Stiletto Sports » A Girl’s Guide To Football

14 Fabulous Outfit Ideas to Wear for Any Super Football Party

Stiletto Jen — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:17:14 +0000

Have a closet full of clothes but still Don’t know what to wear to a football party? That’s okay, you are not alone!

Since Stiletto Sports launched last year it has generated tons of traffic from people looking to learn all about football and basketball. But one of the biggest questions people ask me is: I’m going to a football party, what should I wear? And with Super Bowl XLIV only a few weeks away, I’m getting asked almost daily for great football party fashion ideas.

Ladies, I understand your pain. When I hear the word party I think super cute party dress, a fabulous pair of stilettos, lots of sparkly jewelry and spending hours in front of the mirror doing my hair and make up.
But throw the word “football” in front of party and my visions of pretty party dresses are suddenly replaced with visions of jeans, tees and, gasp, sneakers.

But sports fan fashion has come a long way from the days of grubby sneakers and baggy tees! Even replica jerseys now come in pink and are form fitted for the female body.

And just because you are going to a party where 90% of the attention is going to be on big t.v., doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous and grab that other 10% of attention!

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest party days of the year and by far the best football party of the season. It’s never too early to start planning what great recipes to serve or what fabulous outfit you are going to wear! I’ve come up with 14 look-books powered by ShopStyle.com to give you some ideas on how to look fabulous for any football party. Click on any pick to get ordering info or find out what store near you has the look!

Jersey Girl

Jersey Fashion Tees make a perfect fashion statement at any football party. They don’t pledge allegiance to any team so you don’t have to worry about pissing off fans of the other team, but they give the illusion that you are a Football Savvy Diva! Pair the fashion jersey tee with a glittery or embellished pair of jeans to dress it up and throw in some accessories like a unique bag or stylish flats!

But if you dress like a football know-it-all you better be able to play the part! Make sure you can speak intelligently about football players and all the crazy football rules by checking out the Stiletto Sports Girl’s Guide to Football!

Fantasy Football Flirt

Flirty Fashion Jersey Tees are super cute and with sayings like “Call Me” or “Kiss Me,” you will definitely pull all eyes from the football game on the t.v. onto you! Pair them with a pair of your best fitting, “doesn’t my butt look great and my legs look super long” jeans and a pair of fun football cleat inspired wedges!

Gridiron Goddess*

There are all sorts of football jersey dresses, usually team specific and a bit, um, spandexy and clingy. But this jersey inspired dress is fun, flirty and ultra girly without being super tight or hoochie. The distressed layered look adds a fun couture twist to the typical casual jersey look! Make it stand out with pops of color in your accessories.

Name inspired by Gridiron Goddess

The “You Go Team!” Cheerleader

Have a favorite team? Let the crowd know! Throw on a cute team jersey tee and pair it with a fun flirty skirt instead of jeans. Add some cute fashion sneakers or fuzzy boots to keep it casual. And don’t forget a bright pop of color in your bag and jewelry!

Team Color Coordinated

College football fans know that the best thing to wear to a game is your team colors. I’m not sure they even let you in a college stadium if you aren’t rocking the fan color of the day. But the same look applies to the NFL, even if it’s not as strickly enforced! Each team has a dominant color, a secondary “accent” color and an alternate color. Pick your favorite and buid your look around that color. Coordinate your tee with your bag and shoes and add some layering pieces to pull it all together in a fashionable way! Don’t forget the distressed demin!

Unsportmanlike Attire

Can’t Pick a team? No problem! How about you pick a Twilight Leading man instead? Add some humor to your football party with a Team Edward or Team Jacob tee! Still sporty chic, but with a fun, ironic twist! (This is in no way influenced by the fact that I finally read the Twilight series and saw the movies for the first time only a few weeks ago and am now totally obsessed…)

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Jerseys and jersey tees aren’t the only football fashion available for a party! There are plenty of other sporty chic looks for true football loving fashionistas!

Think Pink

With all the negativity surrounding Pink Jersey Wearing Fans, what’s a pink loving girl to do? Seriously! Since Jessica Simpson started rocking her pink Tony Romo jersey at the Dallas Cowboys games, the backlash has been intense. For years female fans have been looking for a fun, fashionable PINK way to show some team love but now, if you rock the pink jersey, you won’t be getting much love thrown back atcha. A lot of fans think the only way you are a true fan is if you rock the teams true colors and the pink somehow symbolizes that you know nothing about the game. Which is crap. I rock pink jerseys and I know football!

But if you fear the “true fans” here is a great alternative for pink lovers! A comfy, casual layered look with fushia as the star color. Works great if you don’t have an alliegance to either team in the game. Pair the wide leg demin with fashion sneakers and add some fabulous jersey and you have a great football party look.

Football Fashionista

Football game days tend to go from day to night, posing a major fashion crisis: You need the perfect day-to-night outfit to party in! Dark denim is definitely the way to go if you need a look to last through the hours. Pair it with a bright colored top and a pair of ultra-fabulous wedges or low Mary-Jane heels to complete the semi-casual look. And find a funky bag to pull it all together!

Quarterback’s Girlfriend

Think of Gisele or even Jessica Simpson. They don’t rock sweats and baggy shirts on game day! Sure they might show some love with a jersey but these fashionistas are known for their glamour and style! Wear denim trousers/pants instead of boring old blue jeans! A tailored jacket and trendy top adds a soft-feminine feel to the look. For the feet, a pair of lush heeled boots. And of course, some oversized glasses so you can be incognito with the paparazzi!

Sporty Spice

Just because you don’t heart pink, stilettos and skirts doesn’t mean you have to be a slouch on game day! There are plenty of sporty chic looks to keep you comfy and fashionable! An argyle, striped or novelty hoodie look great over tanks and teess. Jeans are key to this look so make sure you find the perfect ones. Grunchy or over-baggy jeans will negate the cuteness of the top! You can use fashion sneakers but I recommend a pair of flat boots in a cool color like olive. Or even sweater boots. Something uniqe and a little edgy to make this look spicy!

Hot Chick in the Huddle*

Another hurdle of football party fashion is that the games take place in the coldest seasons of the year. Hard to look cute when you are all bundled up! This off-the-shoulder flair-sleeved details add a feminine twist to the chunky cable knit sweater. Layer it over a tank for hints of color and of course, your favorite pair of jeans. This look is all about the accessories. A fun beanie cap or newsboy-style hat, flashy ring, colored sneakers, oversized bags or maybe a striped scarf will make this look your own and keep you warm!

Name inspired by Chicks in the Huddle

TailGate-Crasher

If you are going to tailgate, you gotta look fabulous doing it! Tailgating is the ultimate fan favorite sport! Thousands of people just chilling around the stadium waiting for the game to start and totally checking you out! Now, I will admit this might not be the best outfit for tailgating throughout football season since, depending on where the stadium is, it can be pretty dang icy outside, but since the Super Bowl is in Miami this year, you can totally get away with it!

A few tips for tailgating fashion:

be comfy from head to toe! Pack a cute little hat and make sure you wear sneakers, comfy boots or some fashiony flats. As a stiletto girl myself, I know how hard it is to trade your fave heels for some flats but it is definitely worth it for a tailgate!
And wear multiple layers. The weather in the fall/winter changes quickly and the games take you from day-to night. You want to be able to add or remove layers as the temp fluctuates! A belted puffy-vest is a great way to add warmth without looking like the Stay-Puff Marshmellow man!
Accessorize: tranform a boring tee and jeans look into something fun with a double belt around the waist, ripped jeans, printed handbag and cool earrings!
Most importantly: look cute!

Playing the Field

Don’t worry about making a football party faux pas if you are wearing football’s signature color: green! A green cowl neck sweater is a great party look! Keep it casual with some gold toned fashion sneakers and jeans or dress it up with some blinging jewelry and trendy boots over your skinny jeans.

The Red Zone

Did you know that Stiletto Sports has it’s own product line? Our fun, fashion tees with a pair of jeans are perfect for game day! Or you can go for the extra points and wear the Stiletto Sports Football Cleat Tank with a flirty skirt and fabulous pair of football-cleat inspired stilettos! Don’t forget the matching bag! And since it is a bit chilly, even in Florida, a great fitted fur-trimmed puffy coat! (All other items are available on ShopStyle.com)

14 Fabulous Outfit Ideas to Wear for Any Super Football Party is a post from: Stiletto Sports

19 Unique Football Party Dips

Stiletto Jen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:49 +0000

For Super Bowl XLIII we created a whole Guide to Throwing the Perfect Super Bowl Party. In the guide was a post dedicated to the most essential party snack: dips. And that “All About the Dips” post became one of the biggest fan favorite posts in Stiletto Sports history. It featured delicious dips like Crab Dip, Touchdown Bean Dip, Pizza Dip, and of course, Buffalo Wing Dip. Seems like all of our readers love dips! So we decided to expand that post and give you 19 More Unique Football Party Dips!

I’ve searched hundreds of sites and blogs for the best, most unique, tastiest dips around to wow your guests! A lot of these recipes came from Food Classics, which is a fantastic site jammed full of yummy snacks!

Jalapeno Popper Dip Spread Jalapeno poppers are probably my favorite guilty pleasure. Deep fried, oozing with hot cream cheese and big pops of bold heat…. my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I have some awesome recipes to make them at home but they are so obnoxious to make! But not anymore! Now you can get all the ooey-gooey spicy cheesey goodness of a popper, in a dip! This is so delicious, it had to be physically pried away from my hands because I did not want to share! Get the Recipe!

