It’s officially fall football season! Whether you are cheering on your college alma mater, or rooting for your hometown NFL team (go Cleveland Browns!), it is a perfect excuse to host a football tailgate party! And don’t feel like a tailgate party is only for people who are attending a game, a tailgate can be in the stadium parking lot, a backyard, or even inside your house with a perfect view of a big screen TV to watch the game!
Today, I am sharing my take on a fall football tailgate celebration, as well as sharing tips and recipes for hosting your own tailgate party!
I decided to host my tailgate in a backyard, and used a truck for the food display, just as you would if you were attending the actual game. We are big Cleveland Browns fans in my house, so I tailored the color scheme and details of the party to pull in subtle nods to our favorite team. I actually “shopped” my husband’s collection of Browns memorabilia first and found items like a Browns pennant flag, a vintage Browns football statue and a replica helmet.
I wanted the gathering to evoke the feeling of fall, so I also used fall decor staples, such as hay stacks, mums, and an orange and plaid blanket that was a great way to incorporate the team colors too! I love the saying “Autumn leaves and football please” so I decided to create a DIY sign for the display, which I stacked on top of some rustic wooden boxes along with one of my son’s footballs.
The key to any great tailgate party is the food! While I wanted a menu filled with game day favorites, I also wanted to serve dishes that could be prepped ahead of time so I wouldn’t be in the kitchen the entire party. The dishes in my tailgate spread included: Mac and Cheese Crostini Bites, Southwest Chili served individually, Spinach Dip Party Cups, and Apple Cider Donuts.
The Mac and Cheese Crostini Bites were one of the easiest appetizers I have ever made! You definitely could make your own homemade macaroni and cheese, however, I opted to purchase ready-made macaroni that I simply heated up and used in this recipe. The other ingredients you will need to make this dish are mini crostini bread, olive oil and bacon bits for topping. To assemble appetizer, you simply brush the crostini bread with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Top each crostini with a spoonful of macaroni and cheese and top with bacon bits.
The Southwest Chili was not only a hit, but was also super easy to pull together for the party since I was able to throw all the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning and let it cook itself until game time! To make serving easier, right before the party, I separated the chili into individual mugs and topped with freshly grated cheese and green onions. Here is the recipe I use for my Southwest Chili.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb ground beef
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes (10 oz) with chilies, undrained
- 1 can chili beans (15 oz), undrained
- 1 can red kidney beans (15 oz), undrained.
- 1 can hominy, drained
- 1 can southwest corn with peppers (15 oz), drained
- 1 can mild enchilada sauce (10 oz)
Directions:
- Brown beef in sauté pan over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until no longer pink. Stir in taco seasoning and remove from heat.
- Combine cooked beef and all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high 3-4 hours, or low 6-8 hours.
My personal favorite appetizer was the Spinach Dip Party Cups! For the appetizer, I used my tried and true Spinach Dip recipe and scooped it into mini tortilla bowls. You can find my Spinach Dip recipe here. For the mini tortilla bowls, you will need one pack of soft tortillas, olive oil, a 3” cookie round cookie cutter and a muffin tin. To create the mini tortilla bowls, you cut two dozen 3” circles out of the soft tortillas, brush each one with olive oil and then push inside of a muffin tin to create the bowl shape. Bake the tortilla bowls for 5-6 minutes at 400 degrees. Then simply scoop a tablespoon of spinach dip into each tortilla bowl and add a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan on top for garnish.
I absolutely love including seasonal dishes in the parties I host, so I decided to pick up my family’s favorite Apple Cider Cinnamon Donuts to serve at the tailgate. For refreshments, I served fresh Apple Cider with cinnamon sticks, which is great by itself, as well as spiked with caramel vodka (my favorite!)
If you are planning to host a football tailgate party, here are a few of my tips!
- Use what you have. Don’t feel like you need to hit up a party store for cheesy party decorations. Look for items you already own that work with the theme, such as a football, a blanket in the team colors, a team pennant or a replica helmet.
- Get creative with the display. While I could have simply set up the food on a table, it was so fun to use a real truck to create the food display. It provided such a fun photo moment for guests at the party.
- Focus on the food. Be sure to include plenty of fan favorite dishes, but look for ways to use short cuts, such as pre-made macaroni, to help make the prep easier. It’s also great to do a big dish, such as chili, that can be cooked well ahead of time, keeping you out of the kitchen during the party.
- Incorporate seasonal items. A great way to elevate the look of any party is to pull in fun, seasonal decor items that can be re-used after the party. For a fall gathering, the first things that come to mind are hay stacks, mums and cozy fall blankets!
- Have fun! This one goes without saying, but the whole point of hosting a tailgate party should be about having fun. If you can’t tell from the photos, my boys absolutely loved digging into all of the food, stealing one too many donuts and tossing a football at the party!
Thanks so much for reading more about my latest party. I hope this post inspires you to host your own fall football tailgate this year!
Photography: Brittany Gidley Photography, Styling: One Stylish Party, Florals: Ashley’s Floral.
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