Are you ready for some football food!? Watching games at home is synonymous with finger food, noshing and nibbling. We’ve collected some recipes that vary as much as the teams we root for. Now, you’re ready for a delicious kickoff.

Have a favorite recipe you’d like to share? Send it in, we’d love to feature how the Space Coast is serving up its food.

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For Everything Brevard's Recipe Box, we want to share your favorite locally sourced recipes. Send to tracy@everythingbrevard.com.

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Bacon Meatballs with Mango Honey Mustard Sauce

For the balls:

• 1½ lb ground beef (or other ground meat)
• 6 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 egg, whisked
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For dipping sauce:

• 1 mango, peeled and cut away from seed inside
• 2-3 tbsp ground old-fashioned mustard (in jar)
• 1-2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• Dash of chili powder
• Salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

For the balls:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Put a large skillet over medium heat and add diced bacon.
3. Once bacon has rendered some fat in the pan, add the onion. Mix and stir. Once bacon is cooked through, add the bacon and onions to a plate with a paper towel on it to cool and soak up excess grease.
4. Add ground beef to a large bowl, then add cooled bacon and onions, along with egg, almond flour and seasonings.
5. Use hands to mix thoroughly.
6. Roll into bite-size balls and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce:

1. Add peeled and sliced mango to a food processor and puree until it becomes sauce.
2. Add ground mustard, yellow mustard and honey to it and puree it all together.
3. Add spices and salt and puree one more time.

— Source: paleomg.com

Sweet and Spicy Venison Chili

6-8 servings  

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lb ground venison
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup mild chili powder
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 tbsp minced garlic
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 large can blended vegetable tomato juice
• 4 15-oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 4 15-oz cans Mexican-style chili beans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil and brown the venison and garlic. 
2. Add brown sugar, chili powder, and tomato juice; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
3. Stir in the balance of the ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Watch to make sure the brown sugar doesn’t burn.  
4. Let chili cool and refrigerate overnight.
5. Reheat the next day and serve with mini corn muffins, sour cream, cheddar cheese and your favorite hot sauce.  

TIP: If you like more heat, use spicy chili powder, spicy tomato juice and add chili peppers. 

— Tracy Stroderd, CEO/Publisher, EverythingBrevard

Muffaletta Dip

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened 
• ¼ cup pepperoni, diced small
• ½ cup sliced green pimento-stuffed olives
• ½ cup giardiniera, drained and chopped small
• 4 oz provolone cheese, cubed 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 baguette
• Olive oil for drizzling

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
3. Spread mixture into an oven safe dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until dip is hot and bubbly.
4. Meanwhile, slice the baguette into ¼-inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake the bread for about 10 minutes, until crispy. You can bake the bread at the same time as the dip.
6. Remove the dip from the oven and serve with toasted bread.

— Carrie Sullivan, The Gathering Table

Cheesy Bacon Poppers

2 servings. Double the ingredients for a larger prep.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 mini sweet peppers
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 oz cream cheese
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Cut the mini peppers in half by length and remove seeds and membrane.

3 In a bowl, combine shredded cheese, cream cheese, garlic powder, half the crumbled bacon, salt, and pepper.

4 Fill the peppers with prepared mixture.

5 Bake for 15 minutes or until the peppers are soft and cheese is melty.

6 Sprinkle with remaining bacon before serving.

TIPS

• Can use jalapenos peppers for a spicy version.
• Instead of cheddar, can use pepper-jack for an added kick.

— Lee Nessel, via @koncsiousketo