White Castle Vidalia Dip If you don’t know what a White Castle burger is, you need to get yourself to Long Island ASAP. Or hit up your local grocery store since they now have these square patties of goodness in the frozen food aisle! There is something so…… naughty…..about White Castle burgers that is just impossible to dupliate. Maybe it’s the square patty. Maybe it’s the fried onions. All I know is the combo is potent and highly addicting. And now they’ve taken the happinees of White Castle and packed it into the perfect party dip! Get the Recipe!

Hot Bacon & Blue Cheese Dip Okay, it’s bacon. It’s blue cheese. Do I really need to elaborate on how freaking yummy this dip is? First off, I’ve never met a bacon dip that I didn’t like. And putting it with blue cheese is like matching it with little drops of heaven! Delish! Get the Recipe!

Reuben Dip Get the Recipe! I have just enough Irish blood in my to say Kiss Me I’m Irish on St Paddy’s Day, and to eat a whole lot of corned beef and cabbage. Reubens are one of my favorite sandwiches: slow cooked juicy meat, check; ooey gooey cheese, check; sour crunchy stuffy, check; squishy bread, check; tangy dressing, check. What’s not to like? This recipe takes reubens to a whole new uber-happy place. Highly recommend this. As soon as I read the recipe I had to go buy a corned beef loin thingy and cook it up, 6 months before the Irish holiday. And its AWESOME! Get the recipe!

Hot Cheese & Almond Dip This hot treat features two gooey cheese and green onions along with the nutty almonds. Sprinkled with a bit of nutmeg to enhance the almonds, this dip is a very classy appetizer. Goes great with wines! Get the Recipe!

Beer Pretzel Dip The recipe is so easy and so YUMMY! Beer, cream cheese, powdered ranch dressing, some horseradish and some cheese. Done! Perfect for pretzel dunking and football watching! Get the Recipe!

Potato Dip Who doesn’t love a loaded baked potato? Bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives? Yes please! Now this recipe doesn’t feature the cheese in bacon that we know and love but you can always add that at the end and kick it up a notch! I just liked this recipe because it was very different from other potato dips I’ve seen and eaten! This one has Kalamata olives (yum!) and ranch dressing (double yum!) Get the Recipe!

Pesto Party Dip Pesto always seems so classy to me. It’s something I imagine I would eat often if I were part of the Ladies Who Lunch set. So now I can bring a bit of upper class to my football parties with my Pesto Party Dip! Get the Recipe!

Bloody Mary Dip This is seriously the perfect dip for Sunday Funday because it has the ultimate hangover cure built right into it! A bloody mary! Rich, creamy and tangy, it’s great with meat, veggies and chips! Plus you can add as much pepper and horseradish as you want to make it super fiery or mild! Get the Recipe!

BLT Dip So I’m one of the weirdest food people in the world. I heart tomatos but I can’t stand having them on my sandwiches. But I love to pick them off and eat them. Go figure. So I’ve never been a big fan of BLTs. I more like BLC (as in cheese. Lots of cheese). But now I can actually enjoy a BLTC! This layered dip brings back memories of hot summer days. Then again, I live in Florida. It’s hot all the time….. Get the Recipe!

Curry Bread Bowl Dip Curry is one of my all-time favorite spices. I don’t discriminat: green, red, whatever. I love them all. So a dip featuring curry makes me super happy. And this one is by far the best I’ve ever had. Now I will let you in on a little secret. If you get a small thing of cream cheese and a can of crabmeat and fold it in to the recipe……. let’s just say I get chills all over my body thinking about how unbelievably delicious that dip was. It was like a Thai Crab Rangoon……. YUM!!!! Get the Recipe!

Avocado Dip It’s guac, but better! I can sit with a bowl of guacamole and chips for hours and be perfectly happy with the world. This dip takes guac to a whole new level! Packed with green chilis, jalapenos and diced tomatos with more green chilies, this dip packs a major punch! Plus its blended with creamy sour cream and cream cheese to make it decadent! Get the Recipe!

Ginger Dill Dip Ginger tends to be a forgotten spice. Until recently, I was not a fan but now I find myself wanting to add it to all sorts of dishes. When I first heard “ginger dill” I cringed a little but boy was I wrong! The combo is outstanding! This dip is so light and refreshing, a perfect balance to all those spicy wings you are serving up later! Get the Recipe!

Hoagie dip Any dip that crams 8 different meats into a bread bowl and calls itself a dip, is something I have got to try! Well okay, the recipe only calls for ham and salami but that’s not how us Italians roll. I’m throwing in proscuitto, capicola, some roast beef. Maybe some turkey. Just make sure the bread slices you serve the dip with are hearty enough to hold all that meat! Get the Recipe!

Dr. Pepper Beef Dip I am almost intrigued enough to try this dip, except Dr. Pepper scares the crap out of me. Never been a fan. However, friends that tried this recipe were practically swooning with happiness. The Dr Pepper soaks into the dried beef and gets it all nice and happy. It’s all blended with a very creamy mixture that melts in your mouth like butta! Get the Recipe!

Mississippi Caviar Dip Don’t let the name fool you! Mississippi Caviar Dip is neither caviar, nor is it a dip! It’s more like a pile of happiness. It’s a hot and spicy combo of black eyed peas, peppers and veggies. The longer it chills, the better it tastes! Get the Recipe!

Pepperoncini Dip I’m a pepperoncini junkie so when I found a dip that combines my favorite pickled pepper, cheese and garlic, I was all about it. They may be little peppers but but they don’t hold to the rule “the smaller the pepper, the hotter the taste.” They have more of a mild bite to them because of the pickling. I am so addicted to this dip that even reading about it has me foaming at the mouth for more, and I just finished some. Creamy, cheesy and very tangy! Get the Recipe!

Sweet Potato Cheese Ball I’ve had nut-covered cheese balls. I’ve had potato balls. I’ve had sweet potatoes. But I’ve never had a sweet potato cheese ball before! Talk about a unique dip! It’s spicy, creamy sweet potatoes rolled up and smothered in pecans! This is the perfect dip for the football games Thanksgiving weekend! Get the Recipe!

Cheesey Italian Zucchini Dip Zucchini tends to get a bad rep in the veggie world. Kids run screaming from it, adults are still scarred from some incident in their childhood involving mushy zucchini…. But even if you were a zucchini-hater your whole live, this zesty dip will convert you! Full of Italian spices and gooey cheeses, this dip showcases zucchini in a whole new light. And makes a perfect tailgating snack! Get the Recipe!

19 Unique Football Party Dips is a post from: Stiletto Sports

32 NFL Team Inspired Cocktails for Your Football Party

Stiletto Jen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:03:28 +0000

I’d be lying if I didn’t say my favorite thing about football season is the weekly football party. There is nothing I like more than spending a lazy Sunday chowing down on delicious party food and throwing back some cold drinks. Oh, and watching the games of course.

For Super Bowl XLIII we gave you a whole bunch party suggestions from yummy dip recipes and pre-game snacks, to some special football themed cocktails. And this week we added a whole bunch of tasty treats like 17 Unique Chicken Wing Recipes. So many people loved our football themed cocktails piece, and wrote to us looking for suggestion for other teams that we decided to expand that post and add a cocktail for every NFL team!

Most people when they think of Sunday Fundays and tailgating parties, they automatically think of beer. But not this girl! I think pretty party drinks and cocktails. Sure, I can throw back some Coors Light or Mich Ultra from time to time but nothing makes me happier than a fun fruity cocktail! Especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon or Monday night!

So I present to you, all my pink Cosmo loving ladies and gents, 32 NFL Team Inspired Cocktails!

Now, before I lose all the manly men who hide their pink drinks in red plastic cups, not all the drinks in this recipe guide are pinky and frou-frouy. There are some hard core whiskey and brandy drinks. And some cocktails are even beer based! But each cocktail is a guaranteed wow factor for any football party. Each drink is designed to represent the city, mascot or colors of your favorite NFL Team! The playoffs and the Super Bowl are growing closer every day. It’s never too early to start planning for the biggest party day of the year.

For my weekly Sunday football party, we like to pick the key matchup game and make a cocktail that represents each team. Either that or we make a Cardinals drink every week since this is a very Go Cards house! Enjoy!

32 NFL Team Inspired Cocktails (click on any team name to jump to the cocktail recipe later in the post!)

Atlanta Falcons The Scarlett O’Hara & The Rhett Butler
Arizona cardinals Arizona Sunrise, Arizona Buttkicker, The Desert SandStorm
Baltimore Ravens The Ravens
Buffalo Bills The BDubbz Cure
Carolina Panthers Carolina Iced Tea
Chicago Bears Da Bears-tini
Cincinatti Bengals The Cin-cinatti
Cleveland Browns Blood Orange & Brown or Choco-covered Oranges
Dallas Cowboys The Cowboy Cocktail and Bring it on 6: Don’t Mess with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Denver Broncos The Mile High City
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions Paw and Guiness Sangria
Green Bay Packers Old Fashioned Wisconsin
Houstan Texans The Longhorn or Texas Tea
Indianapolis Colts The Colt 45 Cocktail
Jacksonville Jaguars Teal Squeal
Kansas City Chiefs KC Ice Water
Miami Dolphins Miami Mojito
Minnesota Vikings Purple Viking or Screaming Viking
New England Patriots Cranberry Almond Kicker
New Orleans Saints The Storm of the Century
New York Jets The Big Apple-Tini
New York Giants Even Ladies Get the Red White and Blues, Jolly Red Giants
Oakland Raiders Brewski Sangria
Philadelphia Eagles The Eagle, Cacktus Jack, The Clover Club
Pittsburgh Steelers Black & Gold, Pittsburgh Sunset
San Fransisco 49ers The Bay Bomber & The Golden Gate
San Diego Chargers San Diego Seabreeze
St Louis Rams The Missouri Jackass
Seattle Seahawks The Emerald City
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Fuzzy Pirate or The Angry Pirate
Tennessee Titans Lynchburg Lemonade or Redneck Margarita
Washington Redskins The Washington Apple and The Cherry Blossom

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Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Sunrise

* 1 1/2 oz 1800 Tequila
* 1/2 oz Rose’s lime juice
* 4 oz orange juice
* Grenadine

1. Pour grenadine over chilled glass–(if using glass with ice, make sure some settles at bottom of glass)
2. Add tequila, orange juice, and lime juice into shaker with ice & shake thoroughly.
3. Pour over ice and grenadine. Pretty!

