This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.
I love to host. Having friends over, cooking and creating a fun atmosphere is where I thrive the most. I was warned that football season would be intense according to my boyfriend. Mondays, Thursdays, and all-day Sundays are dedicated to the game. My boyfriend already knows how much I love to cook and have everyone over, so I took it upon myself to find some of the best and easiest football recipes to use throughout the season.
- Sheet Pan Quesadillas: I didn’t realize how much I loved quesadillas until I was having them so much at the college dining hall. It’s easy, customizable and tasty. I stumbled on this recipe from Tik Toker @brunchwithbabs (she’s amazing follow her, from recipes to life hacks she does it all!) Shred up your cooked chicken with a stand mixer, and combine in a bowl with your favorite toppings like onions, peppers, olives and black beans. Add any spices over the top that you wish. I pre-seasoned my chicken with some taco season for some extra flavor and to keep the chicken moist. Grab your sheet pan and layer large tortillas so they are halfway hanging off the sheet pan and one in the center. Add the combined ingredients from your bowl, and top with your favorite cheese. Add two more large tortillas over the top of the mixture and fold over the hanging tortillas just like a gift box and spray down with cooking spray. Add another sheet pan on top of the quesadillas and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the top sheet pan and bake for another five mins or until nice and crispy. I served ours with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
- Garlic Bread Pizza: It’s as easy as it sounds trust me. I found this recipe from Tik Toker @_hannahbrianne_. Grab a box of your favorite garlic toast in the freezer aisle. Bake toast on desired instructions. Top with pizza sauce on each slice of toast. Add your shredded cheese and pepperoni before baking for five minutes!
- Bacon Wrapped Pickles: A recipe that is on the rotation for an upcoming gameday for me! I found this on Tik Tok from @firefoodfamily. Take dill pickle chips and wrap them each in a half strip of bacon and sprinkle with your favorite bbq rub. Throw in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Don’t forget the ranch to dip them in.
- Crack Dip: When you are in a bind on time, an easy dip is the way to go. You can find a million different versions of this recipe, but the one I used was from Tik Toker @heykatien. Take a block of softened cream cheese, one cup of sour cream, one packet of ranch seasoning and mix well with a hand mixer. Add two cups of shredded cheddar cheese, a half cup of chopped bacon and mix with a spoon and it’s ready to go with your favorite chips!
- Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip: You could just go to the store but sometimes I don’t like everything that’s included on the store-bought trays. I found a cute football-themed plate, added some baby carrots and cut up a red bell pepper into small strips that are easy for dipping. I also cut up cucumbers and arranged them evenly. For the ranch, I had some Trader Joe’s Ranch Seasoning Blend on hand and followed the recipe on the back of the label for some creamy buttermilk ranch dressing. Take three-quarters of buttermilk, a half cup of mayonnaise, half a cup of sour cream and two tablespoons of Ranch seasoning blend. Whisk all the ingredients together and refrigerate.
Make sure to check out each of the Tik Toker’s listed with the following recipes and look for other football-inspired recipes. Hosting can be simple and so much fun during this time of year. I can’t wait to have more of our friends together and try out some new recipes.