Football parties are known for their food, but let’s face it: The food will always be secondary to the game. Think back to the big-game parties you’ve been to over the years. How many featured a sit-down dinner? Probably none. That’s why the best parties are always heavily focused on finger foods — those delicious morsels, usually laid out buffet-style, for partygoers to grab as they pass and eat as they watch the game.

But if you think back to all those great parties, you might remember something else: A lot of finger foods are really just normal foods in smaller sizes. In other words, they aren’t particularly suited to being eaten without a plate under them, or even with one hand. The result is usually lots of spills (and lots of stain solutions with great Tide products). With that in mind, here are a few ideas for honest-to-goodness finger foods that are simple, party-friendly and mostly mess-free.

Cheesy potato wedges

1 (25-ounce) package plain frozen potato wedges
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 cups (8-ounces) cheddar cheese, shredded
8 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Bake potato wedges according to package directions. Immediately sprinkle with green onions, cheddar cheese and bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve hot. Makes 10 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Hope Pryor, www.cooksrecipes.com

Spicy cajun corn

2 1/2 quarts popped popcorn*
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

Pour butter over warm popped popcorn. Combine remaining seasonings and sprinkle over popcorn; toss to mix. Bake in 300°F (150°C) oven for crispy popcorn. Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

*1-ounce of unpopped popcorn kernels (2 tablespoons household measure) makes approximately 1 quart of popped popcorn.

Recipe courtesy of Hope Pryor, www.cooksrecipes.com

Bacon asparagus wraps

1 bunch of asparagus
1 pound of smoky bacon

Wash and clean your asparagus. Cut away the lowest inch of the stalk. Wrap two asparagus pieces with one slice of bacon. Set it on a foil-lined cookie sheet, and bake at 400° until the bacon is crispy and brown. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy of www.associatedcontent.com

BBQ eggs

1 dozen eggs
1–2 jars BBQ sauce

Place eggs in cold water and cook on high heat for seven minutes following boil. Drain and refrigerate eggs. When eggs are cool, peel and place in jar. Fill jar with BBQ sauce (a sauce with high vinegar content works best). Let sit for one week, and serve cold.

Recipe courtesy of Cheri Sicard, www.fabulousfoods.com

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Easy, no-spill finger foods

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