Ya Gotta Have Snacks for Football
About a month or so ago, a writer I love gushed in a beautiful and funny post about the value of finding someone who loves what you love. I couldn’t agree more.
But if I might, I’d like to add a little something to that sentiment: love what your people love, too.
Of course, this works best of all in a relationship that is healthy and reciprocal. One where you are taking just as much as you are giving. And, I’m learning (imperfectly) that it’s on me just as much to communicate how I’d like to be loved, what I need my loved one to give, what I love that he or she can love with me. Gosh, relationships are hard and good and sticky and beautiful. Kinda spider webby, ya know? Fragile in some ways, resilient in others, life-giving, intricate, full of constant tending.
Anyway, I suspect you’re here for the snacks more than you are for rambling thoughts about how relationships are like a spider’s web.
Sundays at the Wettersten House are for snacks and football. Why? Because that is what my people love.
Two years ago my husband created a Sunday jingle that sings, “Ya gotta have snacks for football.” (patent pending) And so, snacks we have.
If you’ve been here for a second, you know I have a lot of thoughts about the ministry of snacks. But in case you’re new or are just stopping by or missed it: I love creating an environment that whispers, “I love you,” by way of pretzels and apple slices and chili cheese dip. And so, on Sundays, we set up an extra TV or two and ditch lunch in favor of snacks.
Now that we’re two years in, though, I am running out of snack ideas and thought it would be fun to jazz things up a bit so dun-dun-dun! We are having snacks this year that are themed by NFL Franchise.
We started with Chicago Bears Week
Chicago-Style Pigs in a Blanket
Chicago Mix Popcorn
Bears Dip with chips, pretzels, and veggies
Fruit, to make the veggies more enticing
Chicago River Water
Week 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Veggie Tray Nobody Actually Wants™
Tampa Bay Beach with Swedish Fish infested waters and fruit and cookies to dip
Florida Orange Juice
Week 3: Dallas Cowboys
Miss Charlotte’s Cowboy’s Pie with Dude Perfect beans
Dr. Pepper Floats
Blue Jello Jiggler Footballs
(I snagged silicone molds of footballs and helmets from Aldi YEARS ago around Super Bowl Sunday figuring I’d use them a lot. I was right. If you’re close to Super Bowl season, check your local Aldi!)
Mini Texas Sheet Cake
Fruit and Veggie tray
Week 4: Jacksonville Jaguars
Fruit and Veggie Tray with store-bought dip dyed teal
Leftover cheese, crackers, and bacon-wrapped smokies from Girls Night
Football shaped box-mix brownies
Week 5: “Somebody here had the stomach flu on grocery day, please enjoy what I scrounged up from the fridge and pantry.”
(see also: it doesn’t have to be over-the-top to be special)
Week 6? 7? We’ve been sick so long I lost track: Pittsburgh Steelers Week
This week was really fun to plan since we have a friend from church who grew up in the Pittsburg area. Here were her reccomendations:
Snyder’s Chips
Utz’s pretzels
Black and yellow jello
Obligatory fruit and veggie tray
Football shaped banana bread
Week ?: Buffalo Bills Week
Bison Dip with veggies, chips and pretezels
Fruit Tray
Leftover Nachos from last night’s Buffalo Wild Wings ;) Totally counts.
No snacks for a few weeks : Holy moly. The flu and respiratory bugs are worse than the Lion’s defense this year.
Cincinnati Bengals Week:
A fun part of living in a college town is meeting babysitters from other places. It was extra-fun to sample Cincinnati favorites from one of our former babysitters who is from the area!
Fruit and veggie tray
Cheez-it tasting tray (Ohio is home to the Cheez-it;))
Super Bowl Week: Philadelphia Eagles
We were Eagles fans for the Super Bowl and finished off the Snacks for Football season with a Philly-themed night! Again, it was fun to sample favorites recommended by friends transplanted to Illinois from Philly.
Soft pretzels and dips
Fruit and veggie trays
Whew! What a season! Did we include your favorite team?
