Show Your Team Colors Tailgating Party Ideas

Blueberry Pretzel salad is a bite-sized fruity dessert with a salty-sweet pretzel crust.

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Who says you have to wait until game day to throw a tailgating party?

We brought the party to our backyard with a “show your team colors” cookout, perfect if you live in a house divided or if you have friends who root for a different team than yours.

When I saw these Jell-O University Mold Kits at Walmart.com, I knew I had to buy them and invite our neighbors over for a Blue is better than versus Orange party.

These Jell-O Jigglers molds, Berry Blue for my alma mater, the University of North Carolina, and Orange for our neighbor’s team, the University of Tennessee, inspired the party’s colorful theme. (By the way, you can purchase Jell-O University Mold Kits online at Walmart.com for 20 college teams. Depending on where you live, you may find your team in local Walmart stores. #TeamJellO #CollectiveBias)

Even though our teams won’t meet on the football field this year, we had a buffet table matchup for the ages with Tar Heel blue food and decor on one side and Tennessee orange on the other.

No matter which team you support, these tailgating party ideas I’m sharing are easy to adapt. Just plan your menu and decor around your school colors. You can pick up colorful napkins, plates, cups and other party decor at the store, or check your kitchen cabinets for serving pieces.

While I did buy coordinated paper products for our party, I shopped my house for the other party decor and serving pieces.

On the Tar Heels side, we served up blue punch, blueberry pretzels, blue corn chips, Blueberry Jell-O Pretzel Salad (be sure to check out the recipe at the end of this post) and of course, UNC Jell-O Jigglers.

I prepared Berry Blue Jell-O in some small plastic containers and topped each with a UNC Jiggler. These are perfect for tailgating because they’re portable.

On the Tennessee side of the table, I served Orange Fluff Jell-O Salad, barbecue potato chips, carrots and orange soda.

I topped some mini orange creamsicle cupcakes with the Volunteers logo in Jell-O.

The bite-sized cupcakes are the perfect size for tailgating, but those Jigglers can get slippery! The Volunteers fans fumbled a few. (Insert your own trash-talking comment about Tennessee football here!)

To keep things fair, we served the burgers, fries, corn, baked beans and all the fixings (like my famous brown sugar & pepper candied bacon) on the 50-yard line.

But I’m pretty sure I saw some Tennessee fans hanging out in our end zone! Our team mascot was not amused!

After dinner, the kids had an orange-and-blue silly string battle! We’ll call it a tie!

Though our team Jell-O Jigglers would have been the perfect sweet end to our backyard tailgating party cookout, I wanted to make a special Jell-O dessert for both sides of the table.

The Tennessee fans enjoyed a Orange Fluff Jell-O Salad. (Be sure to check back next week for the recipe.)

And my Tar Heel side feasted on Blueberry Pretzel Jell-O Salad. I’m sharing that recipe today.

Both of these desserts would be perfect for tailgating. You can make individual servings in mason jars or plastic containers or make a full-size dessert to share.

Blueberry Jell-O Pretzel Salad

A bite-sized fruity dessert with a salty-sweet pretzel crust.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 9 servings

Calories 301 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the crust

• 1½ cups pretzels crushed
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ stick butter melted

For the Filling & Jell-O Topping

• 1 package Dream Whip
• ½ cup milk
• 1 8- ounce package cream cheese softened
• 1 6- ounce package Berry Blue Jell-O
• 2 cups water
• 12-16 ounces frozen blueberries

Instructions

 

For the crust

• Combine crushed pretzels, melted better and ¼ cup sugar and press into mason jars or an 8X8 glass baking dish.
• If you prefer, you can set the crust by baking at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, but this step is not necessary.

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• Beat Dream Whip and milk together until thick. Add cream cheese and ½ cup sugar to whipped mixed and beat until combined.
• Spoon cream cheese filling over crust.

For the Jell-O topping

• Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the Jell-O and stir for 2 minutes until completely dissolved.
• Add frozen blueberries to the Jell-O mixture, and stir to combine.
• Place the Jell-O in the refrigerator for 5 to 30 minutes and allow to firm up slightly.
• Spoon or pour the Jell-O mixture into your jars and refrigerate.
• Don't worry if your Jell-O isn't completely set when you add it to the jars. It will set in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 347mgPotassium: 103mgFiber: 1gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 387IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg

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