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Bite-Size Appetizers for Game Day

Pizza for One

September has arrived which means it’s football season! Saturdays and Sundays go from pool time to TV time and they are not complete without delicious snacks. These bite-size appetizers will keep you satisfied even if the score isn’t exactly what you hoped for.

Ronna Farley (Rockville, MD) has the perfect football snack with her Buffalo Chicken Mini Bites. They’re bite-size and super flavorful.

“These snacks are perfect for any sports party,” shares Ronna. “They are quick-as-a-wink to prepare and are crisp and delicious!”

Mini fillo shells are the vessel for a deliciously creamy and cheesy Buffalo chicken football. Game day is not complete without something Buffalo and your menu won’t be complete without these yummy chicken bites.

Store-bought crescent dough is a great ingredient for game day snacking. When baked, the dough is buttery and flaky. There are so many options for stuffing it with.

Jamie Beecham’s (Nashville, NC) uses crescent dough for her Chorizo Sausage Poppers. They are a self-contained ball of delight!

“These poppers make a great dish for snacking while watching the game on tv or tailgate parties,” says Jamie. “They have just a little bite. Dip in sour cream or serve with a bowl of salsa.”

Stuffed inside the dough are cream cheese, mushrooms, and chorizo sausage. Jamie adds diced jalapeno peppers too which gives some heat to these poppers. If you don’t like heat, leave it out. These will still be flavorful.

While Melanie B.’s (Kennesaw, GA) appetizer recipe is called Pizza for One, it makes enough to serve a crowd. It’s one that can easily be doubled or tripled too.

“I put together several recipes to come up with these,” explains Melanie. “They are so good and you can use whatever ingredients you want or like.”

I love this neat little pizza recipe. Melanie uses canned biscuits as the crust for the pizza. Splitting the biscuit in half and pressing it in the muffin tin is just the right amount of dough.

For fun, set up a pizza bar. Place the dough in the muffin tins, let everyone fill them with their favorite ingredients and then bake them. They’ll be golden brown and cheesy in 20 minutes.

“My family loves spicy food and lots of things to taste when we have a get-together,” shares Cheri Echard (Prescott, AZ). “We tried bacon-wrapped poppers and found them kind of difficult to eat, I perused several recipes and created these Maple Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos. It has been a huge hit with spice lovers and those with a little more timid palates.”

Maple and jalapeno? Yup… it’s fabulous! These stuffed jalapenos are bursting with flavor. Mixing bacon and sausage with the cheeses is a delicious stuffing. Maple syrup offsets the spiciness of the pepper and adds a touch of sweet. These babies are salty, sweet, spicy and savory!

“Crunchy crust filled with gooey cheese and pepperoni,” is how Christine Cuneo (Buffalo, NY) describes her Pepperoni Rolls. “I made them last night and they were gone in like 60 seconds,” she goes on to say.

You may want to double the recipe because these won’t last long. Cheesy and saucy, they’re so good. This specific recipe uses pepperoni which is like a bite-size pepperoni pizza. Christine suggests filling with other ingredients like broccoli, ham, and cheese which sounds amazing.

Serve these bite-size appetizers this football season and you’ll be named MVP of the day. Want even more recipes? Check out our Tailgate Recipes collection. It’s filled with fab, fun food game day ideas. Happy Pinching!