Happy Friday Reader!

Are you ready to bring your A-game to the next friends and family football gathering? It's Husker season here in Nebraska, and even if you're not cheering, "Go Big Red!", I bet you ARE enjoying your favorite team and sharing the excitement with your favorite people.

Food and football go hand in hand. Here are some of our favorite fun, flavorful, fuss-free recipes that score big with friends, family, and armchair quarterbacks.

Favorite Easy Recipes for Football Season

​Ham and Cheese Sliders​

These melty, saucy, sweet-and-savory sliders are perfect for game day. Sweet Hawaiian rolls, smoky ham, gooey cheese, and a buttery caramelized glaze? Yes, please. These sliders are one of the first items to disappear at holiday gatherings, and they’re ideal for tailgates or buffet tables. PRO TIP: Keep the baking pan wrapped in foil until right before serving so the sliders stay warm and oozy.

Get the Easy Recipe: Ham and Cheese Sliders​

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​Porcupine Meatballs​

Porcupine Meatballs are a comforting, nostalgic favorite reinvented for modern cooks. Tender, juicy beef and Italian sausage are bound together with instant rice (which pokes out like porcupine quills!) and gently simmered in a rich tomato “gravy.” Add a toothpick to each one for individual bites, tuck them into meatball sliders, or make them into a hearty meal. No matter how you serve them, these delicious meatballs will be a hit!

Get the Easy Recipe: Porcupine Meatballs​

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Charcuterie Cups

Individual, grab-and-go cups of meats, cheeses, veggies, crackers, and fruit are gorgeous, practical, and oh-so-appetizing. No large platter, no more boards full of empty spaces — just mini cups guests pick up and carry around with them. So versatile and customizable for any occasion.

Get the Easy Recipe: Charcuterie Cups​

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​Homemade Beef Summer Sausage​

Get ready! You're gonna be a little bit famous after you make this super-easy Homemade Beef Summer Sausage. Smoky, salty, meaty deliciousness! You can mix this up in minutes. Bake it. Refrigerate. Then slice and serve with all your favorite charcuterie. It's a fantastic make-ahead appetizer that gets rave reviews every single time I serve it.

Get the Easy Recipe: Homemade Beef Summer Sausage

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​10-Minute Taco Dip​

Layer upon layer of creamy, savory goodness — the most delectable homemade slow cooker refried beans you'll ever eat (or your favorite store-brand) spread thick and rich on a platter. Top them with a tangy sour cream blend seasoned with easy homemade taco seasoning (or store-bought), followed by a blanket of sharp cheddar, juicy tomato chunks, and bright green onion — every bite is a festival of texture and taste. It’s no fuss, no cooking, just pure deliciousness that’s always a fan favorite for game day, potlucks, or anytime your snack game needs a boost.

Get the Easy Recipe: 10-Minute Taco Dip​

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​Best Easy Chili Recipe​

Cozy up your game day spread with Glenda Embree’s Easy Chili — a rich, hearty bowl of comfort that’s both satisfying and simple. In under 30 minutes, this recipe combines savory ground beef and five other easily accessible pantry ingredients. Serve it with all your favorite toppings and crackers, cornbread or taco chips. P.S. If you're from Southeast Nebraska, you'll understand when I tell you this chili also rocks, served with cinnamon rolls! Delish!

Get the Easy Recipe: Best Easy Chili​

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More Recipes We Love for Game Day

• ​Easy Sausage Balls Recipe, Craveable & Delicious. And serve them with my Easy Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe​
• ​Ham Salad Recipe (Old Fashioned Deviled Ham) Great in sandwiches and stuffed crudité.
• ​Old Fashioned Pimento Cheese Recipe Delish on crackers and crostini as well as in stuffed crudité.

• ​Easy Pineapple Salsa ​
• ​Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball Recipe​
• ​Creamy Hummus Recipe with Roasted Garlic​
• ​Jalapeno Popper Dip Recipe​

• ​Best Meatball Stew Recipe | Hearty, Delicious Comfort Food​
• ​Jalapeno Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe​
• ​Delicious Cuban Sliders, Mini Cuban Sandwiches​
• ​Easy Taco Soup Recipe​

• ​Walking Taco Casserole​
• ​Sweet Potato Fries: Easy, Delish & CRISP in the Oven​
• ​Baked Bean Casserole​
• ​Homemade Taco Chips​

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And last, but not least, I've never attended a football party where cookies were not a welcome snack. Check out all these delicious Cookie Recipes for inspiration.

