Throwing an Epic Game Day Football Party with Nexium 24HR

This Game Day Football Party post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AD #Tailgreatness #CollectiveBias

It is football season!

The weekends are reserved for the games and for jerseys. My fantasy football team is doing well. And Sundays at the house include appetizers, nachos, and tons of loud cheering.

No matter what team you root for, we’ve got you covered on how to throw an epic Game Day Football Party!

Our Game Day Football Party includes a Build Your Own Nacho Bar. A cheesy, spicy Louisiana Hot Crab Dip. Seasonal spiced chocolate football cookies. And some easy DIY decorations to complete your shindig!

Oh, and the star player: Nexium 24HR*. Turning 30 comes with a lot of things. Some wisdom. A few new wrinkles. And some serious heartburn. I’ve never experienced heartburn before until recently. It is not fun. My husband is no stranger to it, however. So, thankfully, he always has tons of Nexium 24HR on standby. Last weekend after our game day football party, I learned my lesson. This couldn’t happen to me again.

My husband gave me a very flat, seemingly unsympathetic “welcome to my world” as I felt like I was dying from the worst heartburn possible. “How do you stand this?! I can’t take this.” Of course, the hypochondriac inside me turned to the Internet to research everything related to heartburn. Would I have to swear off spicy foods forever? No more tomato sauce? No more (gulp) COFFEE? NO. No, no, no, no, no.

I’ll admit that I was a total baby about it. Thankfully, Nexium 24HR worked wonders for me and I didn’t have to stop drinking my coffee (not like that was ever going to happen) or put a halt on my Game Day Football Party! There’s a reason why it’s the #1 choice of doctors and pharmacists** for their own frequent heartburn. You only need one pill a day…and, let me tell you, that little purple pill keeps working with 24-hour protection against heartburn. So, if it’s midnight on game day and you’re searching the fridge for some of that leftover spicy crab dip…? (We won’t stop you. And your heartburn won’t, either.)

So there’s pretty much just one question left to ask. Are you ready to rumble?!

First things first. What’s a party without some easy, fun DIY decor? (No party at all!) I love making these fun football mason jars. All you need is some glow-in-the-dark tape, green card stock, and a little twine. Tape the mason jars to resemble football stitching, cut out little pennant flags in the card stock, and customize the glasses for your guests. It’s so easy and a nice little touch to your game day football party. Plus, when the lights get dimmed, it’s easy to find your glass!

Next, I make really easy snack containers with the same green card stock. Using origami, I turn 8.5 x 11 card stock paper into fun little boxes. These hold pretzels and popcorn and they’re portable (and adorable). They’re actually very simple to make. No tape, no glue, no scissors! Follow this easy video and then decorate the boxes with the same tape (to look like field lines) or little footballs. Have fun with it. Fill it with snacks. And enjoy!

Next, we need food. Of course. One of my favorite things to do is a Build Your Own Nacho Bar. This is a creative, easy, and interactive way to feed your favorite football fans. Choose your fixings and let your guests craft their favorite combinations.

Put out shredded chicken or spicy ground beef.

Tortilla chips.

A queso cheese sauce (homemade or store-bought).

Guacamole.

Pico de gallo.

Refried beans.

Roasted corn.

And toppings such as cilantro, olives, lime, spicy jalapenos, green onions, avocado, bell peppers, or sour cream.

I love serving something warm and straight from the oven. This comes in the form of a Louisiana Hot Crab Dip.

Louisiana Hot Crab Dip is warm. A little spicy. Cheesy. And so, so good.

Hello, Creole seasonings.

Of course, every proper party needs a proper dessert. My favorite sweet addition comes in the form of chocolate football shortbread cookies. But not your typical shortbread cookie, of course. A buttery, spiced cookie scented with your favorite fall spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove infuse this cocoa cookie for a seasonal treat. White chocolate decorates it for a simple, DIY dessert.

No football cutter? No problem. It’s really easy to make the shape with a biscuit cutter, circle cutter, or even a glass! Just cut the circle shape, and then cut it again where it meets the corner to form an edge, like so:

Then simply decorate with white chocolate to make the football stitching.

So, let’s go over our game plan! We have simple DIY decor (personalized football mason jars and little origami snack holders). We have a nacho bar and a Louisiana Hot Crab Dip. We have homemade spiced chocolate football cookies. Simply add a green table cloth (or decorate with your team colors), some inexpensive paper decorations, and plates. Fill your mason jars with iced tea or another dark liquid to resemble footballs. And you’re set!

And if you want to be a really good host, inform your guests about Nexium 24HR. And don’t taunt them when their team is losing. (This is optional.)

• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat free of shells

• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 lemon juiced

• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

• 1 teaspoon hot sauce

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• Salt + pepper to taste

• Green onions to garnish

• Crackers to serve

Combine the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan, Pepper Jack, garlic, Worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, Dijon, and Creole seasoning. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with Creole seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes, until slightly browned and bubbling. Garnish with fresh green onions and serve with crackers.

• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• Melted white chocolate for decorating

Beat softened butter with powdered sugar until fluffy and combined. Mix the flour, cocoa, salt, and spices together in a bowl. Add in the vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix in the flour and cocoa mixture in 3 additions, until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Roll the cookies out on a lightly floured surface and cut out football shapes as shown above. Cook at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool, and decorate with white chocolate football stitches. 

With these delicious recipes, DIY decorating tips, and Nexium 24HR, you are ready to host an epic Game Day Football Party! Get Game Day Ready at Walmart, where you can pick up your Nexium 24HR and everything you need for these DIY projects. Thank you to Nexium 24HR for sponsoring this post. You are officially ready for #Tailgreatness! 

*Use Nexium 24HR as directed. May take 1-4 days for full effect.

**#1 Choice of Doctors and Pharmacists for their own frequent heartburn, among PCPs and Pharmacists who use a branded OTC PPI