Family-Friendly Football Game Day Recipes

Written and photographed exclusively for Inside & Out by Alison of Two of a Kind Cooks

Game Day Recipes

Touchdown! Are you watching football this Sunday with family or friends? Make meal prep a team effort! Everyone can help put together this super spread.

Here’s the game plan:

Cook a batch of chili (or pick up a few cans of your favorite brand at the store) – My go-to recipe is a quick two-bean turkey chili – it’s healthy, hearty and packed with flavor. There’s bacon in it, to boot!

Make the honey peanut butter popcorn – If you’ve never made stovetop popcorn, you’re missing out! It’s incredibly easy and fun. Because there’s hot syrup involved in this recipe, let the teens tackle it; the kids can look on (they’ll go wild when the kernels pop!). Warning: This snack is extremely addictive. I like to serve it alongside peanut butter pretzels and roasted peanuts for textural contrast.

Move on to beverage prep – Make the simple syrup for the lemonade and assemble the rest of the ingredients, but don’t mix the drinks just yet.

Prepare the cornmeal popovers – Ask the little ones to help you whip up the batter – they can measure, stir and whisk. When the popovers emerge from the oven, I promise there will be big grins as they set eyes on their workmanship.

Put everything on the table, make the lemonade and dig in!

PS: Don’t forget to pick up everything you’ll need to make your set up a winner! We love how Allison used our Galvanized Metal Tiered Stand, Bon Appetit Towels, Football Koozie, Mason Jar Mugs and Galvanized Metal Condiment and Tray Set.

Honey Peanut Butter Popcorn
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
• sea salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 3-quart heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add 3 kernels to the pan, cover and continue to heat. When the kernels pop, add remaining kernels, cover and shake the pan. As the kernels start popping, shake the pan continuously until popping stops. Remove from heat and pour the popcorn in a roasting pan to cool. Remove unpopped kernels and lightly salt the popcorn to taste.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar and honey. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook the mixture for 3 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter; stir with a silicone spatula until smooth. Then stir in the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Cook the mixture over medium heat for 1 minute.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the mixture over the cooled popcorn. Stir with a silicone spatula until the popcorn is coated evenly.
5. Spread the popcorn in a single layer in the roasting pan. Gently break up any large clumps with your hands. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Sparkling (and Spiked) Mint Lemonade
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 cup simple syrup (see notes)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups cold water
• ice
• 2 cups sparkling water
• lemon wheels and frozen raspberries, for garnish
• Don Julio Tequila Blanco (for adults, optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a pitcher, combine the mint leaves and simple syrup. Using a wooden spoon, gently muddle the mint leaves, being careful not to tear them.
2. Stir in the lemon juice and cold water.
3. Add ice and the sparkling water.
4. Garnish each serving with a lemon wheel, frozen raspberries and additional mint leaves.
5. For spiked lemonade, add 1 ounce tequila to each serving.

NOTES
To make simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.

Chili-Filled Cornmeal Popovers
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Popovers:

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Topping:

• (or 6 cups canned chili)
• shredded cheddar cheese
• diced avocado
• green onions, thinly sliced
• sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the popovers:

1. Place a nonstick 6-cup popover pan on the bottom rack of your oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Then whisk in butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and salt. Then whisk in the egg mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a large glass measuring cup; this allows you to quickly and easily distribute the batter among the popover pan wells.
4. Once oven is preheated, carefully remove popover pan from oven and coat wells with nonstick spray. Moving quickly, divide the batter evenly among the wells and place pan back in oven.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Do not open the oven door while popovers are baking.
6. Remove pan from oven and turn out popovers onto a wire rack. Serve immediately. Or, if not serving right away, poke a small hole in the side of each popover with a toothpick or paring knife to let the steam escape.

Assemble the chili-filled popovers:

1. Split popovers and fill with chili.
2. Top with cheese, avocado, green onions and sour cream.

And that’s it! Just a little planning and a lot of fun, easy cooking makes this a perfect family-friendly spread that we’d love to snack on during game time.