Winning Game Day Recipes

What’s the score? Doesn’t matter ~ everybody’s winning with these Game Day recipes from chips and dips to meatballs, pizza, and more, I’ve got all your bases covered for a slam dunk event.

Mexican short rib tacos with salsa, onions, and cheese

My best collection of Game Day recipes yet ~ because some of us don’t know a hat trick from a Hail Mary, we just come for the food…

it’s all about the bread

What is it about warm toasted bread? You almost don’t have to serve anything with it ~ but please do! Pairing gooey cheese with crusty bread is a no-fail game plan.

French Bread Pizza

5 from 3 votes

French bread pizza brings family and friends together over homemade pizza made in minutes!

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Mushroom Bruschetta with Gruyere

3.57 from 139 votes

Mushroom Bruschetta is a quick and easy appetizer ~ the savory mushroom toast with a hint of garlic and lots of melty Gruyere is a combination no one can resist!

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How to Make Flatbread Pizza with a Tortilla

5 from 3 votes

How to make flatbread pizza with a tortilla ~ this FABULOUS no- fail recipe is a family favorite! It's the best easy appetizer or light dinner.

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Everything Bagel Knots

5 from 1 vote

My everything bagel knots are soft, warm pull-apart rolls that taste just like an everything bagel!!

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Pretzel Focaccia

5 from 10 votes

Pretzel Focaccia with maple mustard dipping sauce is the easiest way to get your fix of soft, homemade pretzel-y goodness. This easy one hour pretzel bread recipe skips the messy bits and gets right to the 'yum'.

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hot dips

It’s a good thing we humans have been hard wired with the ability to keep our eyes glued to the screen while simultaneously dipping and inserting hot gooey cheese straight into our mouths.

Foolproof Queso Dip

5 from 16 votes

My queso dip recipe is a deliciously silky cheese dip perfect for Game Day snacking!

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Caramelized Onion Dip

5 from 10 votes

Baked Caramelized Onion Dip has to be the queen of all hot appetizers, and once you learn to properly caramelize onions, this simple dip with incredibly complex flavors can be yours.

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Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip

3.85 from 437 votes

Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip is an easy hot appetizer that will have everybody begging for the recipe! It’s perfect for game nights, holiday entertaining, or just a romantic night in.

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Cheesy Hatch Green Chile Dip

3.42 from 501 votes

Cheesy Hatch Green Chile Dip is an irresistible hot dip made with roasted Hatch chile peppers and lots of cheese!

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Scooping up Smokey Spinach and Artichoke Dip with a chip

Smokey Spinach Artichoke Dip

3.66 from 23 votes

Smokey Spinach Artichoke Dip ~ a warm, cheesy classic that's an absolute necessity if you've got friends coming over on a chilly night. My smokey recipe takes this familiar comfort food and gives it a delicious edge.

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beef it up!

Adding meat to your appetizer spread is always a winning strategy. My Game Day recipes for cocktail meatballs and poppers are always the first to go.

Bourbon Glazed Meatballs

3.55 from 669 votes

These luscious little Bourbon Meatballs are going to be the hit of your next cocktail party ~ people will flock to the meatballs, but they'll hang around for the sauce!!

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Apple Butter Brandy Meatballs

3.79 from 52 votes

Apple Butter Brandy Meatballs, the name tells you all you need to know. These luscious meatballs are smothered in a sweet and tangy apple butter brandy sauce that will bring you to your knees. Technically for the cocktail hour, no one will complain if you serve them for dinner.

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Middle Eastern ‘Nachos’

4.15 from 7 votes

These Middle Eastern ‘Nachos’ are my take on one of our favorite appetizers, perfect for Game Day snacks or a romantic dinner for two ~ you decide!

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Mahogany Chicken Wings

5 from 16 votes

Mahogany Chicken Wings are just plain irresistible, these yummy little guys are glazed to a deep burnished brown and the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Just be sure to make lots — they go fast!

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Frito pie in a small white bowl with spoon.

Crock Pot Frito Pie

4.20 from 25 votes

Frito pie is the ingenious combination of a fabulously meaty chili on top of crunchy Fritos corn chips. Dinner (or game day) doesn't get any better!

Cheeseburger Jalapeno Poppers

5 from 2 votes

Cheeseburger Jalapeño Poppers are one of the most satisfying appetizers on the planet! These healthier baked jalapeño poppers are stuffed with seasoned ground beef, topped with plenty of melty cheese.

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Salsa

This is where you’ll find me, no matter who’s playing who ~ I’ll be huddling up with the chips and salsa.

Cowboy Caviar

4 from 104 votes

Cowboy Caviar ~ whether you call it Texas caviar, black bean salsa, black-eyed pea salad, or Southwestern bean dip, this all-American cross between a salsa and a salad is just plain GOOD!

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Better Than Restaurant Salsa

4.50 from 8 votes

Restaurant style salsa has that deep rich roasted tomato flavor you love from your favorite cantina, brightened with fresh veggies and cilantro.

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Fire Roasted Salsa Negra (black salsa)

3.70 from 273 votes

Fire Roasted Salsa Negra ~ this intense Mexican black salsa is made with roasted tomatoes and peppers for a deep dark color and a gutsy flavor.

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Pineapple Salsa

5 from 3 votes

My vibrant pineapple salsa is a brighter, juicier version of pico de gallo ~ we serve it with chicken, steak, pork, and fish. But it's also the best excuse I know of to buy a big old bag of chips!

