New Year’s resolutions schmesolutions. Football season is in full swing! If you want to have the most memorable Super Bowl party ever, this snackadium is the key to success. The best part is that it’s so much fun to make! Get a group together before the big game and have some fun with it. The sky’s the limit…
Materials:
- 1 foam board (or big piece of cardboard) for the bottom
- Large pieces of cardboard to construct the walls/stands
- 2 small disposable bread loaf pans
- 1 large disposable cake pan
- 4 tall glasses
- Packing tape or masking tape
- Scissors (an exacto knife would be handy too if you have one)
- Construction paper
- Toothpicks
- Aluminum Foil
- FOOD! (See below)
My original vision of this snackadium was a lot simpler and smaller but thanks to a great group of friends, we were able to create something even more amazing! So…here are the steps to achieve this awesome snackadium:
READY? Here we go!
Step 1: Recruit a group of friends. Mix it up. Grab some that like to help in the kitchen and some that like to put their engineering skills to use by constructing a base for the snackadium. [Tip: Offering beer helps.]
Step 2: Figure out what foods you’d like to buy to fill your snackadium and then go buy the food. I got a bunch of small items (cheeses, bread, dips, veggies, etc.) and then made three main items to make sure no one went hungry: pigs in a blanket, pizza, and 7 layer dip.
Step 3: On a wide surface, lay the foam board down and then tape the disposable tins down to make the field and end zones.
Step 4: Cut 4 long pieces of cardboard out and place them in a square surrounding the aluminum tins. Leave a few inches between the tin and the pieces of cardboard. On two of the pieces (opposite sides) cut a slits about half way down and slide the other two pieces in, locking all of the cardboard pieces in place.
Step 5: Cut two larger pieces of cardboard for the wall of your stadium. Cut slits in the pieces from Step 4 where you want the walls of your stadium to sit. Then slide the pieces for the wall into the base and tape the walls together.
Step 6: To make the stands, take a big piece of cardboard, fold one edge in about 3 inches and then tape the folded edge to the base and the other end to the top of the stadium wall. Repeat for the rest of the three sides. [We also cut one of the walls a little bit so there was an opening into the stadium and lined the stands with construction paper so the food wasn't just sitting on the cardboard. It's totally up to you if you want to do this as well!]
Step 7: Place a tall glass in each corner of the stadium. [Break for a beer. The structure for your stadium is done!] And then start preparing the food! [Note: If you have enough people, some should start preparing the food at the beginning of the project while others are building the stadium.] Fun fact: The 7 layer dip was made with Papalote salsa from San Francisco. DELICIOUS and highly recommended.
Pigs in a blanket: Using 2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls, cut each crescent roll in half and then roll up half of a hot dog in it. Bake according to the package.
Brie and Jam Pockets: Place a slice of brie cheese and a dollop of jam (any flavor) on a piece of Pillsbury crescent roll. Fold the dough over and then pinch the edges together with a fork. Bake according to package.
Make fun little cheese flags for each cheese out of construction paper, toothpicks, and tape so your guests know which cheeses are being served.
Pizza: Using your favorite Pillsbury pizza dough (I chose the artisan crust with whole grain), add pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. We’re going to use the pizza as walls for the stadium so for this particular project, I would go light on the toppings so the pizza has an easier time standing straight up (to form a wall).
Dont’ forget the football players! Cheese (body), olive (head), and salami jerseys for half of the players.
And if you want to go really big…this bacon lattice (aka “retractable dome”) should do the trick. Call it the cherry on top of the stadium, if you will. Weave bacon together and drape over an oven-safe bowl that has been turned upside down on a baking sheet. Bake until the bacon is crispy and holds its shape.
Then cut up the cheeses, veggies, and heat up/bake any remaining snacks you’d like to put in your stadium.
Step 8: Assemble the snackadium! Make the two end zones dips that are different colors and create goal posts out of slim jims. Add everything to the snackadium but leave the players, goal posts, and bacon lattice for last. To make goal lines, scoop a few spoonfuls of sour cream into a ziplock bag and then snip off a little bit of the corner using scissors. Squeeze out the sour cream slowly to create the field lines. Bonus points if you make 10 yard markers out of baby carrots and toothpicks!
Step 9: DROP IN THE BLIMP!!!!! Had to… :)
Step 10: Eat and enjoy. Below is the awesome crew that helped construct the snackadium! After about 4 hours of work…we were so excited to eat it! Thanks to each of them for all of their help!!
And there you have it. The ultimate football feast. Cheers to football season (and eating!)!!
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I have partnered with Pillsbury through DailyBuzz to help promote their Crescent Roll and Pizza Crust products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you Pillsbury for this awesome opportunity to create a Snackadium!
