The perfect Thanksgiving is also the perfect gameday. You’ve already got friends and family gathered together, amazing food, and plenty of beverages for all! But if your game starts before you eat, you might want to have some easy snacks and cocktails on hand to keep everyone happy until dinner.
Checkout some of our favorite recipes for easy sips and snacks.
Drinks
Old Fashioned Cowboy
Ingredients
2 parts Maker’s Mark Bourbon
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
Orange peel
Directions
Dissolve or muddle sugar with bitters and a splash of Maker’s in an Old Fashioned glass.
Fill glass 3/4 full of ice.
Add Maker’s Mark and stir.
Express orange peel over your glass to release citrus oils.
Garnish with orange peel.
Goal Line Lemonade
Ingredients
2 oz. Rye Whiskey
5 oz. Triple Sec
Lemonade
Splash lemon lime soda
1/2 lemon
Directions
In a mixing glass, squeeze juice from half a lemon and add spirits.
Next, add ice, lemonade and splash of lemon lime soda.
Cover with mixing tin and shake once to incorporate. Garnish with lemon.
Cowboy ’Rita
Ingredients
Salt
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce triple sec
Splash blue curacao
Lime wedge, for garnish
Directions
Moisten rim of glass, turn upside down and press into a plate of salt.
Add ingredients to cocktail shaker. Cover and shake.
Pour into a glass with ice and garnish with lime wedge.
Texans Tea
Ingredients
½ ounce vodka
½ ounce white rum
½ ounce tequila
½ ounce blue curacao
4 ounces sour mix
4 ounces 7-Up
1 cherry, for garnish
Directions
Add ingredients to cocktail shaker. Cover and shake.
Pour into a glass with ice and garnish with cherry.
Lemonberry Cocktail
Ingredients
1 ½ oz. Whiskey
½ oz. Raspberry Liquor
1 oz. Lemonade
Directions
In a glass filled with ice add the whiskey, raspberry liquor, and lemonade. Stir and serve.
Food
Chips, salsa, guacamole, and queso are always an easy favorite, and Spec’s has a huge selection that you won’t find at any grocery store!
It could be as easy as laying out a little meat and cheese tray or going for a more elaborate charcuterie board or even a full-size party tray of mini empanadas, a huge tex-mex dip, wings or gourmet sliders!
If have the time, nothing beats a homemade creation! Checkout a couple of our favorite, and easy to make, snack recipes!
Nachos
Ingredients
1 Standard Size Bag Of Tortilla Chips
1 pound block of cheese such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby Jack, shredded
Optional Topping Such as:
Seasoned Ground Beef
Shredded Beef Pork or Chicken
Black beans or pinto beans
Tomatoes, jalapenos or chilies
Corn black olives, avocados
Use as little or as much as you like of toppings this is a personal choice type of thing!
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil.
Spread chips over cookie sheet.
Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the chips.
Sprinkle toppings over the chips and cheese.
Sprinkle on remaining cheese.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until cheese is good and melty.
Serve warm with sides such as guacamole, sour cream or salsa.
No-Stress Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) frozen chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup sriracha sauce
½ cup ranch dressing
1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce (Optional)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Directions
Combine chicken breasts and broth in a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot). Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions; set timer for 10 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.
Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer’s instructions for 10 minutes. Release remaining pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer’s instructions, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid. Transfer chicken to a bowl and shred.
Select Saute function. Add cream cheese, sriracha, ranch dressing, and chile-garlic sauce. Return shredded chicken to the pot. Slowly add Cheddar cheese, constantly stirring until melted and all ingredients are well combined. Select Keep Warm function until ready to serve. Garnish with green onions.
Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon strips, cooked and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Combine sour cream and ranch dressing mix in a bowl and stir thoroughly together. Add in cream cheese and mix with an electric mixer until well incorporated. Add Cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions. Transfer mixture to an oven-safe dish.
Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Parmesan and Chive Crisps
Ingredients
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh chives chopped
Pepper to taste
Directions
In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients- then on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, take a round cookie cutter and place it on the sheet and fill it with some of the cheese mixture to make sure all around the same size. Then before putting them in the oven press down slightly on each circle to flatten them out.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until golden and then let them cool a bit before lifting them off the baking sheet and serve!
Dijon-Bacon Dip for Pretzels
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bacon bits or crumbled cooked bacon
1 to 3 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Pretzels or pretzel crisps
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, bacon and horseradish.
Cover and chill until serving. Serve with pretzels.
Cheddar Beer Fondue
Ingredients
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Radishes, sliced apples and breadsticks
Directions
In a large bowl, combine cheese and flour. In a small saucepan, heat the beer, garlic, mustard and pepper over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan.
Reduce heat to medium-low; add a handful of cheese mixture. Stir constantly, using a figure-8 motion, until almost completely melted. Continue adding cheese mixture, 1 handful at a time, allowing cheese to almost completely melt between additions. Keep warm. Serve with radishes, sliced apples and breadsticks.
Potato Galette
Ingredients
6 red potatoes (medium sized or about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons butter (salted butter)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon chives (fresh, cut into small pieces)
1 tablespoon parsley (fresh, chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil (for greasing cast iron skillet)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°
Melt butter and combine with olive oil, garlic and herbs
Slice potatoes using a mandoline or a sharp knife
Place potatoes in a large bowl and coat with butter mixture
Use an additional tablespoon of olive oil to coat cast iron skillet. Make certain bottom and sides are well coated.
Layer sliced potatoes in skillet, overlapping each slice and making a concentric circle.
Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper.
Continue with layering potatoes until all potatoes are used
Scrape any remain butter from bowl and pour onto of potatoes
Bake in preheated oven for 60-80 minutes
Check for doneness by removing skillet from oven and carefully pulling back the top of the potatoes in the center of the pan. Examine the potatoes to see if they are done.
To serve, remove from skillet and sprinkle with additional fresh herbs. Slice into wedges.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
1/4 cup tahini
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons water or aquafaba, see notes
Salt to taste
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.
Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.
Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the roasted peppers and continue to process for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. If the hummus is too thick or still has tiny bits of chickpea, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 1 to 3 tablespoons of water or aquafaba until you are happy with the consistency.
Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Finely chop the reserved peppers. Spoon hummus into a bowl, make a small well in the middle and add the chopped peppers. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.
