Along with Autumn comes football and along with football comes food, games and fun!  This week, I am partnering up with my friends at Wayfair, to bring you the best of tailgating at home, otherwise known as Couchgating!

As a family, we have gone all out for football parties and sometimes we only go so far as to open up a bag of chips.  When you do want to go all out, it’s important to have the right tools at hand, to make your day as fun as it is easy.

This was our set up last year.

As you know I am usually not for buying entertaining items that are specific to an event, that way you can use them year-round.  When you look at the picture above, the only thing overtly “football” about the food table, was my sons toy football.  Somehow it still looks like a game day spread because of the colors I chose and one small accent.

Below are some of my favorite picks from Wayfair for a successful couchgating party!  All of these items are versatile for all kids of entertaining.

1.  Frozen drink machine – Granted, I don’t actually own one, but I want one.  If you have more than a few people over, I’m sure it would avoid making individual drinks with the blender.
2. Serving platter set – I found a couple of cute football shaped platters but in the end, I always choose the ever-versatile white platter.
3. The couch – I know this is pretty obvious, but it’s crucial for being able to sit around for hours, and if you are like us, we all end up lying around the couch.  That’s one of the perks of having a huge couch.  On another note, although my couch is big, we are not super happy with how comfortable it is, so we end up using a bunch of pillows to add support.  Don’t be afraid to buy a couch from a trusted website, where you can also read reviews.  I purchased mine at a store and I’m sure that had I seen reviews, I would’ve chosen differently.
4. The grill –  This simple round grill is still my favorite.
5. Serving cart – Another one that I don’t own but have wanted for years.  Geez, I wish my husband read my blog!  So many gift ideas!  Actually, maybe that’s why he doesn’t. 🙂 )  A serving cart can bring the party to you.  It’s great if you are moving the party outside, or if you want to bring a few of the items from the big table, closer to you.
6. Grilling tools and utensils –  I know that there are some awesome grilling sets available, but there is no tool that I prefer over a good ol’ pair of tongs.  That goes for indoor cooking as well, just a shorter length.

One more thing!  I wanted to share with you my roasted salsa recipe which is perfect for your couchgating party.  Perfect for anything, really.  It’s my favorite and I have tried so many salsa recipes!

Roasted Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

20 tomatoes (Roma tomatoes)

7 jalapeños

2 onions

7 garlic cloves

1 large bunch of cilantro

1-2 tablespoons of salt (depending on the size of tomatoes)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

Cut up the tomatoes and onions into large chunks and spread onto a baking sheet pan.  Remove the caps off the jalapeños, then cut the jalapeños lengthwise, and remove the stem and some of the seeds (read tip below).  Add the 7 whole cloves of garlic.  Toss everything onto 2 sheet pans.

Heat tip: In order to keep the heat off your hands, you may want to wear gloves when cutting up the jalapeños.  For really hot salsa, do not remove the seeds of the jalapeños.  For medium-hot salsa remove the seeds from half of the jalapeños.  For medium salsa, remove all the seeds from the jalapeños.  For mild salsa, hold the jalapeños under running water and remove the seeds and inside membrane of the jalapeño.   

Place the trays in the oven and roast for about an hour.  Check the trays after 45 minutes, so that the roasted tomato mixture does not burn.  You should see a bit of char on the edges of the onions or tomatoes, but nothing should look like it’s burning.

Remove the trays from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  When you can handle the contents, place them in a bowl and take them over to your food processor.  I suggest you do the following in 2 or 3 batches to avoid over filling the processor.

Place a good amount of the roasted tomato, onion, jalapeno and garlic mix into the processor, I then add a small bunch of cilantro and a bit of the salt.  Process until desired consistency and then add to a large bowl or container.  Continue to do this in batches until you have used all the roasted mixture and the cilantro bunch (and the salt to taste).

This makes about 4-5 large jars depending on the size of the tomatoes you use and the jars, of course.  I like to use a canning funnel for this because it makes pouring easier.  The salsa will still be somewhat hot at this point so be careful.

Nothing left to do but, enjoy!

I hope your team wins!  Either way, enjoy your couchgating day!