Homegating Tutorial: Chicken, Beer, & Football

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

If you are an avid reader of the blog, then you know that I am not a sports fan. But what I am a fan of is throwing parties. So in a sense, I actually am a fan of sports because it’s an excuse to throw a party. Are you following me? If I have a reason to use my kitchen, mix up a cocktail, and put together a kicking tablescape, then I am all for it my friends. JJ Watt? I couldn’t tell you if he’s a football player or a famous electrician, but if you give me his picture I can make his likeness out of cheese and nuts. I am like the McGyver of homegating. So, if you’re looking to whip together an epic football viewing party for the upcoming season, you have come to the right place. I have teamed up with Tyson® to bring you this fun tutorial that will elevate your homegating to the next level. Let’s get to it!

Step #1: The Foundation

I am going to give you the secret to success with any party tablescape. Layering. Think going outside on a cold winter day, but for a table. Start with the essentials for practicality: plates, cake stands, cutlery, cups. Then start adding the fun, decorative elements: chalkboard signs, festive napkins, mini footballs. Lastly, top off top layer of the table with something unexpected, like seasonal flowers or paper décor. When you break it down into these layering steps, preparing an epic tablescape becomes a lot less daunting.

Step #2: The Savory Eats

It is sacrilege to throw a homegating party without chicken wings. That’s like going to a throwback 80’s theme party without neon and big hair. Got to have the chicken wings! And no one does delicious and convenient chicken like Tyson. For your homegating festivities, I highly recommend Tyson® Any’tizers® hot wings buffalo style and boneless chicken WYNGZ* honey BBQ. The Any’tizers® are made with white meat chicken in a variety of different sauces, so you have your pick of flavors. I would also recommend adding the Tyson crispy chicken strips to the feast because you can never truly have enough scrumptious chicken at a football viewing party. These crispy chicken strips are made with 100% all-natural white meat chicken, are fully cooked, crispy, and ready to serve. Best of all, these items can easily be found at your local Kroger or Kroger division store. Make sure to look for the specially marked Tyson chicken products that are raised with no antibiotics ever… that way you can feel good about serving it to your beloved friends and family. The last piece to this puzzle is dipping sauces. Plate the chicken and present them with a complimentary dipping sauce like a zesty ranch or spicy guacamole. Guacamole?! Yes, if you’ve never dipped a crispy chicken strip into guacamole, then you haven’t lived.

Step #3: The Drinks

Sure, you can serve beer at your homegating party. But if you really want to make it a night to remember, then whip up some beer cocktails! Since football season is wonderfully situated in the heart of Autumn, I would suggest a fall-themed beer cocktail. Don’t know where to start? Well then, here’s a recipe for you…

The Blonde Cinnamon

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bottle of a hoppy blonde beer
• 2 ounces of whisky (the peat-ier the better!)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1 dash of ground cinnamon
• Garnish: Cinnamon bark

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the whisky, maple syrup, and ground cinnamon to a beer stein. Mix thoroughly with a bar spoon.
2. Top off with the beer and stir again with the bar spoon.
3. Garnish with the cinnamon bark and enjoy!

Step #4: The Sweets

Since it’s Autumn, add a bit of autumn flavors to the sweets. I’d also suggest picking a dessert that can sit out on the table a while… you know these games can last days. So actually, the absolutely perfect dessert for your homegating table is the candied apple. And to take it to the next level? Pipe a bit of football laces on them with white icing. So simple and ridiculously cute.

And that’s it. You’ve got all the ingredients for an epic homegating, football viewing party. Special thanks to my friends at Tyson for helping me elevate my tablescape game. Make sure to pick up all your supplies at Kroger and Kroger division stores. Shout out your team below and let me know what your homegating table will look like this year.

For more savory ideas, visit my ‘Meat’ section here!