Fall Football = Finger Food-palooza

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Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 12:18 pm

I can almost smell it in the air, and I’m not talking about the Dismal Swamp fire.

I’m talking about football season.

Football practices | Pic by Joe Mabel (wikicommons)

In mid-July during the sweltering heat, I start to think about football season. While the players are starting their 2-a-day practices, I start to think about my fall routine.

I am originally from Ohio, where they treat football season like a cult. I belong to this cult, and it has a name: The Ohio State Buckeye’s. Every Saturday is accompanied with large college football game viewing and all the delicious food you can eat. Sundays are reserved for church and the NFL games are watched over dinner. Mondays are “beer and wing” nights at the local sports bar.

Even though my routine has changed a bit since I left Ohio and my alliances to college teams are varied (Go Monarchs and Buckeyes!), my passion for football parties is as strong as ever.

I look forward to the appetizers and food that keeps friends coming back week after week. I enjoy being able to pretend that a bunch of hearty finger foods is equal to a sit down meal. I absolutely love football season.

Over many football seasons I’ve figured out the formula for a great football party. Appetizers and finger foods are the center to a great football party. Football fans don’t want to sit down at an exact time and eat a hearty meal. They prefer to get food as they wish. It also keeps the mood light and fun.

Pasha’s celebrating 3 years of stellar food – join them! Click the photo for details.

Don’t prepare anything too messy. My friends have a tendency to wear more than they eat if the food is too messy. I try to stay away from fancy finger foods. Even though I enjoy a crostini with ricotta, pear, and honey, football fans tend to shy away from it.

At my football Saturdays the spread is usually french onion dip with Fritos, my spinach artichoke dip (recipe below), and jalapeno poppers, and a veggie tray. Sometimes I provide pulled-pork sandwiches (I use pork tenderloin), chili, or a taco bar.

These are just some suggestions that I picked up along the way. Please leave some of your favorite football finger foods, as I am always looking for new ideas.

Spinach Artichoke Dip (adapted from the Pampered Chef)

1- 6 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 package (9-11 oz) frozen creamed spinach, thawed

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. sour cream

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly. Put in a small baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jennifer Bennison is currently a student at Old Dominion University where she is working towards her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a teaching licensure. She enjoys cooking, reading about cooking, and writing about cooking in her spare time. Generally speaking, she loves everything that has to do with food.
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