Photo Credit: Nicholas Jon.

Are you ready for some football? Or at least some fun beforehand? Here are some tips and ideas to make the most of game day from Tailgating.com:

Use Ziplocs for your steak: “Flank steaks need a longer period of marinating, so on Monday, I put them in a ziplock bag with the dressing or whatever marinate we are using. Let them sit for two days and then freeze them until the night before the game. They thaw but are still very cold for the trip and there’s less danger of meat turning in a cooler.”

Prep with foil for easy clean-up: “Line your portable grill with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and disposal of spent charcoal.”

Make bottled water dual-purpose: “Get bottled water and freeze it. Place it in your cooler. If it gets hot, you can take it out and as it melts, you will have cold water to drink. Unlike, ice, it won’t “water down” your cooler! The bottles make good ice packs!!”

Laminate your To-Do list: “We have been tailgating for years. We developed our check list over the years and laminated it. On Fri/Sat as we are packing, simply check off the items with a dry erase marker. When all done, wipe it off and you are ready for the next game!”

And besides the food, Debby Mayne suggests that you don’t forget these essentials! -