Sunday Soiree

With the falling leaves and shorter days, it's only natural to want to bundle up inside and hide from the Fall weather. Though the colder months bring hibernation to an all-time high, the holiday seasons also hold host to the best part of the year: football season. Luckily for sports nuts like myself, Fall is a time for football overload (if there is such a thing). Whether you're head-over-heels in love with the sport, or forced to watch due to a man in your life, football should be a fun time for all. 

If you're a girl who loves to channel her inner Martha Stewart, all while sporting a jersey and rooting on your team, this post is for you. Not into cooking? Don't worry—that's what the grocery store is for. Not into football? Don't stress—think of this as a time to perfect your party planning.

Here is what you'll need for a fabulous football soiree this Fall:

Mini Crescent Dogs

To get guests cozy before game time, these Mini Crescent Dogs are an appetizer sensation. What's a game without a hot dog anyways? Don't worry if you're the non-domestic type—these come premade in the frozen section as well.

photo via Table Spoon

Spinach Dip

Don't let the vegetarians starve while serving the dogs. Having a non-meat selection as well can't hurt, and who can resist a dip? Whip up the Slow-Cooked Spinach Dip (which merits a healthy tag with the spinach, right?). Premade dips are available at the deli for you beginners. 

photo via Food Network

Sliders

While football games last for several hours, party goers will most likely be ravished by half-time. Stick to the game theme and serve sliders for a thumbs up from all. These Kobe Sliders are a classic hit with a twist. It's not a bad idea to also offer Baby Portobello Sliders for the herbivors. Can't cook to save your life? Order different kinds of subs from your favorite sandwich spot.

Kobe Sliders

photo via Food Network

Baby Portobello Sliders

photo via Vegetarian Times

Beer Margaritas

Want to sip on something fun but not completely obsessed with the bloat of beer? These girly yet game-appropriate Beer Margaritas are sure to satisfy both sexes. To make the drinks less frilly for the boys, serve in a standard pint glass. Too lazy for the combo of alcohol? Buy boxed beer and call it a day. I don't think the guys will mind.

photo via Food Network

Appetizers, check. Hearty meal, check. Drinks, yup. Only one thing left—dessert, baby!

Cookie Truffles

Serve these super cute Football Cookie Truffles before the guests go. Chocolate, cookie crumbs, cream cheese—ahhh—is your mouth watering yet? Wrap up with these and your guests will deem you the BEST. HOST. EVER. Not a homemaker? Grab a dessert from your groceries bakery (pretending that you spent hours slaving away is totally up to you). 

photo via Cuisinart

Now you are completely set for a perfect Sunday indoors. Prep as much as you can the night before so you can enjoy your guests and of course the game. 

Hopefully this season you can learn to love football if you don't already. And if you're not there yet, at least enjoy the yummy meals (and babes) that come with the sport. Happy serving and don't forget your jersey!

Latest Lines

Another week over and more exciting moments in sports behind us. Here are the biggest lines of the past week.

1. Penn State's football scandal is the biggest headline of the weekend, as the former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting eight boys over the past 15 years. He was released on $100,000 bail.

photo via Centre Daily

2. The biggest college football game of the year was played on Saturday, when No. 1 ranked LSU took on Alabama. LSU won in overtime in a low-scoring game.

3. Giants pitcher and LSU alum, Brian Wilson, was sporting his alma mater colors and spirited personality on ESPN's College GameDay, where he picked LSU to beat Alabama. 

photo via NESN

4. One of the biggest racing events of the year, The Breeders Cup, a series of Thoroughbred horse races, took place this weekend.

5. The NFL continues to excite fans (and disappoint in my case). The Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last drive of Sunday Night Football—with only eight seconds left in the game.

photo via Bleacher Report

6. The Miami Dolphins finally picked up a win, killing the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts remain the only winless team this season.

7. Runners took foot in the famous New York City Marathon this weekend, and the couple below become engaged shortly after completing the run.

photo via NYDaily News

8. USA softball stunner Jennie Finch raised $30,000, receiving a dollar for every racer she passed while running the NYC Marathon. Other celebs raising money running were model Christy Turlington and Dancing with the Stars alum Apollo Ohno.

9. Former Heavyweight Champion of the World, Joe "Smokin" Frazier passed away yesterday from liver cancer. Frazier was only 67.

Enjoy your week and have fun using these lines to display your sportyness!

(Also, don't miss the first Thursday night NFL game since the start of the season. The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders battle it out for the AFC West. Go Chargers!)

First Half Headlines: Guest Post

The following post was written by Cosmos & Cleats' favorite guest blogger and one of my best friends, Jahan. Enjoy his work and follow him on Twitter @jahanfourteen39.

I'M BACK AGAIN! (Not sure if it's by popular demand or sheer fact that Taylor Buckman is too busy going to Game 7's of the World Series to step up and write a post about European football.)