Arizona Buttkicker

ok I’m not saying this sounds the most delicious, I just thought the name was hysterical. Especially when I read the ingredients.

* 1 oz strawberry wine
* 1 oz grapefruit soda

because anyone that’s ever drank a lot of strawberry wine knows it will totally kick your butt!

Desert SandStorm

* Thai chile-infused vodka **try Absolut Peppar Vodka or if you have two weeks you can make your own!
* Cranberry juice
* Splashes of lime
* Splash of pineapple juices

**I did find this other site that gives a little more info: Thai Cosmo Recipe

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Atlanta Falcons:
The Scarlett O’hara
* 2 oz Southern Comfort
* dash of lime juice
* cranberry juice
* lime wedge for garnish
The Rhett Butler
* 2 oz Southern Comfort
* 1/2 oz orange curacao
* 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
* 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
* lemon twist for garnish

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Baltimore Ravens

THE RAVENS
The Raven is a dark and mysterious cocktail that I’ve adapted from other recipes. I like this one because it contains ingredients that are more common in bars than those found in other Ravens. The key to this drink is the layer which is rather easy to obtain in this mix as the blue shaken mix is much lighter than the Chambord and they rarely break the layers unless stirred.
Ingredients:

* 1 oz vodka
* 1 oz rum
* 1 oz blue curacao
* 1/2 oz Chambord

Preparation:

1. Pour the vodka, rum and blue curacao into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
3. Slowly pour the Chambord over the back of a bar spoon so it floats on top.

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Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Wild Wings (BDubbz) Cure
* 2 cups ice cubes
* 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
* 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) light lager, such as Miller High Life
* 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
* 5 (1-inch) pieces peeled fresh ginger cut into thin matchsticks

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Carolina Panthers
Carolina Sweet Tea
Sweet Tea Vodka:
1/2 Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
1/2 Water
Twist of Lemon
Few sprigs of mint (optional)

John Daly:
1/2 Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
1/2 Lemonade
Lemon garnish

Or, if you can’t find Firefly try this recipe:

* 1 1/2 parts Southern Comfort®
* 1 part spiced rum
* 1 part peach schnapps
* 1/2 part vodka
* fill with iced tea
* Highball glass

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Chicago Bears

Da Bears-tini

2 parts Kahlúa
1 part Tequila Tezón

Shake in a shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an
orange twist.

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Cincinatti Bengals

The Cincinnati
–half beer
–half soda water

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Cleveland Browns

Blood Orange and Brown Sugar
2 shots of blood orange vodka
1 blood orange
1/2 shot lime juice
2 cubes brown sugar
2 diced pieces candied ginger

Muddle the blood orange with the vodka, lime juice and brown sugar. Shake with coarse ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a twist of blood orange and diced ginger.

Chocolate Covered oranges

* 2 oz. Gold rum
* ½ oz. Cointreau
* ½ oz. Godiva Liqueur
* Orange twist for garnish

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Dallas Cowboys

Cowboy Cocktail
* 3 fresh mint leaves
* Crushed ice
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1 shot tequila blanco
* 1 bottle beer (recommended: Corona)
* Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Directions: Place mint leaves in bottom of highball glass. Fill with crushed ice. Add lime juice, stir, then add the tequila and beer. Garnish with mint sprig.

Bring in on 6: Don’t Mess With The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

(also known as: All my Ex’s live in Texas Kool-Aid by Miss Charming)
• Half pony the Brandy
• Half pony the Sherry
• Pony the Tequila Rose
• Pony the Strawberry Flavored Vodka
• Fill with sweet-n-sour & cranberry juice
• Strawberry garnish
• Texas size tall cool glass

** pony = an ounce, so half a pony is half an ounce.

They say everything in Texas is big and this drink is no exception. Rustle up a Texas-sized glass of ice and pour in all the ex’s, Brandy, Sherry, and Tequila Rose. Now add the Strawberry Vodka, sweet-n-sour and cranberry juice and stir it up good cowboy. Garnish with a summertime strawberry, stick in a big straw and let your taste buds sample those ex’s one more time.

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Denver Broncos

The Mile High
Muddle the lime wedges and sugar, add ice, and the liquer. Shake and serve on ice.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 part Lychee liqueur
* 1 part Midori® melon liqueur
* 2 Lime wedge
* 2 Sugar

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Detroit Lions

The Lions Paw

* 1 fluid ounce Southern Comfort liqueur
* 1 fluid ounce pineapple juice
* 1 fluid ounce raspberry wine
DIRECTIONS
1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake the Southern Comfort liqueur, pineapple juice, and raspberry wine until well blended. Strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a slice of fruit.

The Guiness Sangria

One of the many unique drink items available at the Detroit Pub is Guinness Sangria. This drink mixes the dark brewed beer with a ruby port wine and is topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg. It has a sweet, rich, almost coffee-like taste to it.

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Green Bay Packers

Old Fashioned Wisconsin
* 3 oz brandy
* 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
* 1 tsp sugar
* dash of water
* lemon peel for garnish

Preparation:

1. Place the sugar cube at the bottom of an old-fashioned glass.
2. Saturate the cube with the water and bitters.
3. Muddle these ingredients.
4. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
5. Add the brandy.
6. Stir well.
7. Garnish with a lemon peel.

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Houston Texans

Texas Tea Punch

* 2 oz tequila
* 2 oz rum
* 2 oz vodka
* 2 oz gin
* 2 oz bourbon
* 2 oz triple sec
* 2 oz sweet and sour mix
* cola

Longhorn Tea
1. Ice
2. 3/4 ounce reposado tequila
3. 3/4 ounce light rum
4. 3/4 ounce vodka
5. 3/4 ounce triple sec
6. 2 ounces fresh orange juice
7. 1 ounce fresh lime juice
8. 1 ounce Simple Syrup
9. 1» teaspoons grenadine
10. 1 lime wheel
Fill a pint glass with ice. Add the tequila, light rum, vodka and triple sec to the pint glass and stir well. Add the fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice and Simple Syrup and stir again. Top the cocktail with the grenadine and garnish with the lime wheel.

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Indianapolis Colts

Colt 45 Cocktail
1.0 oz Gin
2.0 oz Jagermeister
5.0 oz Red Bull

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Jacksonville Jaguar

Teal Squeal
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup Blue Curacao liqueur
2 cups ice
1/2 cup pineapples

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend well. Serve in highball glass. Garnish with pineapple.

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Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Ice Water
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz vodka
1/2 oz lime juice
7-Up® soda

Pour gin, vodka and lime juice over ice in a highball glass. Fill with 7-up, and serve.

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Miami Dolphins

The Miami Mojito

1.25 oz Captain Morgan® Original spiced rum
12 mint leaves
1 tbsp sugar
0.5 oz lime juice
2 oz soda

Place mint leaves in bottom of glass. Add crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, sugar, and lime juice, and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

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Minnesota Vikings

Purple Viking
1 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1 oz blueberry liqueur
1 oz sloe gin
1 splash lime juice
1 splash sweet and sour mix
1 splash 7-Up® soda

screaming viking:
2 oz vodka
- 1 oz dry vermouth
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 spear cucumber

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New England Patriots

Cranberry Almond Kicker
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup amaretto
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice*
Ice cubes
Clementines, peeled, separated into segments (optional)

1. Mix cranberry juice, vodka, amaretto, and orange juice in pitcher.
2. Cover and chill until ready to serve. It can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.
3. To make 2 drinks, fill cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Pour in scant 1 cup vodka mixture.
4. Cover and shake vigorously. Strain into 2 Martini glasses. Garnish each with clementine segment, if desired. Repeat 3 times with ice cubes, remaining vodka mixture, and clementine segments.

Makes 8 cocktails.

*I used 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice because I liked the tartness it added to the cocktail.

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New Orleans Saints
storm of the century

* 1 cup ice cubes
* 1 fluid ounce light rum
* 1 fluid ounce dark rum
* 1 fluid ounce coconut rum
* 1 fluid ounce vodka
* 1 fluid ounce gin
* 1 fluid ounce Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
* 1 fluid ounce triple sec liqueur
* 3 fluid ounces orange juice
* orange slices for garnish (optional)
* maraschino cherry for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a hurricane glass with ice. Add light rum, dark rum, coconut rum, vodka, gin, raspberry liqueur, triple sec and orange juice. Shake gently, and garnish with orange slices and a cherry, if desired. Beverage will be about the color of a pink grapefruit.

