5 Easy Appetizers for the Big Game

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com.

 

It’s that time of year…  Time to have a bunch of friends over for a party to watch football!  I think everyone loves a good football party whether they are a huge football fan or they just want to enjoy the commercials.  And what’s a party without food?  I received a bunch of great products in a recent Babbleboxx and today I’m sharing all of them as a part of 5 easy apps that are perfect for your party.

Appetizer 1: Meatballs

Who doesn’t love a good meatball?  You can make homemade meatballs or buy pre-made ones and make it super easy.  All you have to do is put your meatballs in a slow cooker and cover with some sauce.

My husband’s favorite is RAGÚ® Old World Style Traditional spaghetti sauce.  It’s so smooth and flavorful.  Every jar of sauce the RAGÚ® brand makes is inspired by the original garden-grown recipe that they started out with in the 1930s.  You can enjoy the taste of RAGÚ® brand’s heritage with RAGÚ® Old World Style Traditional spaghetti sauce.  It’s a classic sauce made with vine-ripened tomatoes and contains two servings of vegetables in every 1/2 cup.  RAGÚ® is America’s #1 pasta sauce, “simmered in tradition”.  RAGÚ® sauces are not just for spaghetti recipes, they are also fantastic for quick appetizers while watching the big game.

Appetizer 2: Cheesy Sausage Dip & Chips

This dip is a perennial favorite in our house and it’s super simple too.  Just fry up some sausage, drain it, and toss it into a slow cooker with some salsa or diced tomatoes with spices and RAGÚ® Double Cheddar sauce.

RAGÚ® Double Cheddar cheese sauce is a creamy blend of Cheddar, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses that is great in this dip.  You can also use it to make the perfect mac and cheese, or even a great twist like southwest mac n cheese.  Be sure to check out all the great sauces that RAGÚ® has to offer.

To serve with my dip  I chose a variety of corn chips from Garden of Eatin’®.  Garden of Eatin’® brand is the original non-GMO blue corn tortilla chip brand.  For more than 40 years they have created tasty snack options made with organic, garden-inspired ingredients in a great variety of flavors.  The chips are available nationwide in three
flavors that you need to try: Corn Chips with Sea Salt, Corn Chips BBQ Black Bean, and Blue Corn Chips with Sea Salt.  I loved the Blue Corn Chips with Sea Salt.  It’s just such a perfect savory organic corn chip and I loved the little bit of the sea salt.  Be sure to check out all the great chips from Garden of Eatin’ and be sure to take advantage of a coupon for $0.75 off of any one variety.

Appetizer 3: Wings!

Wings are the quintessential football food.  We have never really been fans of making wings at home because we could never get them super crisp in the oven like you can by frying them so I was so excited to try making them in an air fryer!

I had the opportunity to try out the Midea MFTN3501 Air Fryer and it is amazing!  The Midea air fryer enables you to make the same crisp taste of fried foods but with less than 80% of the fat that they would have if you deep fried them.  The Midea air fryer is powered by 1500 watts of super-heated air that circulates in the air fryer, cooking foods like fries, wings, and more while allowing excess fats to fall away from the food in the basket and into the bottom of the fryer.  Learn more about Midea air fryers here.

I made some wings and I was impressed by how crispy they were.  To me they were just like deep fried wings, so good.

First, I set the air fryer to 390 degrees and allowed it to warm up for 5 minutes.  Then I put the wings in a single layer in the basket and cooked them for 12 minutes.

 

I flipped them and then cooked them for 12 minutes longer.

Once they were done I pulled them out of the basket and tossed them in some sauce.

We like traditional buffalo wings but I prefer barbeque sauce.  So for these wings I tossed them in Red Duck Smoked Applewood Molases BBQ sauce.  It’s not too sweet… a great mix of sweet and savory, a perfect BBQ sauce in my opinion.  I love using it in a traditional use like on wings here but it would also be fantastic for a BBQ chicken pizza, a breakfast hash, or pulled pork nachos.

Red Duck Foods also has a fantastic Smoky Ketchup.  It’s lower in sugar and sodium than its counterparts and it’s a ketchup that actually tastes like tomatoes.  You can use it to cook with when making soups or chilis, you can swap it in for anything that calls for tomato paste.  I think this ketchup would really elevate any french fries or kick up a burger.

All the Red Duck Foods condiments are crafted with whole, honest ingredients that present a unique twist on traditional flavors without an artificial colorings, preservatives, or stabilizers.  Be sure to check out all the great Red Duck Foods offerings.  Right now you can use the code BABBLEBOXX for 25% off any
purchase through February 28th 2018.

Appetizer 4: Caprese Bites

These delicious little bites are a nice, fresh app that’s super easy to put together.  All you need to do is grab some marinated fresh mozzarella from Formaggio Italian Cheeses, put it on a toothpick with a fresh cherry tomato and you’re done!  The Formaggio Cheese fresh mozzarella is marinated in their famous marinade of herbs and spices and has a wonderful, refreshing flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh tomatoes.

Appetizer 5: Meat & Cheese Platter

Formaggio Italian Cheeses also makes these amazing Artisan Wraps that feature finger length fresh mozzarella hand-rolled and wrapped with Italian style meats.  The meats pair perfectly with the soft, creamy mozzarella.  Both the marinated mozzarella and the Artisan wraps would be great on a charcuterie board with some olives, grapes, and maybe some nuts or crackers.  There are so many foods these would work well with.  You can find both the marinated mozzarella and the Artisan wraps at Sam’s Club and Costco.  Discover all the great Formaggio Italian Cheese products on their site.

Bonus Tip: Preparing all the food for a party can take a good bit of time and so the last thing you want to do is have to make food for yourself to eat while cooking or run out for something.  You want to have something easy on hand, ideally something that you can heat and eat.  While prepping all my appetizers I munched on one of the BIG AZ sandwiches that I was sent I really enjoyed the Country Fried Chicken.  The chicken was very crispy and so enjoyable.

They are huge!  These sandwiches have big, bold flavors and can satisfy even the biggest of appetites. The Sriracha Chicken Sandwich with cheese is one of the new exciting varieties that’s super filling yet still inexpensive.  It’s got a tangy-sweet hot sauce, Sriracha-covered grilled chicken, and cheese all served on Advance Pierre’s signature corn-dusted bun.

With over 9 lunch sandwiches and 4 breakfast sandwiches there is a whole line of BIG AZ sandwiches that provide a delicious meal no matter what time of day.  If you want to try one you can find them in convenience stores across the US or find out more on the BIG AZ website.

So there you have it, 5 easy appetizer ideas for your big game party.  What appetizers do you like to have at your parties?  Let me know in the comments below.