This post is sponsored by Krusteaz®.

Tailgating season is in full swing and I wanted to share a game day spread I put together, along with two tasty recipes I came up with using Krusteaz® cornbread mixes (thanks to Krusteaz® for providing the “game day” spread ingredients and supplies!). The photo above shows the Cornbread Sausage Balls and the photo below shows the Cheesy Chili-Cornbread Bake. The two mixes I used were Krusteaz® Honey Cornbread and a great new flavor, Fire Roasted Cornbread.

You can use these mixes on their own to make either cornbread in a pan or cornbread muffins. I wanted to include some cornbread in my game day spread, so I used the Fire Roasted Cornbread mix to make muffins and they turned out really good—they’re moist and have a great mildly spicy flavor. The package directions are very easy and they’re a snap to mix up. I really can’t tell them apart from made-from-scratch cornbread—they taste so much like homemade! This mix comes with a small packet of seasoned cheese that you can sprinkle on top of the muffins for extra flavor.

I’ll show you some photos of my spread with a few tips and then I’ll share my recipes!

Above, you can see how I put all my paper plates, cups, napkins and plastic utensils in an easy-to-carry basket.

Just place the basket on whatever tailgate surface you’re using and everyone can easily take what they need from the basket. It keeps things organized and is great for when you have limited tailgating space!

I also fit most of my smaller items on a large wooden tray lined with an autumn-color tea towel. The tray is hard to see since it’s filled to the brim with food! But the tray does help make it easy to keep the dips, condiments, and finger foods in your spread organized and easy to pick and choose from. Foods that are made in larger pans or bakeware, like the Cheesy Chili-Cornbread Bake, can be set up next to the large tray. If you’re having a larger spread, you may want to use several trays. In addition to wooden trays, large wicker/woven trays or farmhouse-style metal serving trays work nicely because they’re lightweight, making them easy to carry.

Another tip, if you have limited space, is to use dips and garnishes that can be used interchangeably with all the tailgate food you’re serving. Here, I’m using guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. All three can be used as dips with the tortilla chips. They can also be used as dips for the Cornbread Sausage Balls. And they can be used as garnishes for the Cheesy Chili-Cornbread Bake.

If you’re looking for some beverage ideas for your game day spread, hot cider, hot cocoa and coffee are great for cooler-weather tailgates. It doesn’t hurt to have some sodas on hand and water, too!

The Cornbread Sausage Balls make a great finger food for game day. They’re kind of addicting, too! I modified a simple Sausage Ball recipe I like to make by using Krusteaz® Fire Roasted Cornbread mix instead of biscuit mix and adding a few other savory ingredients. These sausage balls have a medium spicy taste. You can make them even more spicy by using a spicy sausage. You can make them less spicy by using mild sausage and a honey or southern cornbread mix (Krusteaz® makes those types of mixes too). One of my friends said these Cornbread Sausage Balls would also be great for a Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving weekend breakfast or brunch!

The Cheesy Chili-Cornbread Bake is more like the main dish of the spread. There are two layers in this bake: the bottom chili layer is topped with a tasty, cheesy cornbread layer—some cheese is mixed into the cornbread batter and there’s also cheese sprinkled on top!

Depending on the size of your tailgate party, you may need to add more finger food and another main dish item or increase the recipe amounts to fit the amount of servings you need. So, are you ready to tailgate? Have you been to any tailgate parties this season? Even if you don’t do much tailgating, these recipes are great for any party or even a casual meal!

Sharing at Pink Saturday, Farmhouse Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Weekend Potluck, Grace at Home, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Wonderful Wednesday, Hearth & Soul, Inspire Me Monday.