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New York Jets

Big Apple Tini

1 oz Smirnoff® Green Apple Twist vodka
1 oz Midori® melon liqueur
1 oz sweet and sour mix

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into cocktail glass, and serve.

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New York Giants

even ladies get the red, white and blues

1. 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
2. 1 small lime wedge
3. 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
4. 1 1/2 ounces gin
5. Ice
6. 2 ounces chilled club soda
n a cocktail shaker, muddle 15 of the blueberries with the lime wedge and sugar. Add the gin and ice and shake well. Strain into a highball glass half-filled with ice, top with the club soda and garnish with the remaining blueberries.

The Absolut Jolly New York Giants

2 part(s) Absolut Ruby Red Vodka – (more)
1/2 part(s) Lemon Juice – (more)
1/2 part(s) Maraska Maraschino Liqueur – (more)
1/4 oz. Pomegranate Juice – (more)

Shake and strain into a martini glass over a brandied cherry, or over ice into a rocks glass.

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Oakland Raiders

brewski sangria
2 Bartlett pears, peeled and chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Four 12-ounce bottles lager, chilled
1 cup triple sec
Ice
2 Bosc pears, sliced, for garnish
1. In a food processor, combine the Bartlett pears with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and process to a puree.
2. Slowly pour the beer into a pitcher. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of lemon juice, the triple sec and the pear puree. Fill pint glasses halfway with ice. Add the sangria and garnish with the Bosc pear slices.

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Philadelphia Eagles

Now, both of these drinks sound a tad bid…. disgusting. They involve egg whites. But that is a huge Philly tradition, apparently. That creates a light frothy foam on the top of the drink that locals swear by. But just in case you aren’t all for the raw egg thing, I threw in a bright green fun drink instead!

the eagle
* 1 1/2 oz gin
* 3/4 oz creme de violette
* 1 oz lemon
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 egg white

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain into a wine glass.

clover club/pink lady
Ice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce grenadine (4 dashes)
Juice of 1/2 medium lemon (1 to 2 tablespoons)
1 large raw egg white

Cacktus Jack – explosively fruity

Ingredients

* 1 shot Tequila
* 0.75 shot De Kuyper Blue Curaçao
* 1.25 shots orange juice
* 1 shot pineapple juice
* 0.5 shot lemon juice

Glass : Martini

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Pittsburgh Steelers

The Black & Gold

* 2 oz Blavod vodka (aka black vodka.)
* 1 oz Goldschlager (cinnamon liquor with gold flakes!)

1. Pour the Blavod into ice filled shaker and shake it good.
2. Strain into a chilled glass
3. Top with Goldschlager so the flakes float all around! Sparkly!

Stay tuned for great Super Bowl snacks!

Pittsburgh Sunrise

4 oz vodka
8 oz Sprite soda
4 oz peach & papaya juice

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San Fransisco 49ers

The Bay Bomber )
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar.
2 tablespoons ground fennel seeds

1 lime wedge
8 ounces gin
2 cups chilled chopped peeled cucumber
2 cups chilled chopped honeydew melon
6 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 cup honey
5 cups ice
Cucumber wheels and honeydew melon balls, for garnish

Make the sweet fennel salt: In a medium bowl, mix the kosher salt, sugar and ground fennel seeds.
Make the cocktail: Moisten half of the outer rim of 6 chilled white wine glasses with the lime wedge and coat lightly with the sweet fennel salt.
In a blender, combine all of the remaining ingredients except the garnishes and blend until smooth. Pour the drink into the glasses. Garnish the drinks with the cucumber wheels and honeydew melon balls.

The Golden Gate (also known as absolut la la land)

ABSOLUT® Los Angeles is a unique and innovative blend of flavors, just like the city itself. The aromatic
blend of Acai, Acerola, Pomegranate, and Blueberry, is a nod to the city’s trendy, environmentally forward,
and health-conscious ideals. Like all ABSOLUT® Flavors, it is made with 100% natural ingredients, so try some
of these delicious recipes and be one of the few who get to experience ABSOLUT® Los Angeles first-hand.

1 1/2 oz. Absolut Los Angeles Vodka

1 oz. Cranberry Juice – (more)

1 oz. Lemon Lime Soda – (more)

1 oz. Pomegranate Juice – (more)

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San Diego Chargers
san diego sea breeze
1.0 tsp Blackberry Liqueur
0.5 part Orange juice
0.5 part Pineapple Juice
1.0 oz Vodka
0.5 oz Blueberry Schnapps
0.5 oz Raspberry Schnapps

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St Louis Rams

missouri jackass

* 12 oz Beer
* 6 oz Light Rum
* 6 oz Frozen Limeade Concentrate

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Seattle Seahawks

The Emerald City
8 oz Malibu® coconut rum
4 oz Midori® melon liqueur
4 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1 splash sweet and sour mix
1 splash Sprite® soda

Pour into an ice filled hurricane glass.

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Tampa Bay Buccanneers

Fuzzy Pirate
* 1 1/2 oz. Rum, light
* 1 1/2 oz. Schnapps, peach
* 3 oz. Orange Juice
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into glass over crushed ice. Also makes a great frozen drink when blended like a frozen daiquiri. Can also use flavored rums like mango, orange, or anything fruity.

angry pirate
- 1/2 oz peach schnapps
- 1/2 oz coconut rum (malibu)
- 1/2 oz blue hawaiian schnapps
- 1/2 oz melon liqueur (midori, melloni…)
- 1 oz apple juice
- 1 splash chilled soda (7-up, sprite)

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Tennessee Titans

lynchburgh lemonade
1 part Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee whiskey
1 part sweet and sour mix
1 part triple sec
4 parts Sprite® soda

redneck margarita
1 oz Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee whiskey
1/2 oz triple sec
fill with margarita mix

Salt the rim of a large rocks glass and fill with ice. Pour in the whiskey, triple sec and margarita mix. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

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Washington Redskins

washington apple
* 1 oz Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey
* 1 oz sour apple schnapp
* 1 oz cranberry juic
* apple slice for garnis

The Cherry Blossom
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Brandy
- 1/2 oz Cherry Brandy
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Triple Sec
- 1 oz Grenadine
- Garnish: Cherry
- Glass : Cocktail Glass

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry.

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32 NFL Team Inspired Cocktails for Your Football Party is a post from: Stiletto Sports

17 Unique Chicken Wing Recipes for Football Parties

Stiletto Jen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:30:14 +0000

Nothing says NFL Sunday Funday or college tailgating party like…..

CHICKEN WINGS!

Most of the year I am very well behaved and stay away from them. But as soon as football season (or college basketball season, for that matter) begins and the commericals for Buffalo Wild Wings dominate my television, I find myself craving wings at least once a week. Usually more than once. But instead of shelling out the cash and the excess calories at places that deep fry their wings, I’ve come to really love making my wings at home and experimenting with all sorts of new flavors.

I’ve spent weeks researching the best of the best of chicken wing recipes from around the web to give you my Top 17 Chicken Wing Recipes for the Football Season (17 recipes, 17 weeks of football season—coincidence? I think not!) Enjoy!

Warning: Reading this will cause your stomach to rumble, mind drift off into a happy place, and mouth to water. Could cause excessive drooling.

Garlic Parmesan Wings: These are my personal fave kind of wings. Rich, oozine with butter and packed with parm cheese and garlic…YUM! The recipe doesn’t specify cooking method. I prefer to batter mine up, fry for a hot second, and then pop in the oven to finish them off. Then I cover them with the garlic sauce at the end. I have tried them “naked” or without breading and they were just as yummy. But I figure, if I’m doing wings, I’m going all out! (PS–the link includes a bunch of recipes from Buffalo Wild Wings!)

Get the recipe!

Hooters-esque Boneless Wings: Hooters Boneless Wings used to be my fave guilty pleasure–until I discovered I could make them at home, a little healthier! And last time I went to Hooters I was sorely disappointed in their quality of wings compared to my own. I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now and it comes out amazing every single time. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Get the Recipe

Wisconsin Cheese Wings: These decadent wings are rolled in a cheese-cracker mixture to create a super-yummy crunchy piece o’ chicken. Get the Recipe!

Savory & Spicy Salsa Wings: Salsa Wings are a healthier option to wings because these guys are cooking in a Crock Pot instead of deep fried! The recipe recommends Newman’s Own Salsa but I’ve tried it with some local store brands and they were AWESOME! Want to kick it up a notch? Pick a habenero salsa to brew them in! Get the Recipe!

Lemon Dijon Wings: This recipe had me at “6 cloves of garlic.” Throw in some dijon mustard and I knew I would be whipping these puppies up ASAP! Tangy and full of flavor yet the lemon makes them shockingly light tasting. Get the Recipe!

Red hot honey glazed grilled wings with blue cheese-celery dipping sauce First off, this wing recipe is from Bobby Flay. Anything he tells me to try, I so will! But I was especially intrigued by the combo of the hot sauce and honey and then grilling them, not frying. And WOW! The added smokiness from the grill made these little guys pop in my mouth. You absolutely can do them inside, but I don’t recommend it. These babies are made for grilling! PS–the blue cheese sauce is Y-U-M-M-Y! Get the Recipe!

Chipotle Grilled Wings : These are a slight variation of the Red Hot Grilled Wings. Instead of hot sauce, Bobby uses a Chipotle Puree, which has a rich, smokey spice. Get the Recipe!

