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Ok, I confess — I really like to play with my food. :-)
So when surveying the ingredients I had out to make some apps for a Chiefs game this month, suddenly the thought of just slicing the cheddar and sausage seemed a little too boring. So with the help of a can of chopped green chiles (somehow lost my small round cookie cutter!) and an extra Ziplock to pipe on some ranch dressing, suddenly my plain little apps were “kicked” (ha!) up a notch. ;)
And the best part is that it really only took about 10 minutes. So if you’re looking for a fun and easy appetizer for your next game day, or a project for the kids in the kitchen, these little guys are definitely winners. :) Enjoy!!
Looking for a fun little treat to serve for game day? This Football Bites (With Summer Sausage, Cheddar & Ranch) recipe is ready to go in 10 minutes!
Ingredients
Scale
Food Ingredients:
favorite crackers (I used TownHouse because of their size/shape)
summer sausage, sliced thin (about 1/8″ thick)
block of cheddar cheese, sliced very thin (about 1/8″ thick)
ranch dressing
Prep Tools:
1 small, rinsed-out aluminum can (like from green chiles), or a small round cookie cutter
1 ziplock bag, or frosting bag
Instructions
On a sturdy cutting board, use the aluminum can (or cookie cutter) to shape the cheddar and summer sausage pieces into individual “football” shapes. (See photo above.) Then assemble the football “bites”, by layering cheddar and summer sausage atop the crackers.
Finally, pour some ranch dressing into a Ziplock bag, and then use scissors to snip a very small triangle from one of the bottom corners. Pipe the dressing onto the cheddar to complete the football bites.
Then serve and enjoy!
Ali’s Tip:
Feel free to also sub in any other favorite crackers you have.
No way! These are so clever. We are huge football fans, and fun food is always expected at our football parties. This is TOTALLY on my next menu. Thanks for the great idea.
I love these!! Not only are they ridiculously cute, but they also look super yummy. I’m not much of a football fan, but I think I’m gonna have to watch a game just to have the excuse to give these a try! :D
Holy cow! That’s really clever! Not only are your photos great, but your techniques are too. I love the whole concept of ‘if you don’t have this, use that.’
How is it that you use a round can to cut, but the meat and cheese look football shaped (not perfectly round) in the pic. ?
Amy —
Wendy, before I had a football-shaped cookie cutter, I used to use a soup can to make sugar cookies in football shapes. After washing the can, I just bent and squashed it into a football shape and it worked great. I’m sure you could do the same with the smaller can for these.
Just stopping by to let you know that I’ve featured your craft on Family Fun Crafts! You can see it here:
https://funfamilycrafts.com/football-bites/
If you have other kid friendly crafts, I’d love it if you would submit them. :) If you would like to display a
featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above.
ritz crackers made a football shaped cracker not long ago..wonder if u can still find them?..they would be perfect for this..its so simple that i never would have thought of it…lol
I liked this idea and made them but used ham instead of the summer sausage. I also used shredded Mozzeralla cheese for the laces and heated with a torch to keep in place. They came out nice. Using the can for a guide is a big help. These should be a big hit at the Super Bowl party I am going too. However the 10 min prep and 10 min total time is not realistic if you want a good looking final product. It takes a lot longer Took me about an hour to make 15 of them but way worth the effort for the lil ham and cheeses crackers. After all, it is the Super Bowl.
These are so cute! I love that you’ve taken something everyday and given it the attention to make it beautiful, good job.
Too cute! But did the summer sausage smell drive your puppy crazy?
These are adorable!! I don’t even like football, and I want to make them! :-)
No way! These are so clever. We are huge football fans, and fun food is always expected at our football parties. This is TOTALLY on my next menu. Thanks for the great idea.
These are too cute!
Oh, they’re awesome, and I don’t even watch football!!!
I love these!! Not only are they ridiculously cute, but they also look super yummy. I’m not much of a football fan, but I think I’m gonna have to watch a game just to have the excuse to give these a try! :D
wow! nice! great
This is fantastic!!! This would be perfect for my superbowl party. Thanks for the inspiration!
Holy cow! That’s really clever! Not only are your photos great, but your techniques are too. I love the whole concept of ‘if you don’t have this, use that.’
These are sooo adorable!
Really cute but I’d substitute for the summer sausage. Not a fan.
What a cute and easy idea!
How is it that you use a round can to cut, but the meat and cheese look football shaped (not perfectly round) in the pic. ?
Wendy, before I had a football-shaped cookie cutter, I used to use a soup can to make sugar cookies in football shapes. After washing the can, I just bent and squashed it into a football shape and it worked great. I’m sure you could do the same with the smaller can for these.
So simple but adorable! Thanks for the great idea!
Just stopping by to let you know that I’ve featured your craft on Family Fun Crafts! You can see it here:
https://funfamilycrafts.com/football-bites/
If you have other kid friendly crafts, I’d love it if you would submit them. :) If you would like to display a
featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above.
ritz crackers made a football shaped cracker not long ago..wonder if u can still find them?..they would be perfect for this..its so simple that i never would have thought of it…lol
Am I missing something? The can you are using is round – not football shaped…???
Yes, it’s a round can, but we cut it twice (in crescent shapes), so that makes an oval. Hope that makes sense.
I liked this idea and made them but used ham instead of the summer sausage. I also used shredded Mozzeralla cheese for the laces and heated with a torch to keep in place. They came out nice. Using the can for a guide is a big help. These should be a big hit at the Super Bowl party I am going too. However the 10 min prep and 10 min total time is not realistic if you want a good looking final product. It takes a lot longer Took me about an hour to make 15 of them but way worth the effort for the lil ham and cheeses crackers. After all, it is the Super Bowl.
Hi Bob! We’re glad you enjoy these!
Awesome Super Bowl Party Ideas. Thanks:)