By Izzy Giacoppo

What’s a football game without a tailgate? Watching your favorite team fight for victory is exhilarating and requires plenty of energy, so it’s essential to pregame with some fun snacks! As fun as games are, waking up for a morning tailgate preceding a noon game can be a little dreadful. Having the right food and drinks makes all the difference. 

For a morning tailgate, baked goods like muffins are a great start. There are plenty of varieties like blueberry, bran, lemon, apple, and banana. Donut holes and bagels are other versatile fan favorites, with bagels having a variety of spreads. If you’re in a sluggish rush that morning, there’s no need to worry about getting different types of baked goods, given the variety of the aforementioned alone. If you have the time, cinnamon rolls and croissants are great options. 

Plus, there’s no need to run to the bakery. You can easily prepare premade dough from the grocery store. For something more savory, breakfast sandwiches are your go to, with plenty of options for bread, egg styles, cheeses, and meats. To wash it all down, there’s the obvious coffee, or you could have more fun and less caffeine with hot cocoa. For booze options, mimosas work perfectly and hot cocoa with Bailey’s is great for a chilly fall day, especially the pumpkin flavor. You can even try coffee with bourbon cream!

The afternoon is all about comforting, savory apps. Pigs in a blanket require no effort. Chick-n-Minis–Chick-Fil-A’s bite-sized chicken sandwiches brushed with honey butter–are always a big hit, and mac n cheese is an essential classic. If you’re itching to chef it up in the kitchen, French onion beef sliders will blow everyone away. To keep a sweet balance, arranging and frosting cupcakes to look like a football is easy and impressive. All it takes is chocolate frosting and a piping bag of white frosting. 

Many of these delicious snacks can be store bought and prepared efficiently. Even the sliders can be prepared the night before, then assembled and baked in the oven on gameday. This relieves the stress of setting up and making plans, which gives you more time to enjoy the game!