On Sunday November 29th, TV rooms across Canada will be overflowing with friends and family gathering to celebrate one of Canada’s greatest sporting traditions – the Grey Cup in Calgary, AB.
If your only memories of Grey Cup parties are those hosted by your parents many, many years ago, then it’s time to host your own touchdown shindig. We can help make it one for the record books with recipes, decoration and TV viewing tips.
The Food
- Make sure you have plenty of food. Better to have too much than not enough.
- Keep the food simple. This is not a night to attempt Beef Wellington for 12.
- Remember, food will need to be available to your guests from the first kick-off to the last second of overtime.
- Ask your guests whether anyone has food allergies so you can either avoid the food altogether or offer those guests with alternate choices.
- Think portable, laptop food that can be served from a buffet or the middle of a coffee table. The best action is in front of the TV and no one will want to have to move to a table to eat.
- Have plenty of beverages – and not all of them alcoholic. TV commercials will be sending enough beer messages throughout the game to make even the camels of your crowd thirsty. So make sure you have lots of ice water, soda, fruit juices, sport drinks, hot chocolate, ciders, coffee and tea available.
- Don’t spend your time in the kitchen acting like hired help. Plan and prepare the food ahead of time so you can set it out and refresh it a couple times during the game. After all, you have the right to enjoy the game too!
Here are some simple but delicious football party fare ideas to serve:
Antipasto Platter
Artichoke Cheese Appetizers
Cheese and Pickle Towers
Chicken Tortilla Rolls
Dilly Crunch Cheese Ball
Chow Chow Party Dip
Tex Mex Spread
Vegetable Dip
Zesty Spinach Dip
Cheesy Potato Skins with Creamy Dip
Fried Mozzarella Sticks
Layered Nachos
Grilled Chicken, Sausage and Vegetable Skewers
Meatball Sliders
Fantasy Football Meatballs
Tex Mex Turkey Spinach Burgers
Southwest Chicken Chili
Crunchy Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Orange Marmalade Sauce
Glazed Garlic Chicken Wings
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Spicy Apricot Chicken Wings
The Decorations
- Know and use the Grey Cup teams' colours in matching plates, napkins, cups, tablecloths, balloons or streamers.
- Decorate with posters, mugs, jackets, helmets – anything you can find that screams football.
- Instead of a tablecloth, cover your serving table with fake grass or indoor/outdoor green carpet.
- Wear a referee’s shirt (black and white striped) to clearly designate you as the host.
- If you’re feeling really bold, buy some face paint markers from the local craft store and paint your faces like über fans do.
TV Viewing 101
- Make sure everyone will have a good view of the game.
- Set up as many TV’s as you have available in and around the party zone.
- Allow your "serious" football fans the best seats in the house.
- Set up an area for less "serious" football fans to have conversations without interrupting the game and upsetting those watching the game closely.
- Hide the TV remote control. On this day, no one has the right to flip during commercial breaks. The game is what you’re there to watch.
