While the Big Game is all about the battle on the gridiron, the real action starts at the tailgates and watch parties across the country. This year, football fans will be looking for ways to jazz up the game day menu in the spirit of the host city, New Orleans. Zatarain’s, the brand serving up New Orleans-Style foods for more than 120 years, and First Lady of Football, New Orleans’ own Olivia Manning, are helping to bring the authentic flavors and fun of the Big Easy right to the table.

“A big part of football season is all about entertaining and bringing people together with great food to enjoy the game,” said Manning. “Personally, I’m busy watching my boys play on gameday, so I like making recipes that are quick, easy and packed with flavor. Zatarain’s rice mixes like Jambalaya and Dirty Rice provide endless possibilities for gameday menus and also give a true taste of New Orleans to my out-of-town guests.”

With the big Ggame in New Orleans this year, now is the perfect time to celebrate like a local. New Orleans cooking is known for using a “holy trinity” of ingredients – onions, bell peppers and celery. Put a fun spin on the trinity and serve up three authentic and local ingredients on the halftime menu – jambalaya, dirty rice and Creole mustard.

Manning offers a few tips:

• Prep dishes in advance ~ especially since some traditional New Orleans rice dishes taste even better the next day.  Manning preps dirty rice the day before so all she has to do on party day is set out the ingredients for guests to make their own Dirty Rice Tacos. This way, everyone can enjoy watching the game and catching up with company instead of spending the party cooking.
• Try a  jambalaya bar. Manning starts with Zatarain’s Jambalaya Mix, and then sets up a jambalaya bar with different add-ins like chicken, sausage or seafood, and vegetables, like peppers, mushrooms and onions, so everyone can make their perfect plate.
• No party is complete without chicken wings. Manning’s take on the classic dish, which is her husband’s favorite, uses Creole mustard, chili sauce and pineapple juice for a sweet and spicy combo sure to fire folks up during halftime.

Visit www.Facebook.com/Zatarains and check out the Gameday tab for more authentic New Orleans recipes and entertaining ideas. Follow Zatarain’s on Twitter @MyZatarains.