Homegating Tailgating Ideas
Even if fall football doesn’t look exactly the way it did this time last year, we still think there’s plenty of fun and safe ways to get into the tailgating spirit right in your own driveway. Here are a few easy tips and ideas on how to host your very own homegating party this fall with Sparkle® Paper Towels as part of your all-star defense.
The Pre-Game Set Up
Whether college ball ends up happening on the gridiron or not this year, you can still host a festive tailgating party right at home with a TV you can set up outside to watch either a live game or stream one of your all-time favorites from previous seasons on demand. Here are a few more ideas for getting set up for success:
- Set up lawn chairs & blankets in the driveway or front yard, all well-spaced.
- Encourage guests to sit in the bed of their truck or SUV with tailgates & hatches open.
- Prep by wiping everything down with disinfecting solution & Sparkle® Paper Towels.
- Set up a “sanitizing station” for guests with paper towels, hand sanitizer & a disinfecting solution.
- Bring out your best tailgating gear—coolers, small tables, tents, grill & team paraphernalia.
Whatever says fall ball to you is fair game, so go all out with your party décor!
The Snack Zone
Make your life a little easier with paper towels on hand to serve up the messier, greasier foods and tailgating snacks—we recommend a roll of Sparkle® Pick-A-Size® Paper Towels to get just the right size sheet for wiping hands clean, folding napkins, and creating drink coasters. Since it’s best to avoid sharing community-style snacks this year, we have a quick and easy recipe below that you can send out to all of your guests ahead of time so they can make their own batch of this sweet & salty treat featuring their favorite team colors!
The Post-Game Clean-Up
The whole point of hosting a tailgating event at home is to keep things fun and enjoyable with as little clean-up time as possible after the party is over—that’s what makes Sparkle® Paper Towels such a bright idea for this type of event. Here’s a quick checklist for keeping it simple when the game is over:
- Set up trash cans for guests to throw out their own leftovers, disposables & paper products.
- Help guests keep take-home drinks & dishes clean with plenty of Sparkle® Paper Towels on hand.
- Use your go-to cleaning solution to wipe down all your tables, chairs, cooler and other outdoor surfaces with paper towels you can easily toss in the trash.
Now that you’ve got a winning game plan for your homegating event, all that’s left to do is...PLAY BALL!
Show Your Team Spirit Tailgating Snack Mix
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of Assorted Nuts
- 2 ½ Cups of Small Pretzels
- 2 ½ Cups of Cheesy Mini Crackers
- 2 ½ Cups of Crispy Corn Chips
- 1 Packet of Dry Ranch-Style Seasoning Mix
- 3 Tablespoons of Vegetable or Canola Oil
- 2 Cups of Assorted Chocolate Drops In Your Team Colors
Directions
- In a gallon-style plastic bag, combine your crackers, chips, pretzels, and nuts, then drizzle with oil.
- Seal the bag up nice and tight and gently toss to evenly coat all the crunchy contents.
- Add your dry ranch dressing mix and toss again to evenly coat everything.
- Add 1 cup of your chocolate drops to the mix and give it another shake to evenly distribute them.
- Grab a large bowl and pour the contents of the bag inside with a scoop for serving to the side.
- When you’re ready to serve, top it off with your remaining chocolates. We like to use candy-coated chocolate drops with our favorite team colors to give it a festive football flair—think garnet & gold, orange & blue, whatever colors best show off your team spirit!