Crispy Wings With Chili Lime Butter Finally! A hot Thai inspired wing. These little guys can really pack a punch since they are smothered in Thai Red Curry Paste! The splash of lime at the end is the key to the wow factor! Get the Recipe

Red Hot Sticky Wings : Now, normally I’m not a fan of BBQ sauce unless it’s grilled or broiled to a nice crispy sweetness. But this sauce is so different. And the best part is that the wings are baked, not fried. The sauce is a delicious blend of reduced pomegranate juice and hot sauce. Warning: you will be a hot sticky mess after eating these, but it’s so worth it! Get the Recipe!

Carolina Honey Mustard Wings: Like I just said, I’m not a big fan of BBQ sauces, because most of them are ketchup based. But a few months ago I discovered Carolina BBQ, which is mustard based BBQ sauce. If you haven’t tried it, you should because honey mustard BBQ sauces are just ri-dic-u-lous! I’ve been making my pulled pork with the sauce since summer time and then found this recipe for the wings and have been gobbling them up! Get the Recipe!

Stickey Honey Barbecue Wings: There is a little place in New Paltz, New York that makes the most amazing Honey BBQ wings in the world. Unfortunately, I now live in Florida and they don’t deliver here. The recipe I found that comes close is a replica of KFC’s blend. In the recipe if says to use liquid smoke and MSG flavors. I don’t use either. I do have a hickory spice that I tossed in to give it that “smokey” feel. I’ve had honey barbecue regular wings, but I think the boneless are so much better for the rich sticky sauce that gets all over your face! Get the Recipe!

Leftover Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce BBQ wings: So you know how every year after Thanksgiving, there is always some of that jellied cranberry sauce left over? Well, now we have a fabulous way to reuse and transform that sauce! Cranberry Sauce, brown sugar, mustard and worcestershire sauce blend together to make a marinade for the wings to soak in for a while before grilling. Get the Recipe

Crunchy Taco Wings : Taco flavor + chicken wings + corn chips…. what else could you possibly ask for? Adjust the taco spices to increase the heat or keep them nice and mild. Either way, your guests will be amazed by these unique, crunchy wings! Get the Recipe

Southwestern wings with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing: Baked, not fried and covered in a lush green chili BBQ sauce. Still not enough for you? Pair it with the Jalapeno Ranch Dressing. The biting jalapeno is mellowed by the ranch, yet seriously brings out the flavor of the wings. Delish! Get the Recipe

Mahogany Wings Rich, dark and succulent. The key to these wings is the roasting process. The wings are packed with garlic and ginger which is mellowed by the high heat broiling. The sweet molasses and spicy chili play on the tongue and make you crave more and more with every bite. Get the Recipe

Jamacian’me Crazy Jerk Wings: These little puppies marinate overnight in a potent marinade packed with jalapenos and Jamacian Spices. When they are done getting all happy in their spicy bath, they bake in the over for about an hour to really pack in that flavor and sauce into the wings. You are going to be craving some Ginger Beer or some Jamaican Rum! Get the Recipe

17. Pineapple Tarragon Wings: This recipe is an adaptation from a cookbook that I have. In it there is a Pinapple Tarragon Chicken and a Garlic Broiled Chicken Wing. I’ve merged them together to create this recipe and I am so addicted to them! Something about the soy, pinapple and tarragon (I’ll post the recipe later today, ran out of time to transfer from cookbook!)

17 Unique Chicken Wing Recipes for Football Parties is a post from: Stiletto Sports

Cocktails & Burger Recipes for NFL Week 3 Key Matchups

Stiletto Jen — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:44:50 +0000

Week 3 of the NFL is just about to kick off and I don’t know about ya’ll, but I am ready for some really awesome football food!

I wanted to give you a sneak peek into my Football Recipe Guide by giving you signature cocktails and burger recipes for some of today’s key matchups. If your Game of the Week is not listed today, leave me a comment or shoot me an email and I’ll send you the recipe for your team! Enjoy!

Detroit v. Chicago
Baltimore v. New England
Buffalo v. Miami
Dallas v. Denver
San Diego v. Pittsburgh
Monday Night: Green Bay v. Minnesota

Stay tuned for more recipe guides and the fabulous Football Season Survival Guide, coming soon!

1:00 Matchups

Detroit vs. Chicago

My Pick: Chicago. Only because my friend Mike would disown me if I picked against his team. But since Detroit has finally won a game, I’m secretly rooting for them to make it to the Super Bowl.

Detroit Lions

The Drink:

The Lions Paw

The Guiness Sangria

The Burger:

Motor City Black & Blue BBQ Burgers
The Coney Burgers

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Chicago Bears

The Drink:

Da Bear-tini

2 parts Kahlúa
1 part Tequila Tezón

Shake in a shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an
orange twist.

The Burger:

Da Bears Deep Dish PizzaBurger:

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Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Baltimore Ravens

My Pick: Patriots. Tough call for me since I actually like the Ravens a little but being considering I have a sign in my kitchen that says “I Love New England” (the place, not the team), I suppose I better stick to it!

The Drink:

* 1 oz vodka
* 1 oz rum
* 1 oz blue curacao
* 1/2 oz Chambord

Preparation:

The Burger:

Charm City Crab Burger: **I don’t have an actual recipe for this. I say, either buy some yummy crab cakes or whip up your own batch. Then stick them in between some gourmet bread with some spicy aioli sauce and voila!

New England Patriots

The Drink:

Cranberry Almond Kicker
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup amaretto
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice*
Ice cubes
Clementines, peeled, separated into segments (optional)

Makes 8 cocktails.

*I used 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice because I liked the tartness it added to the cocktail.

The Burger:

The Best Burger Ever (Sam Adams Edition)

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4:00 Matchups

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

My Pick: I know I’m going to regret this, but let’s go with Miami.

Buffalo Bills

The Drink:

The Burger:

Buffalo Burgers with Smokey Red Pepper Sauce

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Miami Dolphins

The Drink:

The Miami Mojito

1.25 oz Captain Morgan® Original spiced rum
12 mint leaves
1 tbsp sugar
0.5 oz lime juice
2 oz soda

Place mint leaves in bottom of glass. Add crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, sugar, and lime juice, and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

The Burger:

The Miami Cuban Burger

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Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos

My Pick: Dallas.

The Drink:

Bring in on 6: Don’t Mess With The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (also known as: All my Ex’s live in Texas Kool-Aid by Miss Charming)
• Half pony the Brandy
• Half pony the Sherry
• Pony the Tequila Rose
• Pony the Strawberry Flavored Vodka
• Fill with sweet-n-sour & cranberry juice
• Strawberry garnish
• Texas size tall cool glass

** pony = an ounce, so half a pony is half an ounce.

Find the biggest glass you can find (remember, this is a Texas themed drink!) Pour in the Brandy, Sherry, and Tequila Rose. Then add the Strawberry Vodka, sweet-n-sour and cranberry juice and shake it like a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader!

The Burger:

The Dallas Burger

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Denver Broncos

The Drink:

The Mile High

INGREDIENTS

* 1 part Lychee liqueur
* 1 part Midori® melon liqueur
* 2 Lime wedge
* 2 Sugar

Muddle the lime wedges and sugar, add ice, and the liquer. Shake and serve on ice.

The Burger:

Mile High Burgers

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The Late Game: San Diego Chargers & Pittsburgh Steelers

My Pick: Chargers. Still angry at the Steelers for the whole Super Bowl thing last season.

San Diego Chargers

The Drink:
san diego sea breeze
use: 1.0 tsp Blackberry Liqueur
0.5 part Orange juice
0.5 part Pineapple Juice
1.0 oz Vodka
0.5 oz Blueberry Schnapps
0.5 oz Raspberry Schnapps

The Burger:

The Cali Burger

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Pittsburgh Steelers

The Drink:

The Black & Gold

* 2 oz Blavod vodka (aka black vodka.)
* 1 oz Goldschlager (cinnamon liquor with gold flakes!)

1. Pour the Blavod into ice filled shaker and shake it good.
2. Strain into a chilled glass
3. Top with Goldschlager so the flakes float all around! Sparkly!

Pittsburgh Sunrise

4 oz vodka
8 oz Sprite soda
4 oz peach & papaya juice

The Burger

The Pittsburgh Panini
The Roethlis-burger:

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Monday Night Football:

My Pick: Tough, tough call. Brett Favre against the team who scorned him. Except I’m kinda tired of the whole Favre madness. Leave already or don’t. You are good, but you ain’t the Michael Jordan of football. But, I shall go with the Vikings.

Green Bay Packers

The Drink:

old fashioned brandy wisconsin
* 3 oz brandy
* 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
* 1 tsp sugar
* dash of water
* lemon peel for garnish

Preparation:

The Burger:

Green Bay Beer Cheese Brat Burgers:

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Minnesota Vikings

The Drink:

Purple Viking
1 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1 oz blueberry liqueur
1 oz sloe gin
1 splash lime juice
1 splash sweet and sour mix
1 splash 7-Up® soda

screaming viking:
2 oz vodka
- 1 oz dry vermouth
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 spear cucumber

The Burger

The Viking Burger: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1725,144168-255197,00.html

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http://grantsrant.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/the-best-burger-recipe-ever/

Cocktails & Burger Recipes for NFL Week 3 Key Matchups is a post from: Stiletto Sports

Fabulous Football Recipes to Kick Off the NFL Season

Stiletto Jen — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:08:53 +0000

It’s back! That’s right, Football Sunday Funday is back in full force! Feels like football season just ended but it’s actually been seven whole months since last season ended. Just because our Sundays will now be dominated by hours spent screaming at the TV….or screaming at the guys for screaming at the TV…. doesn’t mean our palates have to suffer!

