Tips to have a great Tailgate Party

If you are a long time reader, you know that I LOVE FOOTBALL! I grew up in Ohio, and went to Ohio State. I am a 2nd generation Buckeye.  My parents met on campus, which gives me an even bigger reason to like Ohio State, because if my parents had not met, I would not be here.  I also have three pro teams that I cheer for in addition to Ohio State. I have been a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals for years, and even named on of my cats after Boomer Esiason. In more recent years I have also become a fan of the goat and the baby goat.  LOL! Love him or hate him, I really admire Tom Brady.  He is still at the top of his game, and showing everyone that he still had what it takes to take his team to the Super Bowl in his mid 40s.  I also love the quarterback of the losing team of this year's Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes. He is adorable, and will hopefully be able to play for many years to come.  A lot of my family lives in Missouri and are Chiefs fans.  

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links  

I have been a long time ambassador and affiliate for Oriental Trading Company, and have used their items to throw a few football parties over the years. 

One of my favorite items I used at one of our parties is this inflatable buffet cooler.  While we did not use it for hold our drinks, it was large enough to hold several of our easy to grab snacks.  

We decorated with these cute football lanterns .  They were a really nice size, and could even stand up on their own.

This football utensil caddy held all of our silverware, straws and napkins at the buffet. 

While the football style treat boxes and football photo props are not currently for sale on their site, I am posting them in case they give some idea inspiration. 

Now for some of our favorite party food. Everything listed here has a been a huge hit with our family and guests. 

 A dip I like to serve is this warm cheesy bacon dip

These cheesy air fryer stuffed mushrooms are so yummy, and made in only a few minutes.

Tator Tot skewers and easy ham and cheese sliders are also party favorites in our house.  You can see both of these recipes on my Super Bowl party food post.

Here are a few items that have been added to the website since we had our last football party.  I am loving these stadium trays. They are large paper trays that can be used as serving dishes and hold  a lot of food. 

Loving this stadium cupcake stand. It is such a cute way to display your cupcakes. 

Here is another fun item for your football party.  A 72 pc football face tattoo set. They are temporary tattoos can be worn throughout the season. 

Do you like what you see and want more ideas, go to the football tailgating section over at Oriental Trading Company.

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Are You Ready for Some Football?

If you don't already know, tonight is the kick off to the 2011-2012 NFL season.  I know it is a welcome day for many a sports fan.  College football kicked off this past weekend.   I found some fun football themed goodies for any tailgate or party. 

One of my favorite sites for snacks and party foods is Snackpicks.com. Check out some of the great recipes I found there. 

How about this guacamole dip made to look like a football field.   You can find this recipe here.

Love this football shaped cheese ball, found here.

Football mini subs from Familyfun.com

Subs with football shaped buns at TasteofHome.com

Barbeque Chicken and Bacon Footballs.. YUM! from CookEatShare.com

Football shaped truffles from Bakerella.com

If you dont have time to prepare food yourself, not to worry.  Nabisco is now making football shaped Oreos.  I saw them at my local Meijer on Tuesday.

Go Team!!

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