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Final Thoughts

Whether you're hosting a full-on game day party or just contributing to a potluck, I hope some of these recipes will be the perfect flavor and flair to share with your family and friends.

From warm sliders and hearty chili to charcuterie cups or your own homemade summer sausage, you can mix and match great flavors and textures to create a menu that fits your crowd and your prep time.

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend filled with Fall fun (and maybe some football.)

I hope you get to share delicious food with the people you love most and that someone else does your dishes. Hugs Friend!

What's For Dinner?

This is the part of the newsletter where I share recipe ideas from some of my best blogging friends and myself to inspire you with what's for dinner at our houses this week. That gives you seven days worth of new recipes to inspire you for your own delicious meal plan. Enjoy!

• ​Roasted Rack of Lamb from Laura at Little House Big Alaska
• ​Baked Blackened Salmon from Gen at Two Cloves Kitchen
• ​Baked Spaghetti from Glenda​
• ​Fried Rice with Chicken and Shrimp from Rupali at Caramel and Spice
• ​Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts from Sue at Sula and Spice
• ​Cheesy Penne Pasta Bake from Lori at A Reinvented Mom
• ​Slow Cooker Cauliflower Mac and Cheese from Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry

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Tools to Make Football Party Favorites

These are Amazon and Walmart affiliate links to some of my favorite kitchen tools and ingredients for making fabulous food to serve at your next football party or potluck. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. You can read my affiliate disclosure here.

• This Cheese and Vegetable Grater/Slicer - I am not easily influenced by Internet trends, but this grater/slicer is the newest tool I've added to my kitchen. I use it multiple times per week, if not every day. It comes with so many blade options, attaches tightly to the counter so I don't have to hold it in place, and it's easy to clean. I've used it to grate cheese, carrots, onions and apples and to slice potatoes. It's hard to imagine working without it now. Love this one lots!
• ​OXO Good Grips Chef's Mandoline - This is the one I use in my own kitchen. It's sturdy. The rubber legs keep it from sliding around the counter, and it gives me beautiful, even slices of potatoes, apples, onions — whatever needs slicing. It has a good-sized food holder to help protect fingers. The two-sided blade does straight and crinkle-cut. And there are blades built in to julienne vegetables or cut french fries. Set the blade to your desired thickness (there are several) and make up to 21 different kinds of cuts.
• ​Lodge 5.5 Quart Dutch Oven - Perfect for soups, stews, baking bread or making Braised Beef Short Ribs. This specific size is on sale at Walmart right now, so snap it up and save some cash.
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• ​My First Crock Pot - 7 qts, so it can hold enough for a crowd. It features a removable crock, making it easy to clean. Simple controls, easy to use and affordable. Still my favorite even though I own fancier ones. This gets used every week!
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• ​My 2nd Crock Pot - You laugh, but I've pared back a lot! I used to own nine! My second is a big 8-qt work horse with a digital display that is OLD and isn't even made any more. If I had to replace it, I would be getting this 8-qt manual that's just like my first crock pot, only bigger! P.S. You will be living your best life over the holidays if you have two slow cookers. Just saying'! They free up so much oven and stovetop space.
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• My Deep Dish 9x13 Ceramic Baking Pan is perfect for casseroles, Magic Cookie Bars, cakes and more.​
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• ​Pyrex ​Mixing Bowls I use daily. Of course, they're great for stirring together the ingredients for a recipe. But, they're also perfect for storing leftovers and even for serving things like this scrumptious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad. Another great feature is that they come with lids, so leftovers can easily go straight to the fridge.
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• ​Sheet Pans - My favorite sheet pans are commercial grade and 13x18. This particular one comes with a bonus silicone baking mat.

Visit my Amazon Storefront to explore more of the tools and ingredients I love cooking with at home.