Real Party – Touchdown! Big Game Party

This post for Big Game party ideas has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser but all opinions are mine alone. #GameTimeMVP #CollectiveBias

Wasn’t Sunday’s NFC game a nail-biter? But our Seattle team did it and we are on our way to the Big Game in two weeks! Today I’m sharing a few awesome ways to get ready if you are hosting a Big Game Party with fun decorations and easy recipes so you can spend more time watching and less time hostessing.

• I love to have a focal point, usually the main or food table.  Black butcher paper or chalkboard paper is perfect for mimicking a playboard.
• I used accents in our Seattle team’s colors of navy and bright green but you can swap out the colors if you support the other team. And of course we have to to honor the 12th Man! Papier mâché numbers are easy to paint white and make the perfect addition to any table.

The name of the game (all pun intended) is easy to prep snacks and the main event, a hearty chili meal to keep your guests’ strengths up during the rollercoaster emotions of the game.  With Stouffer’s Party Size Lasagna, feed your crowd by making Chili Lasagna (adapted from Raegun Rambling’s Crock Pot Soup recipe) and set out all the fixings like shredded cheese and oyster crackers.

Chili Lasagna is so easy to make and easily serves a crowd.  I headed out to Walmart for a few supplies;

•  Stouffer’s Party Size Lasagna
• 2 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth
• 1 18 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 14.5 can of diced tomatoes

1. The lasagna needs to be somewhat thawed, not frozen solid so leave the lasagna in the fridge overnight.  It was still frozen but can be cut through.
2. Cut into 1 inch chunks and place in crock pot. Mix the broth and tomato paste in a separate bowl, then add it and the diced tomatoes to the crock pot.  Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Cook on high for 3 hours or until heated through.  Give it a good stir and serve.

• Don’t just set out bags of chips or pre-made trays of food like veggies or sandwiches; display them in small glasses or tumblers! Dollar stores are a great place to get glass vessels and the best part, you can use them again at other events.
• ‘Penalty’ napkins give a nice pop of yellow when displayed under these fun beer themed plates from Crate & Barrel.
• Plastic trophies from a party store are a fun way to display candies and nuts.

• Take your Big Game party to the next level with a ‘Hail Mary’ Bloody Mary Bar! Check out my previous post for lots of great tips and ideas on what to have on your bar.
• Striped straws and foam fingers are fabulous garnishes for your game day cocktails in glasses with stripes of washi tape to mimic football laces.
• Instead of a cooler full of beer, have growlers of various brews. They are perfect for displaying and pouring mass amounts of beer, with no recycling regret.

• I have a bad sweet tooth, so every gathering must have something sweet and tasty, so for our party, a Touchdown Sundae Bar was needed.  The limited edition Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream touchdown sundae is vanilla ice cream with a fudge swirl and caramel-filled chocolaty footballs.
• As if that wasn’t enough, I paired them with Butterfinger Brownie Cups. Create your favorite brownie batter (13 X 9 pan size) and fold in a cup and a half of chopped Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups minis into the batter.  Bake in a regular sized muffin tin.
• Add a brownie cup to a small jar or tumbler and top off with ice cream.
• I also chopped up Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup minis for topping our sundaes, along with various syrups and sprinkles, in our team colors of course.  They make the perfect sweet ending!

I hope you are inspired to host your own Big Game party! I would love to hear what you are going to do…leave us a comment and share the love!