I figured it was time for some more insight on the 1st half of the NFL Season. With the World Series over and the NBA season more than likely not returning until 2012, all eyes of the sporting world will be fixed on the 2nd half of the NFL season.  Sorry NHL, but lets be real here.

 photo via All Posters

I return, ladies, with a little bit of a recap and some predictions for the rest of the season. The NFL season might start in September but it's won in November/December, when we start to see some "real" football weather. Enjoy these 1st half headlines...

- Jim Harbaugh turns the San Francisco 49ers around - 

photo via 49ers

People tend to forget that before the SF Giants had a new baseball stadium, the pulse of Bay Area sports beat with the 49ers. No one expected a 6-1 start (including me), and all I can say is that for the first time in my adult life Sunday's have taken on a whole new level of excitement.  

Now, I am not gonna make any bold predictions on how this season will end up, but the team has a favorable schedule the rest of the way which could lead to an exciting postseason run. Okay, now that I got that off my chest, lets move on.

- Packers stay undefeated and Aaron Rodgers' MVP Campaign -

I have a huge soft spot for #12 of the Green Bay Packers. Hearing announcers always mention that Aaron is from Chico, CA brings not only a smile to my face but a loud and quick "CHICO" yell too. 

He is putting up some insane stats this year and all signs point to the road going through Green Bay if you want a shot at the Super Bowl. Nobody scores more often and faster than the deadly Packers. If the defense tightens up we could be looking at a repeat. Plus, dude has a legit touchdown celebration that has yet to be banned.

- The "Suck for Luck" Campaign continues, but what happens to Peyton? -

photo via Viligant Sports

Miami, St Louis, Indianapolis, Arizona and Denver are all in the hunt for the worst record in the NFL.  The worst record of the season will lead to an amazing prize at the end of the tunnel: Stanford QB Andrew Luck, who everyone has anointed as the next great NFL prospect. 

The interesting foil in this whole matter is what happens if the Indianapolis Colts land him? What happens to their future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning? Trade? Bench? Tutor? We will have to wait and see, but this could create some serious drama heading into the last few weeks of the season.


- The AFC is wide opening heading into the 2nd half -

photo via LA Times

If the playoffs started today things would look very different in the AFC than they have in the past few years. Luckily for this blog's owner there is still a lot of football left to play (cuz San Diego would be at home).

With 11 teams realistically having a chance at the 6 playoff spots its going to be a dogfight to the bitter end. Nobody has proven in the first 8 weeks that they are the team to beat. I picked Baltimore early but they have looked shaky, and New England cant play defense at all.

Now some 2nd half predictions:

NFC Playoff Teams: Green Bay, NY Giants, New Orleans, San Francisco, Detroit(Wild Card), Philadelphia (Wild Card)

AFC Playoff Teams: New England, Houston, Kansas City, Baltimore, Buffalo (Wild Card), Pittsburgh (Wild Card)

Quick side note: There have been some epic Sunday Fundays this season in the Bay Area by myself and good friends of mine.  I won't name names but nice work by all—way to start the week off with a hangover!

Thank you again, Chelsea, for the opportunity. Next will be my NFL Awards—which you won't want to miss.

@jahanfourteen39

Latest Lines

The past week of sports was one for the books. With a nail-biting end to the World Series, football upsets and extra drama in the celeb-athlete couple department, there were lots of things to see. Here is a wrap up of the week in case you were a little too busy trick-or-treating.

1. Kim Kardashian and baller hubby Kris Humphries called it quits after 72 days of marriage. With a wedding bill of at least $10 million, that equals $138,888 a day of newlywed bliss.

2. In other celeb gossip, Jessica Simpson finally made her pregnancy official after weeks of speculation from the tabloids. Jess is engaged to ex-NFL player Eric Johnson, and she waited for Halloween to make the "mummy" announcement.

photo via MTV

3. Moving on to the NFL. After another exciting weekend in football, the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots suffered big losses, with the 49ers and Steelers looking strong. (Yes, my Chargers totally blew it as well, but I'll skip that.)

4. The World Series came down to seven games (something you don't see too often) and the St. Louis Cardinals took the champion honors this year.

 photo via Fox News

5. St. Louis Cardinals' manager, Tony La Russa, who is one of the most respected names in the major leagues, called it quits after bringing home another World Series ring.

6. New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia signed on for a one-year $25 million contract, to potentially stay in pinstripes until 2017 (and to possibly receive a total of $142 million!).

7. Bitter California rivals from USC and Stanford went head-to-head in a huge college football game, with Stanford coming out on top, 56-48.

photo via LA Times

Now that the MLB season is over for the year, stay tuned for lots of trades and big-money contracts.

Latest Lines

Apologies for lagging in posts this past week—in between finishing up a job, starting a new one and a cross-state road trip, my days are starting to blur together. Plus, my Chargers completely crashed and burned Sunday, so I'm still recovering from the loss (not to mention my hangover due to post-game depression.)