Every week we’ll be bringing you fabulous recipes to make it through the football season, from the pre-game to the 4th quarter. We’ve compiled 17 dunkin’ dip recipes, 17 mouthwatering appetizers, 17 of the most unique wing recipes, 17 hearty, delicious chilis and stews, and 17 bite-size slider recipes. Plus, we’ve also created 32 signature cocktails and 32 signature burgers—one for every NFL team. There may even be a few extra bonus for college football fanatics!

So check back weekly for the newest fabulous football recipes!

Now, on to Week 1!

Pre-Game: Dips
1st Quarter: Appetizers
2nd Quarter: Wings
Halftime: Chilis & Burgers, aka “man meals”
3rd Quarter: Cocktails
4th Quarter: Dessert

Pre Game:

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip:

Ingredients

* 16 ounces cream cheese
* 8 ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
* 3/4 cup chopped celery
* 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese, hot sauce and celery. Heat in microwave until cream cheese is melted. Stir; add chicken and cheddar cheese. Mix together. Put into a baking dish. Top with more shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

From: http://www.foodclassics.com/re2101/recipes.php

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1st Quarter:

7 Layer Tex Mex Dip Sliders

Inside the bun are refried beans, a spicy burger, cheese, lime guacamole, yellow mustard and yellow tomato salsa, olives and tangy sour cream. Look for mini brioche or potato rolls if your market’s bakery does not make mini burger buns. Split packaged dinner rolls work in a pinch as well.

*1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian (lard-free) spicy refried beans
*2 pounds ground sirloin
*1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder or chili powder, a palmful
*1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika, a palmful
*3 to 4 tablespoons grated onion
*3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
*1½ tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, 1½ palmfuls
*1 cup beer—whatever the cook is drinkin’
EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), for drizzling
*6 slices of pepper Jack cheese from the deli counter, quartered to make 24 little squares
*1 large ripe Hass avocado
*1 teaspoon grated lime zest
Juice of 2 limes
*3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
*½ small or medium red onion, finely chopped
*2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
*Salt
*2 medium yellow tomatoes, seeded and chopped
*¼ cup yellow mustard (eyeball it)
*1 cup sour cream
*1 tablespoon hot sauce (eyeball it)
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*12 mini buns, split
Shredded lettuce
*½ cup green olives with pimientos, chopped

Heat the beans in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Thin them out with a splash of water so they can heat through without becoming pastelike. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Use your hands to combine the meat and chili powder, smoked paprika, grated onion, two cloves of garlic, grill seasoning and beer. Score the meat into four portions with the side of your hand and form three 3-inch patties from each section, yielding 12 mini sliders. Drizzle EVOO over the burgers and place them in the hot skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers for 6 minutes, turning once, for medium doneness.

In the last minute of cooking time place 2 mini slices of cheese on each burger and tent the pan with foil to melt the cheese.
While the burgers cook, mash the avocado with the lime zest and juice, half the cilantro, half the red onion, the remaining clove of garlic, half of the chopped jalapeño, and salt to taste.
Toss the tomatoes in a bowl with the remaining cilantro, red onion, and jalapeño, salt to taste, and the mustard to make a salsa.
In a separate bowl combine the sour cream with the hot sauce and cumin.
To assemble the sliders, layer as follows: bun bottom, a spoonful of beans spread around, a beef patty with cheese, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, olives and bun top.

From: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=6197380

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Fabulous Football Franks

Turn those cocktail franks into something fun, fabulous and football party worthy with this great recipe from H. J. Heinz.

Ingredients:

1 cup Heinz Ketchup ®
1 pound cocktail franks
1-2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño peppers
½ cup grape jelly
1 can (8 ounces) undrained crushed pineapple in juice

Preparation:

Combine ketchup, pineapple, grape jelly and jalapeño peppers.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until jelly is melted.
Stir in cocktail franks; heat. Serve warm with toothpicks. Makes 12-15 servings.

From: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/football_franks.htm

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2nd Quarter

Red Hot Honey Glazed Grilled Wings with blue cheese-celery dipping sauce

Ingredients
For the wings:

* 1 cup hot sauce
* 1/2 cup honey
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 24 chicken wings, tips removed

For the blue cheese-celery dipping sauce:

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 cup finely diced celery
* 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (recommended: Cabrales)
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Directions

Heat grill to medium-high.
Combine the hot sauce, honey and butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture comes together, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Pour half of the sauce in a bowl and keep the remaining sauce in the pan, warm over low heat.
Season the wings on both sides with the salt and pepper. Brush the wings with the reserved sauce in the bowl and place on the grill.
Grill on each side for 5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove wings from the grill and toss with the warm hot sauce.

From: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/chicken-wings-with-red-hot-honey-glaze-and-blue-cheese-celery-dipping-sauce-recipe/index.html

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Halftime

3 bean 3 meat Guinness Chili

Prep Work

Place 1lb. stew meat in pot, soak it in a pint of Guinness Draught (can, not bottle)
Brown 1lb. lean ground beef (I use 97% lean), add to Guinness soak.
Take three (3) links of smoked beef sausage and cut into small cubes, add to Guinness soak.
Allow meats to soak for 1 hr, no heat.
Chop one (1) large white onion, set aside

Mix one (1) 6oz. can of Tomato paste into meat/Guinness soak until well blended

Getting Rubbed the Right Way

Add the following dry rubs (NO CHEATING! DO NOT USE A CHILI MIX!):

1/2 Tablespoon Paprika
2 Tablespoons Ancho Chili Pepper (McCormick)
2 Tablespoons Chipotle Chili Pepper (McCormick)
3 Tablespoons Ground Cumin (McCormick)
1/2 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper Blend

The dry rubs should create a thick pasty-like blend in the meats. This will be broken down when we add the remaining ingredients.

Add the following to the pot:

chopped white onion
Two (2) 24oz. cans of Rotel Original Tomatos and Green Chiles
One (1) can black beans (do not drain juice)
One (1) can red beans (do not drain juice)
One (1) can kidney beans (do not drain juice)

Mix well, and cook over medium heat – stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Then, reduce heat and slow simmer the chili for several hours. Keeping this just above the “low“ setting should allow it to slow cook all day and present you with a fantastic dinner in the evening. This is also a great recipe for tailgating.

Serves: An army, but freezes well. From: http://msmvps.com/blogs/lduncan/articles/16752.aspx

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Firecracker Burgers

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chunky salsa
4 frozen breaded cheddar cheese jalapeno peppers, thawed
1/4 cup guacamole
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
4 lettuce leaves
1/4 cup salsa con queso dip
1/4 cup sliced plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
4 thin slices sweet onion

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the beef and salsa. Shape into four patties. Place a jalapeno in the center of each; wrap beef around jalapeno, forming a ball. Reshape into patties, about 3-1/2 to 4 in. in diameter and 1 in. thick.
Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink. Spread guacamole over toasted side of bun tops. On each bun bottom, layer lettuce, a burger, con queso dip, tomatoes, olives and onion; replace tops. Makes: 4 servings.

From: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Firecracker-Burgers

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3rd Quarter: Cocktails

Touchdown

4 oz bourbon
8 oz lemonade
8 oz iced tea (unsweetened)

Combine bourbon with iced tea in a mixing glass filled with ice. Strain equal parts into two Hurricane glasses filled with ice. Top with lemonade. (Makes two 12-ounce servings.)

Quarterback Sack

2 oz gin
2 oz vodka
1 oz triple sec
4 oz bloody mary mix
Splash tonic water

In a mixing glass half filled with ice combine all ingredients except tonic water. Strain into four shot glasses. Top with tonic water. (Makes four 1 1/2-ounce servings.)

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Also come up with signature cocktails for each team, here are some for the key first week matchups:

Dallas Cowboys v. Tampa Bay Buccanneers

The Dallas Cowboy Cocktail

Ingredients

* 3 fresh mint leaves
* Crushed ice
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1 shot tequila blanco
* 1 bottle beer (recommended: Corona)
* Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Directions

Place mint leaves in bottom of highball glass. Fill with crushed ice. Add lime juice, stir, then add the tequila and beer. Garnish with mint sprig.

The Tampa Bay Fuzzy Pirate
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 oz. Rum, light
* 1 1/2 oz. Schnapps, peach
* 3 oz. Orange Juice
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into glass over crushed ice. Also makes a great frozen drink when blended like a frozen daiquiri. Can also use flavored rums like mango, orange, or anything fruity.

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Washington Redskins v. New York Giants

The Washington RedApple
* 1 oz Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey
* 1 oz sour apple schnapps
* 1 oz cranberry juice
* apple slice for garnish
The Absolut Jolly New York Giant
Ingredients

2 part(s) Absolut Ruby Red Vodka – (more)
1/2 part(s) Lemon Juice – (more)
1/2 part(s) Maraska Maraschino Liqueur – (more)
1/4 oz. Pomegranate Juice – (more)

Shake and strain into a martini glass over a brandied cherry, or over ice into a rocks glass.

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And finally, the 4th Quarter

Football Cupcakes:

Who doesn’t love a cupcake? Rich, moist, melts-in-your mouth and covered in yummy frosting! Some other ideas are football shaped or football decorated cookies but the cupcakes are my personal favorites! Here is a really cute, er, manly, design: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/cake/cake-football-cupcake/

Fabulous Football Recipes to Kick Off the NFL Season is a post from: Stiletto Sports

Coming Soon: Girl’s Guide to the 2009 Football Season

Stiletto Jen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:12:28 +0000

The Stiletto Sports Complete Girl’s Guide to Football!