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Sweet Corn and Hatch Chile Salsa

4.78 from 22 votes

Sweet corn and Hatch chile salsa can be served as a summer side dish, or scooped up with chips ~ we can't stop eating it!

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fry it up!

There’s no contest here, fried snacks are the champs.

Dipping a beer battered fried mushroom in herbed dip

Beer Battered Mushrooms with Herbed Ranch

4.43 from 21 votes

These Beer Battered Mushrooms with Herbed Ranch Dip are crispy on the outside, and insanely juicy on the inside…they're in my top ten appetizers of all time!

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Fried Olives

3.92 from 46 votes

Fried Olives are the best little appetizers in the world ~ they're crisp on the outside, warm and juicy on the inside ~ dip them in a little garlicky aioli and you'll be in heaven, guaranteed!

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Vidalia Onion Strings with Horseradish Aioli

3.72 from 53 votes

Vidalia Onion Strings with Horseradish Aioli might just be the world's most perfect appetizer, these thin sweet onions rings are fried to perfection in minutes!

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Guinness Battered Onion Rings

4.55 from 33 votes

These Guinness beer battered onion rings with a spicy curried mayo dip are the ultimate appetizer!

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Fried Green Beans

5 from 2 votes

Fried green beans definitely give French fries a run for their money…these crispy beer battered beans are irresistible!

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finger food

When the game gets close, the snacking goes on auto-pilot. My Game Day recipes for easy finger food are tailor made for couch potatoes 🙂

sweet and spicy bar mix on a baking sheet

Sweet and Spicy Pretzel Mix

5 from 7 votes

Spicy Sweet and Spicy Bar Mix whether you're celebrating the beginning of a new year or the end of a busy week, this snack mix recipe will be your best friend. The only downside is that you really can't stop once you start!

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Gruyere cheese spritz crackers on a cooling rack.

Gruyere Cheese Crackers

4.67 from 9 votes

Crisp Gruyere cheese crackers to serve with wine or as part of a charcuterie board!

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Ultimate Party Mix

5 from 3 votes

Gone Loco Party Mix ~ the Ultimate No Bake Recipe is a decadent sweet and spicy snack mix loaded with your favorite guilty pleasures, and it's a-mazing!!

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Baked Pita Chips 5 Ways

4.48 from 17 votes

Easy homemade baked pita chips can be customized with endless flavors.

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Party Mix

4 from 12 votes

My Naughty and Nice Party Mix Recipe is updated take on classic Chex snack mix combining spicy, salty, and sweet flavors into one seriously irresistible snack. It's endlessly customizable, just make sure to save some for Santa!

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kick it up a notch

Game Day grub doesn’t have to be lowbrow ~ here are some delicious Game Day recipes to upscale your spread.

Crispy Crab Balls

4.98 from 34 votes

My crispy crab balls are crunchy on the outside, velvety smooth and packed with crab inside. A classic cocktail party appetizer that's great for date nights in, and game day nibbling, too.

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Jarcuterie

5 from 15 votes

Jarcuterie are single serve charcuterie in adorable jars or cups. Everybody gets to take their meat and cheese appetizer with them as they mingle (the concept is pure genius!)

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Baked Feta Cheese with Olives, Lemon and Rosemary

3.49 from 409 votes

Baked Feta Cheese with Olives and Lemon ~ an easy baked cheese appetizer that shows off the spectacular sun drenched flavors of the Mediterranean.

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Baked Brie

5 from 15 votes

Do you know how to bake Brie the right way? Baked brie is one of the most luxuriously easy appetizers ever invented, and I'm sharing all the secrets to getting that perfectly oozy, gooey Brie every time.

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Homemade Boursin cheese with spreading knife

Homemade Boursin Cheese Recipe

3.38 from 304 votes

My Homemade Boursin Cheese recipe is easy to do, and the flavor is spot on. This copy cat garlic and herb creamy cheese will save you SO MUCH money! It's perfect for any occasion.

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Copycat Raincoast Crisp Crackers on marble surface

Copycat Raincoast Crisps Crackers

5 from 23 votes

Homemade Raincoast Crisps are a copycat version of the famously beautiful and crunchy crackers that dominate cheese boards everywhere, and they're so easy to make!

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go big

Don’t get caught short if the game goes into overtime! These main course Game Day recipes will keep your crowd going.

Holding a sheet pan smash burger with toothpick.

Sheet Pan Smashburgers

5 from 4 votes

Juicy smashburgers with all the fixings made quick and easy on a sheet pan!

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Sheet Pan Tuna Melts

5 from 8 votes

Sheet pan tuna melts are a quick and easy meal that everyone loves!

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Sheet Pan Peppers and Brats

3.52 from 98 votes

Sheet Pan Peppers and Brats ~ a quick and easy way to feed a Game Day crowd or a hungry family. This yummy sheet pan dinner is a favorite!

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Beer Braised Short Rib Tacos

5 from 7 votes

Mexican short rib tacos are the BEST tacos ~ melt-in-your-mouth tender beef braised in a beer and guajillo chile sauce for Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, or just because!

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Tunapeño Poppers

5 from 3 votes

Tunapeño poppers are irresistible little peppers stuffed with tuna and baked up with lots of bubbly cheese.

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Chicago style hot dog with all the trimmings!

Chicago Hot Dogs

5 from 5 votes

The Chicago Hot Dog: an all-beef legend with all the trimmings!

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Chili Mac and Cheese

4.09 from 47 votes

Chili Mac and Cheese is the ultimate fall comfort dinner, a combo of meaty chili, pasta, and lots of gooey cheese. Perfect for Game Day or every day!

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