It’s World Cup time! The games kick off on Sunday, November 20th from Qatar and go through Dec. 18th, making it the shortest World Cup in decades.
If you’re new to the whole World Cup thing – then Game Day Grub is here to give you the basics and help you savor every moment with recipes that will equal the excitement of the game!
Now for a quick refresher…the World Cup is where the world’s best teams compete by country in soccer or as the British say, football. It usually isn’t played this time of year. It’s normally played in spring/summer as the normal Premier League season is drawing to a close.
The selection of Qatar as the location was rife with scandal, but FIFA, the World Cup’s governing body, double-downed on it. They even decided to move the timing of the World Cup to winter, so players wouldn’t have to play in open air stadiums in a hot Middle East summer. Moving it caused a ruckus. Premier League owners weren’t happy since it was plopped down in the middle of their season right before the Christmas holidays. This World Cup has not been short of drama – and that’s before the first game!
Since it’s being played in Qatar, many of the games are early in the morning in the U.S. Be
prepared to fire up that coffee pot as early as 5 a.m. ET for some of the matches. Others are at a more civilized hour of 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.
The U.S. Soccer Team plays its first game against Wales on Monday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. ET. Since the Americans didn’t qualify in 2018, the U.S. hasn’t played in the World Cup in eight years!
At Game Day Grub, we’re ready, so you can be ready!
You may be watching the some of the games alone, with a few family members or roommates or hosting a larger group. We’ve got simple and satisfying meals for breakfast, brunch and late lunch that work for all those. And because it’s cold weather time, you can light a fire and enjoy comfort food.
A Smoked Salmon Frittata – think of it as a quiche without the crust - is easy and feeds eight, but go ahead and make it just for you. It’s worth it! You can reheat a slice for breakfast or lunch the next day. It can be whipped up in 10 minutes and bakes for 40. A side of lightly dressed greens, a croissant with butter and jam and a hot cup of tea or coffee will make your tummy happy no matter what the score is.
For another breakfast or brunch dish that can work whether it’s 2 or 20, try individual Prosciutto Egg Cups. These are delicious, easy, beautiful! And you can customize them for your group. Do some without prosciutto for vegetarians, try smoked salmon for the pescatarians. It all bakes in muffin tins, so cleanup is a breeze.
For a European flair, nothing beats an amped up Charcuterie Board, with breads, croissants and espressos. Or use my 5-Minute, 5-Ingredient Platter Pleaser.
For a spicy Latin take on breakfast, try our Chorizo and Egg Quesadillas with a fresh avocado, cilantro and tomato salad and topped with Avocado Crema.
Need an easy but elegant brunch item, Crawfish Cornbread can be made in 20 minutes and then bakes for 45 minutes. Cheesy cornbread goodness with crawfish! So good!
Whatever you’re making for World Cup, enjoy the fact that with so much strife in the world,
millions of people from countries all over the globe are coming together for food and
“football”!
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