Jam-packed with everything you need to know about college football and the NFL so come September, you too can yell “I’m ready for some football!”

Want a sneak peek at what’s coming up? Check out our sidebar where we are featuring some our fan-favorite Girl’s Guide to Football articles.

Right now we are offering a special limited time deal on The Stiletto Sports Complete Girl’s Guide to Football! The first 50 people to pre-order will be getting their copy of The Complete Girl’s Guide to Football absolutely FREE and before it even hits the internet!

To pre-order The Complete Girl’s Guide to Football, just register to become part of Team Stiletto* (or Team Sneaker if you happen to be a male opposed to rockin’ high heels). There’s no cost, no fees, and really, no reason not to do it! Plus, you’ll receive our weekly newsletter, The Stiletto Report, and be the first to hear about all of our contests or giveaways!

Pre-Order My Copy:

45 20 5 3 0copies left!

Because of the overwhelming response and demand for The Girl’s Guide to Football, we’ve decided to extend our free offer to the first 65 people to sign up! Hurry, even with the extension there are still only 10 5 2 copies left!

*if you are already on the mailing list, don’t fret! You are already signed up to receive your free copy! See, the early bird does get the best deals in the store…..or something like that!
Here’s a little tease of what’s to come:

Grillin’ and Chillin’: yummy recipes and tips to throwing amazing parties every Sunday!
The Hotties of Fall Catalogue
Football movie showdown
And of course….all the rules, terms, basic plays and football jargon that you need to know to watch a game and actually know what’s going on!

But the best part is that our guide is going to be delivered in an e-Guide format so you can download it at any time! Forget waiting for a book to arrive in the mail or having to run to the store at the last minute to study up before the season starts!

Also, look for our new Stiletto Sports Fall Fashion Preview coming soon full of fun, flirty, fabulous and most importantly, fashionable, football-chic gear to get you ready for the sports season!

Coming Soon: Girl’s Guide to the 2009 Football Season is a post from: Stiletto Sports

A Girl’s Guide to Football: Common Rules & Penalties

Stiletto Jen — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:48:12 +0000

So there is this book. I call it it The Most Boring and Outright Ridiculous Book of Crap. Others call it the NFL Rulebook.

I cut and pasted it into Microsoft Word for a little light researching one day. It was over 24 pages long. Single spaced. I lost interest after the table of contents. So instead, I will just give you a few of the most common.

For even more rules, head to NFL Rules at Football.com

One quick thing before I dig into this. Sometimes after a foul you hear the refs say “The Penalty is declined.” I never could understand that! If the other team f’ed up, don’t you want them punished? Here’s the deal: For every foul–rule breaking–there is a penalty attached to it. When there is a foul called on one team, the other team has the option of accepting or declining the resulting penalty. For example, let’s say it’s third down and the Cardinals are on the 50 yard line. The Steelers rough up Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and gets a roughing the passer call. That’s a no-no and they would get a 5 yard penalty—meaning the Cardinals get to move 5 yards closer to the goal and get to redo the 3rd down.

Great! Who would decline that? You avenge your Qb and move closer to scoring!

Well, see, sure he got beat up BUT on the same play, Kurt Warner completed an amazing pass 15 yards down the field to Larry Fitzgerald.

If they accept the penalty they would be on the 45 yard line but it would be third down.
If they decline the penalty, they would be on the 35 yard line and it would be first down.

Does that help at all? If not feel free to email me for more details. Or go look it up somewhere else!

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Penalties:

Against the offense: the yardage is now attached to their original goal. Meaning if they were first and ten and got a five yard penalty, they are now first (or second) and 15.

Against the defense: the yaradge is now taken away from the offense’s original goal—or they get to move farther down the field.

Holding (Offense or Defense): 10 yard penalty

Literally holds the other player so he can’t move, block a play, catch a pass.

Pass Interference (Defensive, usually): Automatic first down.
The defense touches, tackles or in any way impedes an offensive intended receiver from receiving a catchable pass before the ball has not yet been touched by any other player. If the ball has been touched—all players are fair game!

False start (Offensive) 5 yard penalty
Once the players are in position on the line of scrimmage, the offense is not allowed to move or “fake out” the defense until the ball is snapped. If they do, they get a false start. If they were first and ten before the foul, they would now be first and 15.

Offsides (offensive or defensive) 10 yards, automatic first down.
Each play the players form the line of scrimmage with offensive line on one side and defensive line on the other. The space between the two lines is the neutral zone and any player that enters that zone before the ball is “snapped’ is offsides.

Encroachment (defensive) 5 yard penalty.
Same as offsides but the defensive player has contact with the offensive player before the start.

Intentional Ground (Offensive) 10 yard penalty and loss of down.
When a quarterback gets scared is about to be sacked, sometimes he tries to throw the ball away so no one else gets it–without an intended receiver in the area. I have no idea why this is a no-no. But its not so good. If they were first and ten, now they are second and 20. This helps QBs suck it up, be a man and run the damn ball themselves. Big Babies.

Roughing the passer and roughing the kickers: (Defensive) 15 yard penalty

Do not get me started on this. This is when a defensive player makes contact with the quarterback or kicker after the ball has been thrown.

Face mask (offensive or defensive): 5 yard penalty.
Dangerous play where the opposing player grabs the facemask of the opposing player to stop him

Ineligible receiver -(Offensive) 5 yard penatly.

Offensive lineman are not allowed to catch passes. Why? No idea. But they are supposed to only be there for decoration to block. If they do catch the ball, there is a penalty.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Offensive or Defensive) 15 yard penalty.

Taunting, gesturing, abusive language, making snow angels……This is a very vague rule. Needs to be explored!

NFL Rules at Football.com

From Super Bowl XLIII

chop block: defense–15 yard penatly

tackle from behind, and hits them below the knee

A Girl’s Guide to Football: Common Rules & Penalties is a post from: Stiletto Sports

A Girl’s Guide to Football Players and Positions

Stiletto Jen — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:57:06 +0000

Apparently football is not a bunch of fat guys just beating each other up. Who knew? Because really, it sure seems that way. In fact, in one report I read, there is an average of 17 injuries per team, per game. That’s just insane. But hey, boys will be boys!

I didn’t think it would be hard for me to crank out a piece about the football positions/players. The baseball positions piece took hardly any time at all! And I know a lot of the players already like:

Quarterback: duh, who hasn’t at least heard of a QB!
receivers: because they receive the ball
lineman: the big men
tight ends: because they sound HOT!
and the little kicker dude.

Ha! There is so much more than that, it’s not even funny. I’m used to baseball and basketball where it’s all pretty easy and basic. Football, not so much.

Am I really supposed to understand all that? As if it doesn’t look imposing enough, when you try to actually look up what each position is, I swear they try to make it complicated. I mean for Receivers, I read that their “primary function is to stretch the field, to be a deep threat, and to pull away an eighth defensive man near the line of scrimmage from moves against the quarterback.” Seriously? THEY CATCH THE BALL. That’s their primary function. Catch. The. Ball.

This piece took a long time. First I had to find out what the positions were called. Then I had to translate all the gibberish in their descriptions to figure out what they actually do! After that, I had to treat myself to pictures of the hottest football players for each position! I earned it! Don’t worry I shared them with you!

I will warn you, if you don’t know football very well and you should probably check out my Football’s Bend & Snap and Other Key Terms to Know before reading this.

A Girl’s Guide to Football: The Players & Positions

Offense

Defense

Special Teams
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THE OFFENSE (aka the guys trying to score)

Made up of:

The Offensive Linemen: in charge of creating “the line” that protects the quarterback
The Backs: Meaning the players that are in the back of the lineman. The quarterback and the ball carriers.
The Tight Ends: So not what you think they are! Not nearly as cool! Basically, they are a cross between the linemen and the receivers.
The Receivers: the ones who catch the passes

Seven players must line up on the line of scrimmage, and only the two tight ends are eligible to catch passes.

The Linemen:

Offensive linemen are not allowed catch the ball but may run the ball if they want. (see my silly football rules for more on that…)

Center: The play in the center of the line! He is the one to start each play when he “snaps” the football.
Offensive Guards: The guards right next to the center on each side. I like to think of them as function is to block on both running and passing plays.
Offensive Tackle: the offensive tackles line up next to the guards. Their role is primarily to block. The area from one tackle to the other is an area of “close line play.” Don’t ask.

Tight Ends

Vernon Davis proves that Tight Ends are still hot, even if it has nothing to do with tushies

They are a mix between a blocker and a pass receiver being they block but they also handle the football.
Tight ends play on either side of the tackles.
If he moves away from the offensive tackle, he is called a split end.
Name dropping: Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis (photo below)

The Backs

I swear I did eenie, meenie, miney mo before I picked which hot QB to put here. Tom was just lucky I guess!

The Quarterback: The Man! He’s a leader, keeps a cool head under pressure, be mentally and physically tough and exude sex appeal! All attractive attributes in any man. I get really annoyed when QBs are not attractive. It’s not cool. Oh yeah, and he calls the plays, gets the football from the snap and puts it into play with with a long pass, a handoff or he runs it himself. Name Dropping: The Manning Brothers, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger, Donovan McNabb, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco.

