Today, I am so excited to announce we’ve got a special guest here on embrace the perfect mess!  Kristen from Kandy Apple Mama is sharing all of the fun details of this family friendly football party- on a  budget!

family friendly football party- on

a budget

Gathering friends and family to watch a football game is a daunting task – made even more complicated when fans attend from opposing teams! You have to prepare family-friendly food for all dietary restrictions, the house must be clean and appropriately decorated, and don’t’ forget the entertainment for the kiddos!

Last weekend, I threw a killer football party (if I do say so myself) for my loved ones that was both family-friendly and budget-friendly. We had snacks, dinner, non-alcoholic beverages, and fun stuff for the littles.

Event: Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys Watch Party

Date: October 8, 2017 (precisely 9 days after I moved into my new house)

Menu: BBQ Chicken Sliders, Buffalo Chicken Sliders, Chips & Dip, Veggies, Cheese, Brownies, White Chocolate Dipped Oreos, Dr Pepper, and Iced Tea

# of Attendees: 19

Money Spent: Less than $100

Prep Time: 1.5 Hours

Party Rating: 5 Stars

Here’s How I did it:

The Menu

BBQ Chicken Sliders:

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/65896/zesty-slow-cooker-chicken-barbecue

Sauce Preference: KC Masterpiece

I cooked 4 chicken breasts and prepped the crockpot about 6 hours before halftime.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/176132/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken-sandwiches/

Sauce Preference: Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

I cooked 4 chicken breasts and prepped the crockpot about 6 hours before halftime.

Veggie Tray

I grabbed baby carrots and pre-cut celery from the grocery store. One less thing for me to prep means more time back in my day!

Ranch Dip + Blue Cheese Dip

Ranch Dip: I just used a packet from the grocery store of ranch dip I could mix with sour cream.

Blue Cheese Dip Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24901/blue-cheese-dip-ii/

Both were super easy and complemented the sliders so nicely!

Pizza

Worried I may not have enough sliders to feed an uncertain number of guests, I also picked up a couple of my favorite frozen pizzas (1 pepperoni and 1 cheese) to be ready by halftime. This is a great option if you’re unsure how many will attend, but I had plenty of sliders leftover and the pizza was utterly unnecessary in my case.

Cheese

I have this adorable football cheese plate I only get to use a couple of times per year, so I grabbed some cheese cubes at the grocery store as an excuse to set this out! The cheese was actually the very first thing to go!

Tortilla Chips + Queso, Guacamole, and Salsa

It wouldn’t be a party in Texas without chips and dip, so I also picked up some salsa and store-made guacamole. The queso was created with the traditional Texas recipe: Velveeta + Rotel in a crockpot.

Brownies

I made a 9×13 pan of brownies using a mix ($1.50 at the store!) and cut the pan into 12 brownies. Then iced a football design on each: 1 long line and 3 cross lines. These ended up being the hit of the party and I had no idea! I would have made more if I’d known. They were gone by halftime!

Chocolate Covered Oreos

I purchased the Family Size pack of Oreos and had food coloring and white chocolate almond bark on hand. My little one was really excited to help me with this task. We melted a bowl of the almond bark and mixed in one football team’s primary color, then dipped the Oreos in so the white chocolate would cover half of the cookie. We placed the dipped cookies on wax paper until they cooled.

Dr Pepper

I chose to make the party BYOB to save on my costs, but I provided water, soda, and tea to attendees. Dr Pepper is the official sponsor of College Football, so their cans are perfectly designed right now for a football party – I just couldn’t pass them up!

Iced Tea

Feel free to serve iced tea in whichever pitcher or dispenser you have. I personally loved any excuse to pull out my team’s dispenser. I purchased it on sale at Kohl’s for $10! Great price, right?

The Party Supplies

I grabbed plates for each team from Party City, and when I was there, they also had a sale going on for buy 1 get 1 free cups. So naturally I snagged a sleeve of each team’s colors. I paired these with white napkins from my cupboard (I am budget-conscious after all!).

I also found this adorable 3-part football serving dish I couldn’t pass up for only $5! It really helped keep my fixins’ for the sliders organized (and pretty!).

The Entertainment

The game was playing in the living room, which is next to the open kitchen. It made for a great flow.

We had corn hole and a trampoline in the backyard, and the kids went bananas. We also set up a TV in the backyard so the supervising parents wouldn’t have to miss the game!

Kiddos also ended up in the playroom and made their own rules. Regardless, they had 0 complaints!

The Décor

Admittedly, I did very little to decorate the house for the game. My focus was primarily on unpacking and cleaning the house more so than decorating, so I’m sure you’ll have more fun with this part!

I mostly got creative with colored dishes that matched team colors. It was fun to watch the rivalry and how some avoided certain foods based on the color dish.

I did snag the Kandy Apple Mama football wall art print, which was mostly a joke since my husband and I root for different teams. Guests found the print comical and lighthearted.

I also used these adorable printables (part 1 and part 2) from The Centsible Life to encourage my littlest helpers to decorate the party. I think the chain provided the “football” look without being tacky (like the football tablecloth I almost purchased… Whoops!).

The Clean-Up

Believe me when I say I have cleaned up after a lot of parties. This clean-up was a BREEZE! Aside from some inevitable dishes, this was the easiest clean-up I’ve ever seen. Because there were minimal decorations, there was minimal tear-down. I used slow-cooker liners in the crockpots, so they were easy to clean up.

The Conclusion

Win or lose, we had an amazing time hanging out with friends and family. We enjoyed each other’s company, jabbed a little at rivals, and cheered on a fun game.

It took me a while (until I was 23!) to enjoy football, and now I can’t get enough of it. The camaraderie, spirit, and general excitement during football season is unparalleled.

I can’t wait to hear which of these tips you used and loved at your next football party! Promise to tell me all about it in the comments?

Can’t wait,

Kristen

PS: Looking to host a house-divided tailgate? I’ve got all the tips you need for that one too, over at Kandy Apple Mama!

about Kristen: Kristen blogs with her stepdaughter’s mom at Kandy Apple Mama where together they represent the new face of co-parenting, the new future of womanhood and sisterhood, and a new way of thinking beyond the classroom. She is an unapologetic hot mess just trying to be the best wife, mom, and woman she can be.  Don’t forget to follow KAM on facebook, twitter, instagram, and pinterest!

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