A 2-hour plan for hosting game day

Last year's biggest football game averaged 127.7 million live viewers. For one of the most popular sports-viewing weekends of the year, many Americans will watch at home, surrounded by friends, family and a spread of familiar food. Hosting the game day event can be a challenge, but with a good plan in place and a few tricks, you can host the perfect party with about two hours of work. Meatballs, a pot of chili, chicken nachos, and an assortment of sweet treats, such as cookies, candies, brownies and fruit, make up most of the menu. Slow cookers handle the main dishes, while store-bought items and simple assembly handle the rest. Once the main dishes are cooking, the rest of the food can be assembled in a short window before guests arrive. START WITH A GOOD PLAN You don't need a lot of equipment to pull this off. One or two slow cookers, a few platters, and whatever napkins and utensils you already have on hand will cover it. There's no need to pull out special serving pieces or buy anything new just for the day. On game day, guests rarely arrive all at once. Some come early to watch the pregame coverage, while others drift in closer to kickoff. Planning food that can sit and wait makes it easier to handle staggered arrivals without worrying about timing or keeping everything hot simultaneously. Before you start cooking, take a few minutes to think about where everything will be placed. Decide which counter, table or island will hold the food and clear that space early. Having a designated spot makes setup faster later and keeps guests from wandering through the kitchen looking for things. Have your guests bring drinks or extra food and set out coolers to keep the dishes cold. This takes pressure off the host and keeps traffic out of the refrigerator. If you're expecting a crowd, it also helps to group drinks in one area so people aren't opening the fridge every few minutes. Be sure to have containers ready for leftovers and plenty of trash receptacles placed where guests can see them. Whether you use disposable plates and utensils or not, make it easy for your guests to clean up after themselves. The more you set up ahead of time, the less there is to manage once people arrive. THE SLOW COOKER IS YOUR FRIEND Meatballs with grape jelly and chili sauce are classic, easy and something folks have been making for decades. You dump everything right into the slow cooker, give it a gentle stir, and you're done. Add some toothpicks on the side so your guests can grab a meatball right out of the pot. If you have a second slow cooker, you can use it for a large pot of classic chili. If not, just use a stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove. To save even more time, buy pre-chopped onions and peppers. It will take about 20 minutes to prepare the chili, and then it can simmer in the slow cooker or on the stove for hours. Meatballs and chili are great game-day foods because they can simmer for a long time with minimal attention. The chili actually gets better the longer it sits. You can serve them right from the slow cooker or the Dutch oven. MIX IN STORE-BOUGHT ITEMS While the slow cookers are doing their thing, you can start with the hands-on foods. Nachos are so easy to throw together when you use rotisserie chicken. Debone and shred the chicken, and sprinkle it over chips on a baking sheet. Add your favorite toppings, and just before the party starts, pop the pan in the oven for a quick toast to melt the cheese. Then serve the nachos right on the sheet pan or transfer them to a platter. Buy some cookies and a bowl of cut-up fruit from the store along with a big bag of M&Ms, and you have all the sweet treats you need. If you want something homemade, brownies are a great option, whether from a boxed mix or made from scratch. ADD SOME CHEESE AND DIPS You can never go wrong with classic Southern appetizers like pimento cheese and crackers, and the ultimate easy snack: cream cheese doused in lightly spiced pepper jelly, with some wheat crackers on the side. There are several great brands of pimento cheese, but if you prefer homemade, you can make it yourself in about 15 minutes. For a little color, slice up peppers and other vegetables and serve them with ranch dressing and hummus. Arrange everything on a platter with the dips at the center so guests can grab what they want. LAY OUT THE SPREAD While the nachos are in the oven, give the chili and meatballs a quick stir. Wipe down the counters, load the dishwasher and take out the trash. Finish cooking and cleanup together to make it easier to shut down the kitchen before your guests settle in. Set out the plates, utensils and glasses, and be sure you have plenty of ice for drinks and coolers to keep the beer cold. Open wine bottles and set up a drink station so guests can help themselves. People like to keep an eye on the game, so if you have the space, try to place the food where the TV is still visible while guests are fixing their plates. ENJOY THE GAME With this menu and plan in place, hosts can enjoy the game along with their guests. Everything is self-serve and ready to go before kickoff. Cleanup is relatively easy, especially if you're using disposable plates and cups. All that's left to do is place your bets and fill your plate. Lucy Brewer is a professional writer and fourth-generation Southern cook who founded Southern Food and Fun. She's passionate about preserving classic Southern recipes while creating easy, crowd-pleasing dishes for the modern home cook. She currently lives in Augusta, Georgia.