Fullback: Usually a blocker and the guys that clear the path for the guys running through the big pile-up with the ball. But they can carry the ball too.
Running back: The ones that seem to do a whole lot of work to get no where. They are the little compact guys that try to shove their way through the huge defensive linemen in front of them and get taken down almost immediately. The ones that make you go “what was the point of that? He didnt’ get anywhere”*** At least that’s what I think….
Name dropping: Adrian Peterson (photo below), Michael Turner, Brian Westbrook, LaDainian Tomlinson

RB Adrian Peterson. I was going to give you an action shot but saw this, drooled all over myself (seriously, mouth watering) and had to put it up!

***I actually did ask this question once, and found out the answer. It’s to confuse the defense. If the QB passed the ball every single play, the defense would know and intercept or something. Plus the QB couldnt’ throw the ball that much. It would hurt!

The Receivers

WR Larry Fitzgerald makes catching the ball look so easy. And so sexy!

” The wide receivers are speedy pass-catching specialists.” Their main job is to get open for a pass. There are two different kinds of WR, and I swear if you memorize these two positions and use them correctly during a game, you will 1. freak everyone out and 2. get anything you want.

Speed Wide Receiver: The “deep threat.” The ones that bullet down the field to receive the pass.
Possession Wide Receiver: Not as fast, but great at keeping the ball and moving it down the field
Name dropping: Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, DeSean Jackson, Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Buress

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THE DEFENSE (aka the ones trying to make sure the other team doesn’t score)

The Linemen: Players on the line of scrimmage
The Secondary/Defensive Backs: All the players that play behind the line.

The Linemen:

Defensive End and DWTS hottie Jason Taylor shows linemen can be soooo fine!

Nose guard: Basically the Center of the defense. Lines up nose to nose with the offensive center. Short and strong, their job is to stop the offense from coming down the midle. If they quick, they are get through the offense and sack the QB!
Defensive tackle: The players lined up across from offensive guards. Their mission: break through the offensive line, rush forward at the quarterback (aka passer) and also stop the runs coming up the middle of the pack.
Defensive End: The two ends play on well, the ends–or outer edges–of the defensive line. Their mission: break through the offense, rush forward at the quarterback and stop the runs coming up the sides of the field. Name Drop: DWTS JASON TAYLOR!!!!
- The faster of the two ends is usually placed on the right side of the defensive line because that is the blind side of a right-handed quarterback, making them vulnerable to attacks!

The Secondary/Defensive Backs:

DeMarcus Ware shows that linebackers are not fat, ugly and scary--they are chisled, damn fine and sweet!

Linebacker: Linebackers play behind the defensive line and perform various duties depending on the situation, including rushing the passer, covering receivers, and defending against the run. Most defensive sets have between two and three linebackers.Linebackers are usually divided into three types:
- Strongside: Lines up across from the offensive tight end. Stongest so he can push through the blockers quickly to grab the offensive guy carrying the ball.
- Middle: the “quarterback of the defense” because he reads the offensive formation and tries to adjust the whole defense in response to what he sees.
- Weakside: The most athletic and quickest—not necessarily the strongest—because he needs to be able to run and cover the field.
- Name Dropping: Brian Urlacher-middle, DeMarcus Ware
Cornerback: The two players that cover the wide receivers. Their goal is to make sure the receivers don’t catch the ball! They try to bat it down or pluck it out of the air for themselves.
Safety: The safeties are the last line of defense (farthest from the line of scrimmage) and help cover the open field from long passing. Name Drop: Troy Polamalu
There are also things called Nickelbacks and Dimebacks but yeah…if it’s not the band, don’t think I really care.

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THE SPECIAL TEAMS

You don’t f&@% with the special teams. They have all sorts of special privleges and stuff like “Roughing the Kicker Penalties.” Personally, I don’t see the fuss. But apparently they are very rare, elite and oh, so special. They are so rare they only come out to play for certain things!

These are the guys that come on for kickoffs, free kicks, punts, field goals and extra point attempts. (If you don’t know what those are, well, you didn’t read my Football Terms to Know that I said you must read before continuing!)

The Special Teams are:

Kickoff team: The group that comes out for the kickoff
a kick return team: the team that catches the kickoff and is trying to run it back down the field
a punting team: The team that comes to punt the ball (strangely….they can be different then the kicking teams…go figure)
a punt blocking/return team: the team that first tries to block the punt, and then when unsuccessful, catches the punts and tries to run it back.
a field goal team: The team that comes out to kick the field goal with the kicker.
a field goal blocking team: the defensive team that comes out to stop or block the field goal team.

The V.I.Players:

The Holder & the Kicker: Think Charlie Brown and Lucy. Lucy holds the ball for Charlie Brown to kick. Well except in the NFL, the Lucy’s don’t pull the ball away from the kicker. That would be hysterical bad.
- Okay so the holder is the guy that gets the football after it is snapped (See Football’s Bend & Snap) and makes sure the ball is adjusted for the Kicker to, well, kick.
- The football needs upright with the laces out before it is kicked.
- Then the sucker the holder actually holds the ball on the placeholder while it is kicked.
- For more about the Kicker: Why we love the kicker

Kick returner: He’s the guy that hangs out way down the field to catch the football after a kickoff and then runs it back. I think.
Punter: The guy that kicks the punts. And the kicker is (ha, had to say it) in the NFL this guy is different from the Kicker. Why? I have no idea. You would think that if the guy has the eye-foot coordination to kick a field goal and not kick the holder’s finger, he could punt a ball. Maybe he lacks hand-foot coordination?
Punt returner: He’s the guy that hangs out way down the field to catch the football after a punt and then runs it back. Like a dog. This guy also moonlights as the kick returner, unlike his offensive counterparts the kicker and the punter.
Wedge Buster: I don’t even care what this guy does, it’s such a great name and title! Can you imagine meeting him at a bar? “Hi, I’m Jake and I’m a Wedge Buster.” Ha
- In all honestly, this guy has like, the worst job ever. So you know the punt/kick returner guy? Okay let’s say he caught the ball. Now he’s trying to make it back down the field and he is surrounded by his whole Offensive Team, aka “the wedge” to help him. Enter the Wedge Busters! These are the Defensive Guys that run like hell down the field after the punt/kick-off trying to stop the returner. Why does it suck? They are running full force at the Offensive Team to break it up. So when they contact…. Philadelphia Eagles special teams coach once said “It’s like throwing yourself in front of a bus.”
- How that is any more painful then any other tackle, I do not know.

Hands Team: From Wikipedia: “Used only during onside kicks, the members of a hands team are responsible for preventing the kicking team from recovering a kick, usually by recovering the ball themselves.” I didn’t understand a word of that. Lost me at Onside Kicks, totally tuned out after that.

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More in A Girl’s Guide to Football:

The Bend & Snap and other key terms to know
The Basics
Rules & Penalties

A Girl’s Guide to Football Players and Positions is a post from: Stiletto Sports

A Girl’s Guide to Football Basics!

Stiletto Jen — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:55:01 +0000

Welcome to the Stiletto Sports Football Academy!

From the Headmistress: This academy was founded because I was told that I can no longer just say that football is just a bunch of fat guys beating each other up. This caused mass panic with me and a lot of my girlfriends. No longer could we just bat our eyelashes, nod along and smiley prettily during the games (my friends’ words, not mine!) We have to actually understand this crap fine, game of skill, precision and stupid complicated rules.

________________________________________________________________________

In the previous lesson we learned the major Football Terms To Know.

Today’s lesson is going to be all about the Football Basics! I cannot guarantee this will be a good lesson! Football still overwhelms me.

The basics:

-There are two teams in each game: Home & Visitor.

-Each team is allowed 11 players on the field at a given time

-The teams are actually comprised of 46 players

-Teams are allowed to substitute players pretty much whenever they want—and as many as they want! They can change their whole field as long as they do it in the time allowed. Sometimes all 46 players play in a game!

-The players are divided into

Offense: The guys running down the field with the football trying to score points.
Defense: The guys trying to kill stop the offense from scoring.
Special Teams: More about these guys a little bit later.

-Each team alternates between Offense and Defense. This changes when

A goal is scored (touchdown or field goal)
There is fumble and other team takes possession of the football
The quarter ends
There is a pass interception (wrong team caught the ball!)
The team failed to do what it needed to do in its allowed four tries and they have to kick the ball back to the other team. Very sad.

-The game is broken down into four 15 minute quarters. After the first half, there is a halftime intermission.

-However, it’s not just your imagination that they drag on forever. In football math: 4 x 15 minutes = 3 hours.

-If the game is tied at the end of 3 hours 4 quarters, the game goes into Sudden Death (known in other sports–including college football– as Overtime).

-During the NFL regular season, if no one gets killed scores in Sudden Death, the game is declared “a tie”

-In the NFL playoffs, however, they play till someone wins. Just ask Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (this would be a funny joke at a football party!)

Object & Scoring

-See football terms to know for more information about this.

Football Season

-Kicks off (ha!) in late August and runs until December. Then the NFL playoffs and college bowl games run through January.

-Usually….the NFL plays on Sundays and on Monday nights.

College games are on Saturdays and sometimes during the week.
the NFL does televised games on Thursdays sometimes too.
Friday Night Lights = high school football games! Yay!

-The NFL season runs for 17 weeks

Each team has a “bye week” meaning they have a week off.
This started in 1990 because the NFL decided they wanted the season to drag out an extra week. I’m serious.

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More in A Girl’s Guide to Football:

Terms to know
Players & Positions
The NFL
Guide to the Super Bowl
The Rules & Penalties

*graphic from Paula Duffy’s book: A Women’s Guide to Football.

A Girl’s Guide to Football Basics! is a post from: Stiletto Sports