WGBA -'Tis the season to tailgate

'Tis the season to tailgate

By Abragail Kappel, Arizona State University

For almost every college student, fall involves midterms, parties, and of course … football! NFL is in full force, and so are NCAA games. So, it's time to get your party game on. Instead of the typical dress-in-team-colors theme, shake things up a bit. We have ideas, right here, for throwing a full-on fan fest everyone will still be talking about next season. (Big-screen in hi-def not necessary -- but preferred.)

That '70s Party

Have a party that's totally groovy and right on. …

Food

Instead of your usual chips and dips, serve up some fondue. Fondue, which became popular in the 1970s, is basically warmed sauce with bite-sized foods for dipping. Since you probably won't wanna spring for a fancy fondue set, keep your sauce warm in a crock-pot on low setting and serve with wooden skewers.

Cheesy Fondue Brew
Makes about 8 cups of fondue for you and your crew
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups each shredded cheddar and Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Bring chicken broth to a boil in saucepan, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually add other ingredients, stirring constantly until blended and cheese is melted. Remove from heat and serve warm with chunks of crusty bread, roasted potato, sausage, cheese, olives, mushrooms and peppers for dipping.

Fun

Pet rocks were a '70s phenomenon. Yes, people actually kept rocks as pets. Use acrylic craft paints to make a few that look like footballs to give as party favors (no throwing!). Leave the art supplies out along with some clean, unpainted rocks for guests to create their own "pets" with popular images of that era: happy faces, peace signs, butterflies and flower power!

Dress code

Just tell everybody to wear their hippest threads, and you can even set up a tie-dye station for guests to make their own shirts in team colors. All you'll need are some white tees, fabric dye, rubber bands, rubber gloves, large buckets and wooden spoons. You can find instructions on the dye packaging or online -- it's easy! Do this early so shirts can hang to dry during the game.

If you really want to be bold, you could require everyone to wear panty hose to your party to mimic iconic quarterback Joe Namath's famous 1974 commercial, in which he wore Beautymist panty hose (sideburns optional).

Sports-o-rama

Sure, football is the focus. But let everyone express his or her inner athlete, no matter what the sport!

Food

Think concession-stand cuisine. Set up a simple buffet-style station with burgers, hot dogs, wings, pretzels and nachos. Or if you have some basic culinary skills, let guests build their own "football sundaes" by piling condiments onto steamy bowls of chili (recipe below).

Killer Chili
This five-alarm chili requires just five ingredients but serves 10 people.
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 packets taco seasoning
16-ounce can beef broth
Two 24-ounce jars hot salsa
Three 15-ounce cans kidney beans

In a large stew pot, break up ground beef with a spoon and brown it over medium heat until cooked through. Drain grease from pot and stir in taco seasoning to coat meat. Add remaining ingredients (no need to drain beans) and simmer on low for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Serve with any of the following toppings you happen to have on hand: shredded cheddar, tortilla chips, diced onion, salsa, black olives, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, hot sauce, crushed red pepper, fresh cilantro.

Fun

Put out a bunch o' balls and let your guests play around: basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, footballs, baseballs, Nerf balls, golf balls, whiffle balls, beach balls, rubber balls, medicine balls. (While you're at it, be sure to put away any breakables.) And, hey, since you're rooting for your team, maybe get some balls for a little root beer pong!

Dress code

Tell guests to dress in any sports attire, including their own team uniforms. Got basketball shorts? Put those on with a white tank and be a hoops star. Or go all out as a roller derby girl or … hey, surfer dude, wear your wet suit. Whatever your sport of choice, just flex your athletic side!

Black-lit Bash

Nighttime games are always fun, so block out the windows and turn on the black lights. Watch the game in the dark while you and your friends glow.

Food

I happen to know Red Bull, Mountain Dew and Gatorade Cool Blue glow, so load up a cooler filled with ice cubes made from tonic water. (As long as it has quinine in it, it'll shine on too!) Also serve glow-in-the-dark virgin lime Jell-O shots. Have plenty of white-ish foods, such as deviled eggs, chips with sour cream dip, white-cheddar popcorn, and cupcakes frosted with marshmallow creme and decorated with players' jersey numbers. Put out a bowl of glo-worm candies (regular gummy worms won't glow -- we tried) and be sure to set out the white plastic utensils.

Fun

Use pitch-black paper from the craft store to cover all the windows in the party room. Remove lampshades and replace all your lightbulbs with black lights -- but not too close to the TV, since guests will want to see the game. To decorate, hang black-and-white paper banners on walls and use black-light paints (available in craft or party stores) or highlighter pens (these only glow on white paper) to write team slogans. Pass around the supplies and let everybody contribute to the artwork. Also, encourage guests to face paint. Oh, and petroleum jelly glows under a black light -- great for body art!

Dress code

Everyone must wear black and white. Have plain white tees and neon-colored fabric paints to make team-inspired shirts. Also, give out glow bracelets at the door. (These can also be used to signify who is and isn't of legal drinking age based on a color code.)