Throwing a party to celebrate The Big Game?  Here are all the football party appetizer recipes you’ll need to make food the center of attention.

Notice I didn’t use the word that starts with “S” and ends with “uperbowl?”  Apparently the NFL has that word heavily trademarked.  And sure, I know their legal team is never going to worry about little ‘ole Shared Appetite using their coveted  title for The Big Game, but it’s at the very least a fun exercise to skate around using the “s” word.

Besides my Seattle-based blogging friend who obviously has a personal interest in the winner of this year’s football showdown, anyone else only really interested in an opportunity to get together with friends and nosh on food for several hours?  Oh, and of course enjoy the myriad of creative multi-million dollar commericials 🙂

I wanted to take an opportunity to highlight some amazing-looking football party foods that I’ve been spotting on blogs I regularly read.  My food-blogging friends, if you will.  Click on the photos to go to their recipes, and please if you are planning on pinning a photo, do so from their blog so they get the credit 🙂

Enjoy The Big Game, and all the delicious food that goes with it!

Dips

Sure you could go grab a canister of sour cream and a seasoning packet and call it a day, but this homemade Caramelized Onion Dip is like a bajillion times better.  I promise.

I’m a big fan of corn.  HUGE fan.  When I saw this Jalapeno and Sweet Corn Hummus over at Tina’s Chic Corner, I immediately knew this had to be on my “to make” list.

My buddy Steve refuses to come to any of my parties unless I promise to have this Pineapple Habanero Salsa waiting for him.  The sweet and spicy combo is apparently quite addictive 🙂

Asheley is quite obsessed with avocados.  I really can’t blame her.  I’m thinking she would love this Ultra Creamy Avocado Dip from Cooking with Cakes, and it’s surprisingly healthy!

Erin over at Emerging Foodie was very sneaky with cramming in super-duper healthy superfoods into her Super[Bowl]Food Guacamole.  Now I won’t feel bad when I down the entire bowl 🙂

You can never, NEVER, go wrong with serving guacamole at parties.  And I’m a firm believer that the more choices, the better.  With these Three Creative Guacamole Recipes, you can have your choice of roasted corn and tomato, mango-pomegranate, or the manliest of the bunch… bacon.

When I realized that I could enjoy jalapeno poppers in dip form from Nicole over at Wonky Wonderful, I was quite the happy guy.  I know my friends would go crazy over her Jalapeno Popper Dip.

Does anything really have to be said about this Philly Cheesesteak Dip from Nicole over at Cooking for Keeps?  It’s a philly cheesesteak… with all its cheesy goodness, in a bowl.  Yum.

I totally wouldn’t mind if I went to a party and was served this Warm Jalapeno Crab Dip from Anne over at Uni Homemaker.  Cheese.  Crab.  Jalapeno.  Yea, that sounds great to me.

Soups and Sandwiches

 Probably one of my most popular recipes among friends the past few months, these {Slow Cooker} Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Avocado Ranch Dressing will definitely be making an appearance at The Big Game.

It’s not a football game without chili.  Just ask Asheley.  She’s in love with this Fire Roasted Chili with Beer Braised Short Ribs.  I always make a huge batch and have lots of it kept in the freezer for quick meals.

Go creative with your sandwiches and try this copycat recipe for the Num Pang Pulled Pork Sandwich.  It’s actually a guest post I did for Sandra on her site, Kitchen Apparel.  The sandwich is one of my favorites in NYC, and features pulled pork, pickled carrots and onions, fresh cucumber, and a chili mayo.

I’m totally fascinated by this Cheeseburger Soup from Melanie over at Carmel Moments.  How seriously good does that look?!

 

Finger Foods

If you’re making those slow cooker buffalo chicken sliders from above, why not also use a bit of the chicken to make these Bacon-Wrapped Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers?  That’s what I always do.  You really can’t go wrong with bacon wrapped anything 🙂

I was utterly mesmorized by this  Jalapeno Popper Pizza by Chung-Ah at Damn Delicious.  My stomach is literally growling just looking at it.

I’m such a fan of these Southwest Wontons.  They are simple but highly addictive.  And the best part… recruit a couple unexpecting friends as they arrive to wrap the wontons for you.  It’ll make short work of a normally tedious task.

Who doesn’t love chicken wings, especially on game day?!  The only problems is that frying wings can be a bit of a hassle.  Ashley from Cookie Monster Cooking revealed these beauties, Baked Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings, that require no frying at all!

I always have tortillas and cheese lying around the house for this very reason.  Quesadillas are always a good idea, no matter what fillings you decide to go with.  For a Korean-twist, try these Kimchi – Bacon Quesadillas.

I almost fell out of my chair when I first saw these Baked Sweet Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Sauce, Bacon and Green Onion from Nicole over at Cooking for Keeps.  Seriously, how amazingly good do these look?  Seriously.

Pamela over at Brooklyn Farmgirl has me intrigued with these Slow Cooked BBQ Spareribs.  Just throw a few ingredients in the slow cooker and boom.  Finger-licking good spareribs.

First off, don’t pay attention to the blur in the photo above.  That’s totally my fault due to image resizing.  Head over to Taylor at Food Faith Fitness to check out these amazing-looking Larb Gai Lettuce Wraps.  I’m such a fan of Thai food, and the fact that I can roll that deliciousness up in some lettuce for no-utensil-required wraps on game day… I’m sold.

 

Dessert

No party can be complete without dessert.  Right?  Or is it just me and my sweet tooth?  Brownies certainly would work, as would some fresh baked cookies.  Or we could just combine the two and bake a cookie into a brownie (oh, and stuff it with some nutella or cookie butter) 🙂  Yup, that’s right… Nutella and Cookie Butter Stuffed Brooksters {Brownie + Cookie}

 When I saw Consuelo post these Skinny Brownie Cheesecake Cookie Dough Bars over at Honey & Figs Kitchen, I instantly started drooling on my computer.  I literally need these in my life, and the fact that they have been “skinny-fied” is an extra bonus.