It’s the most wonderful time of the year… football season! I’ve been going to New England Patriots games since I was 5 or 6 and also grew up cheerleading for my high school football team and then eventually became a cheerleader at the University of Maine where I cheered for our football team for four years. Secret time: I also tried out for the New England Patriots cheerleaders in 2012 (😜). You could say football is in my blood at this point, but especially New England Patriots football! My parents still have season tickets (my dad figured out that it’s been 26 years as of this year) so I make it to Gillette Stadium a decent amount of times per year.

When I’m not going to games (or there’s an away game!) I love hosting friends for game day parties. Like many Bostonians, we live in a small apartment, so while we can’t host as many as if we had our own home, we still like to host a handful of people. My parents also love putting together a game day spread so I’ve learned some tricks throughout the years and also a few game day recipes that are easy to make and easy to please.

I’m excited to be partnering with Scotties Tissues again (see last year’s post here) to show you how you can host your own New England Patriots Game Day Party at home! I’ve been using Scotties Tissues for years so when they make a New England Patriots style box you know I had to get them! They’re perfect to add to the bathroom, put in kids’ rooms who are New England Patriots fans, add to your dorm room, or really anywhere. I like to have a box of tissues in the bedroom and one in the bathroom, but I also like to have them out for guests, especially if kids will be around.

Also, this year, Scotties is giving you the chance to win New England Patriots tickets! Make sure to click here to enter. Fingers crossed one of you guys wins!!! 😁❤️

New England Patriots Game Day Party: How to Host Your Own Football Party

The Decor

One thing I’ve learned is that if you lean on your decor, the food and everything else can be super simple! First things first, I like to cover up the area the food will lay on with a tablecloth so that I don’t get the actual surfaces of my home too dirty with spills -whether it’s the kitchen counter, living room table, or our coffee table. Obviously spills here and there are no big deal (and are a given), but I’ve found it makes the clean up even easier.

My mom has actual New England Patriots printed fabric that she bought years ago and turned into a tablecloth. She simply washes it after every tailgate. Obviously this is a more sustainable option than a one time use tablecloth, but I’ve never been able to find the fabric so I normally opt for a blue or red party tablecloth.

Next, you may not often think of this one, but since football season is in the middle of cold and flu season, I also love having Scotties Tissues boxes out and around the apartment. Many of our friends have kids and I feel like kids always have runny noses this time of year so they come in handy! Speaking of coming in handy, I had the worst cold recently and I basically had my head in the Scotties Tissues box all weekend (lol). I think I went through an entire box. They’re the best and I love that they’re New England Patriots themed.

Easy Decor Ideas:
-Get Patriots themed plates, cups, napkins, and a table cloth (if you can find it) – otherwise you can use the same color family
-Foam fingers make for a fun addition to your table
-I like to use past items I’ve gotten at games to add to the decor/tablescape (small towels and other trinkets)
-Banners/Balloons (Next time I’m going to get holographic balloons that spell out LFG 😂)

The Food

When planning the food, I usually go off of what time game time is or what time people will arrive at our apartment. But generally, any appetizer/finger food type dishes tend to work really well. People typically want to eat things they can grab that are bite sized since they probably have a drink in their other hand. Here a few ideas that have worked really well for me throughout the years – whether you’re eating at home or tailgating!

• Vegetable Platter
  I like to cut up carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, and add cherry tomatoes. I buy a pre-made ranch dip to make it easy on myself. You can also buy your own vegetable platters but I find they can be pretty expensive and I typically have most of the veggies I would add to a vegetable platter in my own fridge almost all the time. The great thing about a vegetable platter is that you can prep ahead of time by cutting up the vegetables the night before and throwing in your fridge until it’s time to set up your party. If you want to save yourself time, go for the pre-made vegetable platters that all grocery stores sell.

  

• Meats, Cheeses, & Crackers
  Geoff and I are not huge cheese people (crazy huh?! 😳). I do love sliced sharp cheddar, but we aren’t ones to get out the goat cheese or anything too crazy. I usually like to get a couple different kinds of sharp cheddar (easy to prep because you can slice ahead of time) or Monterey Jack and make it easy. I also get a couple different types of meats and crackers as well. So easy.
• Dips
  Dips are great because they can typically be prepped ahead of time and then put in the oven (if it’s a warm dip) or put together in just a few minutes. I love serving a 7 layer Mexican dip with tortilla chips or a warm crab dip with tortilla chips and sliced, toasted baguette.
• Crock Pot Meals
  If it’s a 4PM game which typically has half-time falling around dinner time, it can be nice to have something more substantial. You can make pulled pork or pulled chicken in a crock pot very easily. Either make into sliders or tacos and you have a hearty yet easy meal for a crowd. Chili is also a crowd pleaser during the later fall/early winter months.
• Scallops Wrapped in Bacon
  My parents (and myself) make these for almost every football gathering. They’re so easy to make and are a crowd hit. I like grilling them but they also cook surprisingly well in the oven (just make sure you put them on a baking sheet that has an edge/lip on it so that the bacon grease doesn’t drip all through your oven). All you have to do is blot the scallops dry, sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of them, cut bacon strips in half, and then wrap a half bacon slice around each scallop. If you’re cooking them on the grill, I recommend adding them to a metal skewer for easy cooking. If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water first so they don’t catch on fire.
• Loaded Baked Potato “Nachos”
  I’m obsessed with these to the point where I try to come up with a reason to make them all the time (but I usually end up sticking to game day). I just cut up 3 Russet potatoes into rounds, place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with onion powder and garlic powder. I then add shredded cheddar cheese. I recommend shredding the cheese yourself – it really does taste so much better (and melts better), but if you’re low on time, buy bagged shredded cheese. I then sprinkle bacon on top, chives, and add a side of sour cream for dipping. It’s basically the exact recipe from this post.
  
  
  

Other Easy Food/Drink Ideas:

• Potato Chips & Onion Dip (I love Chrissy Teigen’s recipe from her cookbook that I made for the Super Bowl last year)
• Chips, Salsa, & Guacamole (a given!)
• Get a cake with a photo of Belichick or Tom Brady on the top (a friend once did this for a Super Bowl party and it was a huge hit)
• I like to keep a selection of drinks out over ice plus an ice bucket that way people don’t have to go through the fridge/freezer

Overall, keep it easy when planning your New England Patriots Game Day Party. The beauty of game day parties is that they’re meant to be low-maintenance. If I go to someone’s party, I’m happy even if they just have a simple bowl of chips and salsa so don’t put too much pressure on yourself! I hope you guys learned a tip or two and please make sure to enter the Scotties sweepstakes so that you can get the chance to win Patriots tickets!!

Thank you to Scotties Tissues for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.