Game Day for Girlfriends | #ScoreMoreFans

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Gathering with girlfriends has come a long way from the days of Tupperware parties with gelatin molds and sleepovers in frilly pajamas. The modern woman can have many of the same interests as her guy friends like grilling, lifting weights and watching football... but there are times that she may prefer the dainty details that guys tend to overlook when it comes to planning celebrations and parties.

With the big game just around the corner, guys and gals alike will be throwing game-watching parties to root on their team with friends and family. And while a bag of chips served with jar of salsa poured over a block of cream cheese is perfectly acceptable football food for a party of dudes, {and surprisingly tasty} the presentation might leave something to be desired if you're expecting to wow guests. {Apologies to my brother-in-law who claims this as his signature dish.}

This year, I say let the men do their own thing. Gather up your girlfriends and "take it to the house" -- YOUR house! -- and host your own game day soiree with a "RITZy", effervescent twist!

You don't have to go crazy with expensive decorations or fussy details to set the stage for an impressive football fete. Just a few basic supplies are all you need to decorate for the big game! I found just about everything I needed from food to festive touches at Walmart. 

For very little money I was able to transform ordinary party supplies like wrapping paper, paper plates, plastic cups and decorative toothpicks into a spread fit for a gridiron goddess.

I took the playbook theme to the next level and used lots of blackboard and chalk details to tie the look together and stick with a game day motif. Chalkboard stickers made it easy to label cups for each guest and also served as a great way to amp up table signage.

Nothing says "Go Team" like a glittery pom poms, so I used those as table decor along with some simple letter cutouts that I found in the craft section of the store. A piece of scrapbook paper made to look like a football field added a pop of color in the center of the table, along with hints of red and white from the serving dishes.

Black wrapping paper covered my table {which is fantastic for easy cleanup at the end of the night}, and I used a white chalk pen to scribble directly on the surface to showcase some of the tasty bites.

I wanted to keep my menu simple but clever, so I got to work on creating some bite-sized snacks that kept with the game day feel. Classic messy Sloppy Joes popped into my mind immediately... but then so did stained furniture and rugs. Ugh. I solved the problem by serving up the appetizers on RITZ® Crackers, which made them more cute than clunky!

Buttery RITZ® Crackers worked perfectly as a vehicle for sweet and saucy Mini Coca-Cola Sloppy Joes. I assembled some ready-to-go joes for immediate snacking on a platter, but also set out toppings for gals who want to add a little something extra. {Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe!}

No party of mine is complete without something sweet! The solution? A DIY Coca-Cola Float Bar that doubled as a beverage and a dessert.

Setting it up is simple: Offer a few ice cream options {I chose Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Brownie Chunk. YUM.}, set out some bottles of classic Coca-Cola or Coke Zero {just $5 for two 16.9 oz. 6-packs at Walmart}, and display a few topping options like whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, chopped nuts and fancy cookies for guests to create their own fizzy float! 

I jazzed up each cup with a personalized chalkboard sticker and added a little extra pizzazz with chocolate sauce/sprinkle rims that are a breeze to make before guests arrive. Add a cute striped straw and a cherry on top and watch the girls sip with pure joy!

Just in case the game goes into overtime, it never hurts to have a little something extra on hand for nibbling. I used the same RITZ® Crackers that were part of my savory snacks and gave them a sweet makeover by filling them with sweetened whipped cream, dipping them in melted chocolate and adding some sprinkles for good measure. A few minutes in the freezer is all it takes for these popable treats to set up. {You can also fill these with your favorite frosting, nut butter or dessert spread! Keep an eye out for more detailed instructions later this week!}

My party turned out like no game-watching party I've ever been to, and though this event was meant for girls only, I have a feeling the guys will be asking for invites the next time around! So ladies, whether you decide to make the dress code "Jerseys and Pearls" or keep it casual with team colors and sweatpants {your best girls won't judge}, throw your own football social and enjoy the big game in style!

For more amazing {and adorable!} football party ideas with Coca-Cola and RITZ® Crackers, head over to SnacksandSips.net!

Mini Coca-Cola Sloppy Joes

1 small onion, finely diced
1 pound ground turkey or ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
3/4 cup Coca Cola or Coke Zero
RITZ® Crackers

Optional: Diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese for topping

1. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Add onion and saute until starting to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Add ground meat to pan and break up with a spoon to crumble. {I like using a potato masher.} Sprinkle salt over meat and cook until browned and no longer pink.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Pour into meat and mix to coat meat. Cook for about 2 more minutes.

3. Pour in Coca-Cola, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring to a bubble and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened a bit.

