to use this Margarita Recipe from The Pioneer Woman when I make this drink for a crowd.

Margarita Recipe (serves 8-12)

Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher.  Serve chilled.

Serving Tips:

  • For the party, I recommend having one pitcher of each kind of margarita out and ready for guests to drink when they arrive.  Be sure to routinely check on the pitchers so you can have a fresh batch of margaritas ready to go when the pitchers run low.
  • Set a small bowl of fresh cut lime wedges and a shallow plate filled with coarse salt next to the pitchers so guests can have the option to have their margaritas with or without a salt rim.
  • Place an ice bucket filled with ice cubes and tongs next to the pitchers so guests can add ice to their drinks.  Do NOT put ice in the pitchers themselves.  It will water down the margaritas and change their yummy taste.
  • To help gauge how many margaritas you will need to make, count on guests having 2 drinks each the first hour of your party and one drink per hour after that.
  • It is nice to have a separate station or serving area for drinks, away from the food.  This eliminates congestion and crowds when people are trying to get some food or a beverage.

And to dress game-day ready for this awesome party, be sure to scroll down to these “game day chic” football tees on my “Luxe Looks from Instagram” page.