The Football Party Game Plan
Fall is for football. Whether you're a fan of the NFL, NCAA or CFL (or all three), enjoy our suggestions for drinks, food and fun during any friendly get-togethers you may host during the football season.
Check out the NFL 2010 season schedule (viewer and printer-friendly versions are available.)
Beer and Beer Cocktails
Let's face it -- when it comes to drinks and football, the first thing that comes to mind is beer. It's the number one drink among football enthusiasts, many of whom bring some serious man-sized appetites to any gridiron gathering.
Pale ale, full fruity dark ale or amber ale go well with beef, lamb and game. There is no better pairing of food and beer than a roast beef or steak with an English bitter. Hearty beers for hearty meats. The heavier body and bitterness of these beers just seems to blend wonderfully with beef.
Malty dry beers like domestic lagers and brown ales go great with pizza. Brown ale tends to be lighter in body and sweeter than pale ales, and more delicate in flavor.
Mexican gold and amber lagers and Chinese beer pair up well with Mexican and southwestern flavors such as those found in tacos and chili. It is no accident that most Mexican beer is in the Vienna lager style. They are rich malty, roasty beers that absorb the heat and provide a great counterpart to burritos.
Cocktails and Punch
Complementary cocktails are a good idea for those who dislike the taste of beer but do want a drink with some oomph.
But it might be a good idea to keep it simple and stick to only a couple of spirits, which will keep your guests from mixing and potentially becoming a little rough around the edges. Plus, it keeps you from having to make too many different cocktails and stock and endless supply of mixers and garnishes. For example, make this Sunday a daiquiri dust-up, while next weekend becomes your margarita matchup. You get the idea.
An even simpler way of providing cocktails for a crowd is to make a large bowl of punch. It promises you a better chance to watch the next immaculate reception or fourth quarter comeback instead of being in the kitchen whipping up another batch of Bloody Marys.
Slow Cooker
When it comes to food, we remain of the opinion that the most important part of a football party is football. So a slow cooker is especially handy for preparing some delicious food while leaving the host with as much free time as possible to watch the game. You don't want to be neck-deep in the kitchen and miss that game-changing interception do you?
Dips and Spreads
Any dip or spread makes for a simple and classic addition to any game day party. Easy to prepare, simply set out the goods and let your friends help themselves through the game. But you'll want to offer more than just potato and tortilla chips.
Offer up a variety of veggies such as cucumber slices, julienned green and red peppers, carrot and celery sticks, etc. And don't forget bread and crackers like pita triangles, sourdough slices, dark rye rounds and melba toasts. If you really want to spice things up, throw in some shrimp or sausage rolls.
Follow along closely for more unique recipes for your at home party or a quick whip up recipe to take to a buddies.
With Week 1 upon us it's time to get prepared............
| WEEK 1 | |
| Thursday, Sept. 9 | |
| Game | Time |
| Minnesota @ New Orleans | 8:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 12 | |
| Game | Time |
| Cleveland @ Tampa Bay | 1 p.m. |
| Miami @ Buffalo | 1 p.m. |
| Cincinnati @ New England | 1 p.m. |
| Indianapolis @ Houston | 1 p.m. |
| Denver @ Jacksonville | 1 p.m. |
| Atlanta @ Pittsburgh | 1 p.m. |
| Oakland @ Tennessee | 1 p.m. |
| Carolina @ N.Y. Giants | 1 p.m. |
| Detroit @ Chicago | 1 p.m. |
| Arizona @ St. Louis | 4:15 p.m. |
| Green Bay @ Philadelphia | 4:15 p.m. |
| San Francisco @ Seattle | 4:15 p.m. |
| Dallas @ Washington | 8:20 p.m. |
WATERMELON FOOTBALLS!
Augment your Super Bowl feast with a unique, marbled-green football helmet carved from a single round watermelon.
Many a fall and winter weekend is spent with friends watching football culminating with the Super Bowl in early February. A great way to get your guests pumped for the game while enjoying healthy munchies is with a watermelon carving of a football or your favourite team’s logo. Simply carve the laces and pattern of a football into an oblong watermelon, cut the top off to make a removable lid and use a melon baler to create bite-sized snacks.
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Directions on carving a Watermelon
Very simple to do, the completed sculpture acts as a vessel for a defensive-line-sized serving of fresh cut fruit.
- Using a round watermelon, slice off a piece approximately 4 inches (10 cm) down on the stem end. Set cut piece aside to use later for mouth guard.
- Make a curved cut from one side of the melon to the other to cut out the face portion of the helmet. Hollow out the entire melon.
- Take the piece that was set aside in step #1 and place cut side down. Place knife at the center of stem end and cut in half.
- Take one half of cut piece and draw mouth guard grid with a sharp pencil or thin marker as shown in picture. Remove flesh and using a small knife, cut out grid design.
- To assemble, place mouth piece on a plate. Place the helmet piece on top, pushing the mouthpiece ends towards the inside of the helmet. You may need to carve a little out of the helmet ends to fit the mouth grid comfortably.
- Fill with fruit salad.
Watermelon: For the health of it
Regardless of the time of year, watermelon is an extraordinary fruit that is packed with goodness. In addition to being a perfect hydrator, watermelon is packed with nutrients including the antioxidant lycopene, vitamin C, thiamine and vitamin B6, vitamin A, pantothenic acid, magnesium and potassium.
Recent studies on the health benefits of watermelon are even more encouraging. Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service in Lane, Oklahoma, have confirmed that watermelon is an excellent source of the amino acid citrulline.
The human body uses cirtrulline to make another important amino acid – arginine – which plays a key role in cell division, wound healing and the removal of ammonia. Citrulline is not only abundant in watermelon but it’s also readily usable by the body and watermelon is one of the few foods that contain high levels of it.
The possibilities for enjoying watermelon are endless. For more inspired recipe ideas, general information plus tips on creative watermelon carving visit » www.watermelon.org
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