Cool slightly, then assemble mini sloppy joes by sandwiching a scoop of meat mixture between two Ritz Crackers. Carefully skewer with a toothpick or create a DIY setup with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce cheese and other toppings.

Hawaiian Style Turkey Sloppy Joes

Most days, I wake up with an idea of how the day should go. You'd think I'd know better by now. But nope. It is with blind optimism that I enter each day with a "plan", though over and over again I am reminded that life is a chaotic, unpredictable thing. I can't even blame this entirely on having a child because some of the things that throw the day off track have nothing to do with him. {Though most of them do. I think I'll keep him anyway.}

This week has been no different. But let's pretend that things went perfectly, okay? Let's pretend that I posted this recipe yesterday as I had intended. Let's pretend that my A/C didn't shut down and turn my house into a sweat box. Let's pretend that the maintenance man didn't have to stop by TWICE to fix it, and then tell me that there was a good chance the utility closet may flood.

Let's also imagine that I, being a responsible and logical renter, heeded the warning issued to me upon moving in and maintained said closet free of anything important, because it isn't a storage closet after all. That I hadn't stuffed the closet full with Christmas decor {that never went up last year since I'd just had a baby and all} and that I most certainly did NOT use it as a place to store my photography backgrounds.

Because if I did do any of that, it would mean that I'd be forced to haul all that junk out in the evening hours when I was so tired I could curl up and snooze IN the utility closet without batting an eye, putting myself in the precarious position of potentially drowning in the flood that never actually happened. I thank the maintenance man for being cautious just the same.

We're still pretending here, so let's just imagine that all those Sterilite boxes of Christmas stuff weren't piled in a corner in my living room, beckoning to my 9 month old to scale them like Mount Kilimanjaro. Because that means that, in moving things out of his reach, I wouldn't have accidentally dropped one of the boxes -- the one filled with GLASS ornaments, of course -- creating hundreds of red and gold shards of glass that needed vacuuming. Oh well, we had too many anyway.

Can we also pretend that I didn't wake up with a pounding headache that wouldn't quit? And that I actually got the recipe I planned to share cooked, photographed and posted? Not that my child screamed incessantly while I stood at the stove because he didn't feel like being penned up in his Pack 'n Play, or that I accidentally flung pineapple pieces all over the floor. Whatever. I got it done and that's what counts.

Since we're assuming all went smoothly, that would mean that I was able to publish the post while the baby napped and then got to sit down and eat something healthy. Not that the moment I sat at the computer, I was roused by a crash that made me think my child had turned into a pole vaulter and sprung himself over the side of his crib. Or that that I stress-ate mini Oreos that I bought for a baking project. Because that was not part of the plan. {On a positive note, I discovered that adrenaline gives me the ability to sprint at Usain Bolt-like speeds. Good to know.}

Life. Is. Sloppy. But it's also delightful. Much like these:

Truth be told we probably eat some version of a sloppy joe at least once a week. It's quick to prepare and you can add anything you want to it -- the perfect refrigerator clean out kind of meal. Sometimes I cook it up Cuban picadillo style. Other times I make it with an Asian flair. At times, it's Greek.

But today... today we're giving it a "Hawaiian" twist, because it's Friday and I need to pretend I'm on on island sipping a Mai Tai. Who's with me?

A little sweet, a little savory and a touch of smoky thrown in for good measure, it's the balance that you crave in your life. Or at the very least, in your mouth. And as it turns out, it's a fantastic thing to dig into this weekend while you enjoy the return of college football. We win.

Let's make peace with "messy" and dig in!

Hawaiian Style Turkey Sloppy Joes

1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup diced pineapple, fresh or frozen
1 pound ground turkey meat

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large clove garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 green onions, chopped (divided)
4 Sweet burger buns, such as King's Hawaiian

1. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pineapple and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Scoot the onion and pineapple mixture over to one side of the pan and add the ground turkey meat to the empty side. Cook, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink {I like to use a potato masher for this job}. Stir everything together.

3. Sprinkle the mixture with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and ground ginger and mix to combine.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. In Pour into ground turkey mixture and stir to coat. Cook for about a minute or two.

5. {Use the same bowl for this step and save yourself some dishwashing} Whisk together corn starch with about 1/4 cup water until there are no lumps. Pour into the skillet and stir throughout the mixture -- this will thicken up the sauce. {Note: If it gets too thick, add a little more water to get desired consistency.}

6. Add 1 chopped green onion and cook for another minute or so. Scoop onto sweet Hawaiian burger buns and garnish with extra green onion if desired.

Serve while hot and messy, with lots of napkins! :)