The Perfect At-Home Tailgate Party

Can't make it to every one of your favorite team's games this year? Don't let a busy schedule put a damper on your tailgating traditions. If you can catch the game on TV at home, that means you can tailgate at your place, too!

Click here to see The Perfect At-Home Tailgate Party Slideshow.

I am a huge proponent of tailgating at home. For those with really little kids, it can be hard to get to the stadium for the game and manage to stay there through kickoff without one child melting down. Between the car ride and all the excitement, staying at home is often so much easier for my family, and many of our friends. Plus, if you're on a budget, rallying at home can be just as fun and a whole lot less expensive. Just don't go thinking we're missing out on all the fun by skipping the tailgate — because we're not. We'll make all the game day favorites and dress up in our team's colors, just like we would at the stadium. And slathering on a game day face is a must.

When hosting an at-home tailgate party, make sure that the game is on and there is plenty of room for guests to sit or stand while watching. Then comes the food. For my tailgates, I love to cook up all of the traditional favorites like Spicy Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I add my own, gussied-up spin on each dish, using tender brioche buns for the sandwiches and browning the butter to add a nutty flavor to the cookies, for example. To add more spirit to the day, I pull out bright dishes and napkins in our team's colors for serving, and set everything up buffet-style so that guests can graze as they please. The best part? Cooking at home with a full kitchen and running water makes the party a whole lot easier than doing so in the tailgate lot! Here's how to do it.

Click here to see The Perfect At-Home Tailgate Party Slideshow.