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Football season is a big deal in our family. With less than six weeks until college football kicks off, we are already planning where we will be watching Notre Dame games this year. To say my family is a bunch of avid Notre Dame fans would be an understatement.
We are third generation, brainwashed from birth, came home from the hospital in a leprechaun outfit, not allowed to get married during football season obsessed. As a kid we knew that football Saturdays were sacred and now as adults, our family members each pick a game to host a game watch for and the entire family plus friends we force to watch have converted make Notre Dame games the highlight of our Saturdays.
Something almost as important to my family as Notre Dame football would be dessert. It is not a game watch without a least a few different types of desserts. We usually all eat during halftime with dessert served after the meal, but in our family people have been known to sneak into the kitchen and steal desserts well before meal time.
And when the game is over, my family also likes to fight over politely discuss who gets to take home the leftover desserts. And with 10-25 people in attendance at every game watch, we need a lot of desserts.
With the happiness and mental stability of multiple family members on the line (especially when the game gets stressful or goes badly, which with Notre Dame is always a very real possibility), I try to shop in bulk at Sam's Club when it comes to dessert supplies. I know that every time I use Mars Candies in a recipe my family is always asking for seconds so I went ahead and bought the 48 count of Snickers Bars and the Mars 105 count Variety Pack. With as much dessert as we make in this house, those will be gone faster than you think.
When it comes to game day desserts, I need recipes that can be made ahead of time and eaten while standing around the tv screaming at the refs. I am always looking for treats that are easy to make and easy to clean up after, especially since I have a few family members who tend to get a little heated during a game (here's looking at you Dad). These two recipes more than fit the bill.
This Snickers Bar Fudge is the perfect hand held dessert. I make it the night before and the morning of the game I cut it into squares and leave it already arranged on a plate in the fridge to pull out at half time. It needs no utensils and guests don't even need a plate (although if they used a napkin that would be nice). The chopped pieces of Snickers Bar sort of melt into the fudge when they are first mixed together so every bite has a little bit of gooey caramel and creamy nougat. The peanuts add a little crunch and with only three total ingredients, you can't find a much easier recipe to make.
Have a family member who's not that into chocolate (that doesn't exist in my family but maybe yours is different)? Candy Bar Trifles are just the thing. I let my guests "do it themselves" on these. I just put out plastic cups, cake pieces, whipped cream and candy pieces and them them make their own. The Mars Variety Pack has five different kinds of candy so there is something for everyone. These can be eaten anywhere and with a plastic cup and plastic utensils, people can just throw them away when they are done which means no extra dishes for me.
The only thing I will have to worry about with these desserts is if I made enough for everyone to not only eat during the game but to take home with them afterwards too. Unless my aunt decides to do one of her cheerleading jumps with a dessert in her hand, then I might need to worry about my carpet too. What your family doesn't randomly recreate cheerleading scenes from 1979 in your living room during intense plays? No? Just us? Maybe if you focus on the dessert photos you will be able to forget I said that. All family weirdness aside, here's hoping for a successful and not so stressful football season with plenty of desserts. GO IRISH!
Snickers Bar Fudge
- 3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups of chopped Snickers Bars
1.) In a saucepan or in a double boiler combine the chocolate chips and the condensed milk.
2.) Stir on medium heat until chocolate chips are completely melted and combined.
3.) Turn off the heat and pour half of the mixture into a 9x9 pan lined with tin foil. Scatter the about a cup of the chopped Snickers Bar over the first layer of fudge.
4.) Top with the second cup of chopped Snickers. You may need to press them down into the fudge so that they stick.
5.) Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
6.) Pull the foil edges up and use the foil to remove the fudge from the pan. Cut into squares to serve. Be sure to store leftover fudge in the fridge so it doesn't get melty.
Candy Bar Trifles
- 1 inch pieces of cake, I used yellow cake but you can use any type you like
- Whipped Cream
- variety of chopped candies, I used Milky Ways, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Twix and M&M's
1.) In a small cup, layer cake pieces, whipped cream, candy and more cake pieces. Top with more whipped cream and crushed candy. Enjoy!
No matter who your football team is or what your family traditions are on game day, I am sure that they probably include some type of dessert. So when you are shopping for your game day parties at Sam's Club this season be sure to be on the look out special Snickers NFL game day displays in your local store from August through November so you can stock up too!