Every year on the first Saturday in September, there’s a holiday you may not know about – National Tailgating Day! This year it’s September 5th, and even if you’re not going to get together with friends outside of your favorite stadium – there’s no reason you can’t celebrate at home.

After all, a good tailgate is all about the food and drinks! But you need some tasty recipes – of course! Here are some that are sure to be winners!

• Touchdown Cheese Ball: The more cheese, the better – right? This cheeseball is shaped like a football making it perfect for tailgating – even at home! It’s packed with flavor from the horseradish, bacon, green onions, and black pepper. Serve it with your favorite crackers, and it’s sure to disappear quickly.
• Grilled Jalapeno Poppers: Are you doing the low-carb thing and looking for a snack that fits with your plan? Then try these Grilled Jalapeno Poppers! Bacon, cheese, and spicy jalapenos are a super combination, and you’ll love the char you get from preparing them on the grill. 
• Wisconsin Beer Brats: In Wisconsin, brats are a staple at football tailgates, but you don’t need to live in Wisconsin to make these. All you need are some brats, onions, beer, and buns – along with your favorite toppings, and you’ll be all set.
• Easy Pulled Pork Sliders: Sliders are great for a home tailgate as they allow you to create smaller versions of your favorite sandwiches – which means you’ll still have room to sample everything else. These Easy Pulled Pork Sliders are a prime example and are super flavorful with the addition of the tangy coleslaw.
• Creamy Chorizo Queso Dip: Every tailgate needs a cheese dip! You can use it to dip tortilla chips in or put it on top of some grilled hot dogs or drizzle it on top of some burgers. This one has chorizo in it, which really takes it to the next level!
• Caramelized Onion Dip: Those onion dips you buy at the grocery store are pretty good…until you make this Caramelized Onion Dip. Caramelizing the onions is key, but well worth the effort. Everyone will be loving this recipe.
• Buffalo Chicken Wraps: Chicken wings are good, but they’re messy. But if you still want all of that fabulous Buffalo chicken flavor in a portable package – then these wraps are the answer. You can make your filling as spicy as you want and decide whether you want ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
• BLT Bites: Want a cute snack that you can just pop in your mouth? BLT Bites are it! These tiny treats have all of the flavor of a BLT – without the bread! And while they don’t add any lettuce in this recipe – some shredded lettuce would work just fine.
• Sriracha Grilled Shrimp: If you want to do some grilling, these Sriracha Grilled Shrimp will bring the heat – both temperature-wise and with their spice. The marinade is quite simple, and you won’t even need a dipping sauce because they have so much flavor.
• Apple Pie Twists: Now every good tailgate needs some dessert, and Apple Pie Twists are perfect for fall. You’ll love the cinnamon-caramel-apple flavor – and that’s they’re a semi-homemade dessert! 
• Peanut Butter Cookie Cups: Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven, and these cookies bring both of those flavors together. And they look so cute – as you make them in a mini muffin pan. 
• Kitchen Sink Cookies: You’ve probably heard of these cookies, but have you ever made them? If not – you must! You can customize them to fit your taste preferences – which is great if there are things you don’t like (for example – raisins) or have family members with allergies.

No matter where you tailgate good food is a necessity. Try these recipes and cook up some great dishes for your next one!