Chicago Bears Snacks

In Week One of Football Snacks, we honored generations of Wetterstens before us by kicking things off with Bears Week.

I love a theme for a million reasons, but reason number one is that a theme can make something not fancy feel decidedly fancy. And reason number two is that it really helps narrow things down.

Here are our not fancy snacks that feel fancy because I named them Bears Things:

• Chicago-Style Pigs in a Blanket

  Simply cut your favorite hot dogs in half and wrap each half in a crescent roll. Sprinkle the raw crescent rolls with poppyseeds and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. If your crowd is a bit more adventurous than mine, add grilled onions and peppercinis before rolling up and baking.

• Chicago Mix Popcorn

  If you are near enough to a Garrett’s, just buy the good stuff! If not, toss together store-bought cheddar, butter, and caramel popcorn in equal parts.

• Bears Dip with chips, pretzels, and veggies

  The original Wettersten Snacks for Football from my husband’s childhood: heat 16 oz of Velveeta that you’ve cubed for easy melting with a 12 oz can of Rotel.

• Fruit, to make the veggies more enticing

• Chicago River Water

  Did I served leftover Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid and call it a day? Yes. Yes I did.