With the arrival of fall, football season is back in full force! Our family loves the sport.. Jeff grew up playing football as did all his brothers and he’s a huge 49er fan. We try to go to as many games as possible and never miss watching the games at home when they’re out of town. One of our favorite things to do on Saturdays and Sundays during game days is to invite some friends over to watch with us. We’re always looking for an excuse for a party.
We love to entertain our friends and neighbors for little get togethers on the weekends.. Our home has become the gathering spot so to speak and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Game days are a great excuse to catch up with one another, eat great food, play yard games and watch a few games.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that you can throw a beautiful party on a small budget. Walmart has become one of my a great go to party supplies stores for affordable options and this fall is no different. For today’s football themed party I found some great options from decor to serving pieces that I couldn’t wait to share with everyone. The football shaped cheese board is my absolute favorite.. I love fruit and cheese plates and this board was perfect for today’s get together. I can’t believe I found it for just $12! I actually purchased a few for everyone to take home to use for the season.. Such a great deal!
When it comes to food options I love including a mix of everything. Don’t let Pinterest fool you.. while handmade finger foods shaped like footballs are widely appreciated & look adorable – realistically, everyone doesn’t have time for that. I personally like by combine homemade and store bought items for quick and easy weekend parties/tailgates. For today’s get together, I snagged some tortilla chips, Doritos, cupcakes, M&Ms, wings and salsa while Jeff made his homemade guacamole. It was simple and perfect for this group.
He included his recipe below.
- 2 Medium Ripe Avocados
- 1/2 Cup Freshly Diced Tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup Diced Red Onion
- 1 Clove Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice (Juice from 1 Medium Lime)
- 1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1/2 Tsp Tabasco – Add more to spice it up!
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste (Less ripe Avocados need more salt!)
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Combine all ingredients except avocados in medium sized glass or plastic bowl. Allow to marinade for 5 minutes or more. As a shortcut, I sometimes use store bought freshly made pico de gallo for the tomatoes, onion and cilantro.
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Chop avocados into bite size chunks and gently fold into previous mixture. If you like a creamer texture, use a fork to mash some or all of the avocados as you fold them in.
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Taste and add more salt and Tabasco as needed. Remember less ripe avocados will likely need more salt to help bring out the flavor.
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Serve immediately and Enjoy!
All the indoor party decor that I found at Walmart is inexpensive and a simple solution for decorating my home for game days. I plan to use everything continuously throughout the long football season. How great is the $4 football banner? I have it hanging over the windows and draping my mantel. Love that it compliments my fall decor too. ;) I also picked up this set of football photo booth accessories. Rather than using them for pictures this time I taped a few to the mirror & scattered others throughout my family room to use as decor. Only $8 for the set of 12. I love how football festive they make the room feel. Other days I’m sure we’ll use them for photo opportunities. That’s always fun..
Looking for great napkin & plate options was also easy as Walmart had some cute selections. I linked my choices below:
Prior to the game we’re always looking for something fun to do with everyone.. We love to entertain both inside and out prior to the game and during halftime/commercial breaks.. This oversized Jenga Game has become a huge hit with the kids.. (and adults!) It’s such a fun activity to use year round. Jeff loves it so much he’s taking one to work for team building. I think that’s such a great idea. We also fell in love with this NFL team themed toss game – easy to store because it can be deflated, folded and put away! I don’t have a ton of room for storage and both of these games store beautifully.
Hope some of my game day party inspiration has given you a few ideas for your future get togethers! Click here to see more of Walmart’s affordable game day party decor/tailgating items & here for their selection of game time food. So many great choices!
xo,
Kristy
Thanks to Walmart for sponsoring this post.
