Football is back! And so is the Food!

There is something so energizing to me about summer turning into fall. It is unique to this particular season change. Perhaps it’s the promise of all the fun holidays to come. Whatever it is, just the hint of fall puts a smile on my face and a pep in my step. Even the trees seem to want it… it may be hellishly hot still in Alabama, but some of our neighborhood trees have begun to change color and shed leaves. And then, of course, there is football.

I may not love love football season the way my husband does. He is definitely in it for the sport. I am more interested in the food and parties. Don’t get me wrong, I do like football, and I transform into a completely different Mindy when the Florida State Seminoles are on. Saturdays in the fall mean burgers on the grill and a bunch of finger food to nibble on all day. Football means delicious party food!

Reagan and Riley have both started to show an interest in the kitchen. Riley is particularly intrigued by the grill. Makes sense, his favorite foods are steaks and burgers. Stu has been teaching him to grill. Not only is cooking an important skill for everyone to learn, but I feel it is crucial for Riley. His egg allergy is so dangerous, and he needs to be able to take care of himself when he moves out of our house.

Reagan and I have been on a jalapeno kick lately. She makes her own jalapeno cream cheese – combines diced fresh jalapenos, jalapeno paste and whipped cream cheese.

I thought I was ordering 3 jalapenos from Instant Cart, but it was actually 3 pounds. So, we have a few to use. For our first football weekend of the season, we made some homemade jalapeno poppers. They were delicious, but I needed to put more spicy Dano’s on them. I’ll be making that adjustment for the next batch.

If you’re looking for football party food ideas, I highly recommend these. I baked these instead of frying them. They were SO yummy. These are going to be a staple at all of my football parties.

As a sweet treat, we made a batch of my egg-free chocolate cupcakes. That recipe can be found here: Egg-free and Dairy-free Cupcakes