SALT LAKE CITY — The college football season starts today, and the NFL season starts Sept. 4. If you are like me, you equate the sport with good comfort foods. Whether you are going to eat your way through the Super Bowl or you are wanting to plan a kickoff party, here are five recipes you should try.

Holiday Bean Dip

Chip dip may be the king of football-watching dishes. While there are a billion recipes out there, here is one that should satisfy all of your friends. It’s really simple, cheap and takes basically no prep time. Simply melt the cream cheese in the pot, stirring occasionally, then stir in the other ingredients. Serve the dip with your favorite tortilla chips.

Recipe courtesy of Holladay native Robert Falck

Ingredients:

8 ounces of cream cheese

1 can of Rosarita green chili and lime refried beans

1 can of green chiles

Spicy option: Chop up and stir in 1/4 cup jarred jalapeños.

Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad

Let’s talk about how delicious chicken salad is. And it is versatile. You can put it on croissants, bread, chips, tortillas or in this case, avocados. Here is a tasty recipe for the go-to-bridal-shower dish.

Courtesy of Cheekykitchen.com

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken breast, cooked and shredded

¼ cup corn

¼ cup black beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup green onions, chopped

¼ cup tomatoes, diced

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ cup corn chips, crushed

2 tablespoons white vinegar

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

2-4 avocados, sliced in half with pits discarded

Meatballs

Meatballs are a delicious, snack food. This recipe is boasted to be “the best meatballs you’ll ever have” by Allrecipes.com. And I think your carnivore friends will thank you for making it. You could even shape the meatballs into footballs if you are feeling extra festive.

Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

¾ cup crushed seasoned croutons

¼ cup chopped sweet onion

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Mozzarrella Sticks

As someone who is not a big fan of cooking and who prefers to spend as little time in the kitchen as humanly possible, mozzarella sticks sounded super intimidating and time consuming. However, this recipe makes them easy and fast.

Courtesy of Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons flour

5 tablespoons Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

5 tablespoons panko crumbs

2 teaspoons parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Olive oil cooking spray

Wings

A football party just isn’t complete without wings. If you are torn between wanting spicy and sweet, here is a recipe that grants both wishes — sweet spicy wings. And for a new way to eat your wings, try this bone-removing method. Enjoy.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

6 pounds chicken wings, separated at joints, tips discarded

1½ cups Louisiana-style hot sauce

¾ cup butter

1 cup honey

1 pinch garlic salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

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