For some, game day means tailgates, fantasy leagues, and Sundays with friends. But for all fans, football means food. Not just any food, but wings, dips, fried stuff, subs, and lots of beer.
Finger food is the name of the game and we have a few versatile appetizer recipes that are sure to please any crowd. So turn on the TV, throw on your favorite jersey, and kick off the season with these yummy, scrumptious football pleasers.
Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders
This is a classic, tried and true favorite with a slight variation. I love that they’re easy to make and can be assembled up to a day ahead of time and baked just before serving. Another big plus is that they are very kid friendly while being just interesting enough for adults to get excited about them too.
There is nothing fancy or expensive about these guys. I use just regular good ole dinner rolls- soft, dense and deliciously enriched. It’s game day, who cares!
Ingredients:
16 White Dinner Style Rolls Cut In Half
24 Slices Honey Ham
16 Slices Swiss Cheese
1/4 C Mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
8 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
1 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds
1/4 C Brown Sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°
On a rimmed baking sheet place bottom half of dinner rolls and top with 1 1/2 slices of ham and 1 slice of Swiss cheese. Spread about 1 tsp of mayonnaise on each top-half of roll and place on top of ham and cheese. You want the rolls to be snug together, kissing just a bit so the sauce can soak up into all of the nooks and crannies.
In a small bowl combine the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and brown sugar. Mix until combined and evenly pour over the assembled rolls. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tops are browned, and cheese is good and melted.
Hacienda Dip
Let’s face it you can never go wrong with too many dips. They offer the perfect topping solution for veggies, chips, crackers and bread.
Hacienda is a Spanish word for a large living space. No idea how it relates to the dip, but once people start digging in, you’ll wish you made a lot more. It takes roughly 10-15 minutes to prepare and the ingredients combined make up a very delectable, mildly spicy, sauce that soothes with the subtle saltiness of cream cheese, guaranteed to be a touchdown.
Ingredients:
16 Oz. Cream Cheese, Softened
1C Salsa, If Desired More To Taste
1 Dash Onion Salt
Dipper Suggestions:
Corn Chips, Pita Chips, Bread Slices, Vegetable Platter.
Directions:
Mix cream cheese salsa and salt until well blended.
Microwave
Spread in microwavable bowl on high for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through, stirring every 2 minutes. Serve warm.
Crock Pot
Pour mixture into crock pot on low until heated and then on warm. Serve right in crock pot.
Hotter Than Heck Horseradish Dip
In America, horseradish is a favorite flavoring in party dips. Today, approximately 6 million gallons of prepared horseradish are produced annually in the U.S. — enough to generously season enough sandwiches to wrap 12 times around the world.
Horseradish has an intense kick, but it doesn’t burn on the tongue, like hot peppers do. However, be forewarned it will make itself present in your sinuses.
Hotter than Heck Horseradish compliments many foods to give you multiple appetizer solutions. We have included several for you to try.
Ingredients:
4 Teaspoons Horseradish
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Teaspoon White Pepper
Note: I personally love Horseradish so, I doubled the amount called for and I added a dash of Kosher salt. You decide.
Directions:
Mix the horseradish and garlic powder blending well. Add the sour cream and the white pepper, again blending well. Cover and chill. Makes about 2 1/4 cups of dip.
Suggested Pairing:
Veggie Platter
Ritz Crackers
Fried Zucchini (recipe included)
Sliced Roast Beef Sliders (recipe included)
Sliced Roast Beef Sliders
These crowd pleasing sandwiches will surely delight guests and why not. Crusty rolls, thinly sliced roast beef topped with a kick.
Ingredients:
40 Mini Sour Dough French Rolls
40 Wafer-Thin Slices Rare Roast Beef
3 Cups Small Watercress Sprigs
Plenty Of Hotter Than Heck Horseradish Dip
Directions:
Lay out all you ingredients on a cutting board. Assemble and serve.
Fried Zucchini
These get so very, very creamy inside – melt in your mouth! Absolutely a kid friendly appetizer and best of all you don’t need a lot of oil to fry these zucchini slices. Buttery cracker crumbs make a yummy, crunchy crust.
Ingredients:
2 Zucchinis Cut Into 1/4-Inch Slices Or ½-Inch Strips
2 Eggs, Beaten
1 Sleeve Of Ritz Crackers, Crushed
2-3 Tablespoons Oil (Your Preference)
Salt And Ground Black Pepper To Taste
Directions:
Coat each zucchini slice with egg, then press into cracker crumbs, coating both sides. Shake off excess and place the breaded zucchini onto a plate while breading the rest; do not stack.
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. The skillet needs to be large enough to hold all of the slices flat. Add zucchini slices and sauté until crust browns and zucchini softens, about 3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper.
Antipasto Salad Kabobs
Talk about easy! This delicious, fresh, full of everything appetizer is perfect for the game day gathering. There’s something to excite everyone. Just grab your favorite meats and cheeses and whatever other antipasto ingredients you like and assemble.
Ingredients:
(2) 7 Oz. Containers Fresh Mozzarella Balls (Bocconchini) Or Cubed Mozzarella Cheese
(2) 4 Oz. Packages Prosciutto
½ Lb. Genoa Salami, Sliced Thin
(1) 12 Oz. Jar Roasted Red Peppers
(1) 6 Oz. Can Of Black Olives, Or Use The Fresh Cured Olives From The Olive Bar At Your Grocery Store
1 Bag Of Leaf Lettuce, Any Kind You Like
NOTE: You can customize these kabobs any way you’d like. You could use turkey and ham, chunks of parmesan or cheddar.
Directions:
Lay out all you ingredients on a cutting board. Alternate the ingredients onto the skewers on any pattern you like, adding lettuce leaves after every few ingredients.
Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette or serve with Italian dressing for dipping on the side.