But here are the latest lines from the past week in sports:

1. After losing their starting QB Peyton Manning to injury, the Indianapolis Colts are setting new team records (in a bad way). They are still winless and suffered a humiliating 62-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. 

 photo via SBNation

2. The Washington Capitals remain the only undefeated team in the NHL, holding a record of 7-0.

 

 3. The Oakland Raiders were also subject to QB injury and picked up former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer (even though he did nothing to help the team who was shutout Sunday.)

 photo via Footbasket

4. Tributes are taking place all over the country to pay respect to Dan Wheldon, the race car driver who tragically died in a race recently. Safety issues are being brought up throughout the racing community to try to prevent more accidents.

5. A St. Louis Cardinals player made a statement announcing that his teammate Albert Pujols is a better baseball player than the legendary Babe Ruth. 

 photo via Total Pro Sports

 6. Speaking of baseball and the Cardinals, the Texas Rangers are up on the Cards 3-2 in the World Series. If the Rangers win tomorrow night, they take the ring.

7. Two weeks of the NBA have already been officially cancelled, with rumors swirling that two more weeks will be headed down the same path.

8. The NFL took the stage in London this weekend (as they do once a year now), and the Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccs. 

photo via NFL

Now go impress a sporty stud with one (or all!) of these pick-up lines!

And please keep voting! Only a few days left.

Latest Lines

After a positive response from last week's "Latest Lines" post, I've decided to make it a weekly thing. At the beginning of each week I'll provide you with the biggest happenings throughout the past week of sports. These can serve as a convo starter (aka pickup line) or can simply update you on what you need to know regarding sports.

Here are this week's latest lines:

1. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions Sunday, taking away their undefeated season.

2. Speaking of the Niners and Lions, the head coaches got into a bit of a man fight after the game. Neither coach will be fined for the bitchyness.

 photo via NFL

3. The first BCS standings of the season came out this weekend (it's a big deal for college football fans). LSU is ranked at the top right now (see the rest of the standings here). 

4. 33-year-old race car driver, Dan Wheldon, tragically died in a car crash during a race in Vegas. He was the Indy 500 winner this year and left behind a wife and two young children.

 photo via Mirror

5. Several NBA stars started negotiating contracts and playing overseas since the lockout is still in full effect. The first couple weeks of the NBA season has already been cancelled, and we're waiting to hear more.

6. The Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals are the two teams who have made it to the World Series. Game 1 starts this Wednesday in St. Louis.

 photo via Fox News

7. The Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins suck. None of these teams have won a game yet this NFL season.

8. Danica Patrick (who is not only gorgeous, but has been keeping up with the boys for years) is done with Indy Car racing, but will continue racing stock cars with Nascar.

 photo via Women of Sports

Don't forget to check out Game 1 of the 2011 World Series on Wednesday.

Speaking of not forgetting...vote please!

Mascot Wars

I recently had a friend tell me that when she isn't sure who to root for in a game (or doesn't care about either team), she judges by best mascot or logo. And while I've heard girls chose their team of choice by hottest star or cutest jersey, mascots were something I had never considered. Although I personally think it's best to root for your hometown team, I also liked the originality of her opinion. 

If you agree with my friend, here are the competing mascots in Week 6 of the NFL, along with my (unbiased!) opinions of who's cooler:

Early games (1:00 Eastern)

Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Panthers are sleek, fast and gorgeous. Clear winner here.

photo via EveryOneWeb

Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Since I don't exactly know what a bengal is (some sort of tiger?), I'll go with the horse.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions

A lion is way more badass than a dude during the Gold Rush.

St. Louis Rams vs. Green Bay Packers

 I'm totally obsessed with anything to do with cheese, so I'll go with Green Bay (and because I really want to party with these guys).

photo via Declan10

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Giants

Obviously being a giant would be pretty amazing.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

I think the Steelers sound way cooler than they actually are. Jags.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins

I'm just going to pretend that Philly means the "bald eagle," in which case any American would have to go with them here.

photo via Jason Hahn

Afternoon games (4:05 or 4:15 Eastern time)

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens

Any association with Texas I'll take.

Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders

I'll be honest. I wasn't sure what a "brown" was, so I googled it. This is what I got:

photo via Gunaxin

I don't get it, but this fella looks pretty awesome, so I'm gonna go with Cleveland.

Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots

I'd take being a cowboy (girl) over ANYTHING. Pretty sure I was one in my past life.

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Now what's cooler than a drunken sailor? Buccs all day.

photo via Sky

Sunday Night Game (8:20 Eastern)

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears

With their luscious locks and bulging muscles, who wouldn't want to be a vik?

Monday Night Game (5:30 Eastern)

Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets

Judging by the amount of dolphin ankle bracelets I had as I child, my heart is with Flipper.

photo via The Guardian

So whether you're a true fan rooting for a team out of love, or for which mascot is best, to each their own—at least you're getting creative. Enjoy another weekend of football!

Also, please keep remembering to vote!!

(Special shout-out to everyone who has been voting/pimping me out through social media this week—I couldn't ask for a more supportive group of friends and family. It means so much to me! Alright, enough mush, but for real, thank you!)