Faux Tailgating for Football Fans
Broncos fans may not be tailgating at Empower Field at Mile High this weekend, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy game day food favorites and another NFL game on their big screens. Thrillist says the most popular tailgate food is hot dogs, but we can do better than that. Not that we don’t enjoy a foot-long now and then, but these are the recipes that tickled the fancy of the most fanatical football fans on foodie websites.
Pregame Finger Foods
Trisha Yearwood can sing AND cook. And her celebrated game day goodies include Charleston Cheese Dip made with a blend of Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar and cream cheese. This trifecta of cheesiness is topped with cooked and crumbled bacon and is great on crackers, veggies, and everything bagel chips.
The secret to Valerie Bertinelli’s Spinach and Crab Dip might be the butter and onion. Or maybe it’s the cream cheese and cayenne. But if you prepare both of these celebrity dips for your football friends and family, you may not need to make anything else!
For a flavor celebration that twists pigs in a blanket by adding apple and Gouda cheese, this appetizing idea from Taste of Home is bite-sized bits of finger-licking fun. And it qualifies as one of the most popular picks! 
This recipe is more like a sandwich than an appetizer, and the name’s not super enticing, but just look at this video from the Food Network of Bacon Cheeseburger Garbage Bread. If that doesn’t make your mouth water than you must’ve just eaten! With ground chuck beef, American cheese, red onion, and dill pickle chips, this burger wannabe is wrapped in pizza dough, baked, then drizzled with ketchup, mayo and/or your favorite condiments..
Grilling for the Game
If we are graced with more 50-degree days there’s no reason NOT to add a little grilled meat to the menu. You can count on Food and Wine to bring a delicious and uncommon recipe idea, like Skirt Steak with Green Sriracha. The food editors used southeast Asian coconut, chiles and kaffir lime leaves to create a green Sriracha, which is a Thai-style hot sauce.
And to go with it, this Swiss Mushroom Loaf from Taste of Home. The carb crowd-pleaser stuffs a loaf of French bread with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, butter and onion, plus a little seasoned salt.
Southern Living’s go-to grill recipe is its beer-can chicken. The recipe makes two chickens, prepared the day before so the skin can dry out and crisp up nicely on the grill. With a rub made of salt, brown sugar, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika, you’ll need two 12-ounce cans of beer to create this Southern stand-by.
And while you can grill or roast these, turkey wings and drumettes from the Food Network put a substantial spin on traditional Buffalo wings.
Sweet Tailgate Desserts
Salted caramel is showing up in everything from coffee at Starbucks to nut bars from Kind, and if you haven’t sampled the sensational stuff, check out Sally’s Baking Addiction. From Salted Caramel Turtle Brownies to Pretzel Crunch Bars, these sweet treats are the perfect sugary finish to grazing on game day
The Savvy Couple put together this curated collection of tailgate food ideas and recipes including Football Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies from Well Plated. If food were a sport, these football-shaped peanut butter blondies would win the Heisman trophy.”
And if you want to organize your own half-time entertainment, take a look at these tailgate party games to enjoy outside from Tailgate Party Site (fingers-crossed that the forecasts hold for good weather!), from Speedminton and Ringstix, to the more traditional cornhole and ladder toss games (and 28 more!).
Game Day in Colliers Hill
The sports lovers in Colliers Hill often gather at the Overlook clubhouse to enjoy game day festivities, football food and fellowship with each other. The event and fitness center is just one of many amenities in the master-planned community. Visit the model homes offered by Meritage Homes, Richmond American Homes, and Century Communities, to find the perfect ranch-style or two-story design — priced from the high $300s.
