Sports Themes Make Great Parties...
Fresh, Fast Game Day Meals

New Yorker Genno Lambardi opened America’s first licensed pizzeria in 1905. Vince Lombardi led Green Bay to their first championship 56 years later.

The two men aren’t related and neither are their accomplishments -- but the tools of their trades -- pizzas and pigskins -- have since become a classic combination with sports fans across the nation.

Football games may have started the sports party trend, but it quickly spread to other sports. Now you'll have people gathering for NASCAR events, March Madness, the NBA Playoffs, the World Series, the World Cup, tennis and golf championships ... just about any must see sports event. The parties are so much fun that sports themed birthday parties and get togethers are held even when there's no game...

In preparation for this year’s playoffs and big events, Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza has gathered some creative kitchen ideas to help sports fanatics plan the ultimate game day gathering. Packaged, precooked pizza can be picked up ahead of time and popped in the oven during a commercial -- no need to miss an important play when a cold, soggy meal gets delivered!

Game Day Menu (The Playbook)
Use the element of surprise. Everybody loves pizza during the game, but few expect it fresh from the kitchen oven. Homemade-style pizzas --like those available at Papa Murphy’s -- can be customized with a variety of toppings, refrigerated for up to four hours and baked at your convenience for 12 to 18 minutes in the oven. The result is pizza perfection, and fresh, hot food coming to fans throughout the whole game.

Keep a balanced formation. Be sure to include foods for health-conscious guests and dieters. Two of the recipes listed below utilize Papa Murphy’s Thin Crust deLITE pizzas. These pizzas feature about half the calories and carbohydrates of regular round pizzas. The crunchy thin crust will appeal to not only the diet conscious, but also to thin crust lovers and budget-minded customers as well.

Plan for the away game. Frozen pizzas can be cooked on the barbecue as well as in the oven, so don’t feel constrained when planning for a tailgate party. As long as a grill can be set up, frozen pizza can feed groups of any size.

Pizza Party Cut - Makes about 19 bite-sized appetizers
Ingredients: Papa Murphy’s Thin Crust deLITE Chicken Garlic Pizza, or choose a different light pizza that features your favorite toppings (three toppings or less works best for appetizers).

Bake the pizza according to the directions. Slide it off the baking tray for the last three minutes of baking so the bottom of the crust becomes golden brown. Let the pizza stand for about five minutes to cool. Using a pizza cutter, make four evenly spaced parallel cuts. Rotate the pizza a quarter turn to your right and make four more evenly spaced parallel cuts. This will give you diamond shape appetizers. Place on a serving tray or platter and pass the hors d'oeuvres!

Cheesy Bread Rolls - Makes about 16 rolls
Ingredients: Papa Murphy’s fresh Cheesy Bread

Remove the marinara dipping sauce from the Cheesy Bread package and set aside for later use. Following the pre-cut slice marks, cut the Cheesy Bread into individual pieces using a pizza cutter. Leave the bread slices in their original places on the tray. Starting at the wide outer edge, roll each piece inward to the center of the tray. If some of the slices look too large, cut them into a thinner slice before rolling them. Arrange the rolls one-to-two inches apart on the tray once you’ve completed this. If there is any leftover cheese on the tray, sprinkle it on top of the rolls. Bake the Cheesy Bread according to the instructions it came with. Using a spatula, remove the rolls to a serving tray and serve with the marinara dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Petizzas - Makes about 14 bite-sized appetizers
Ingredients: Papa Murphy’s Thin Crust deLITE Pizza with Creamy Garlic Sauce, Spinach and Crispy Bacon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the pizza from its wrap and roll it, starting from the edge closest to you. Roll tightly, tucking in the dough as you move to the other side. (If you tear the dough, just pinch it back together.) With a very sharp knife, cut the roll in half. Starting from the center of each of the two halves, cut one inch slices. Carefully lift each slice and place it flat on the baking tray it came on, filling side up, spaced evenly apart. Pinch together any outer areas of crust on each roll that aren’t tightly supporting the filling. Continue to the end of each roll, leaving the last piece approximately 11/2 inches to 2 inches long. Place the tray of Petizzas on the bottom rack of the oven and bake approximately 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes. Using a wide spatula, place the Petizzas on a serving platter and enjoy!

Ice Cream Sandwiches - Makes 6 sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 pound of Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough
1 pint of your favorite ice cream
1 jar hard shell ice cream topping (optional)

Divide the cookie dough into 12 portions and place on a cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the cookie dough and smooth the edges for a more even shape. Bake the cookies according to directions on the container. Let them brown to create a crispy cookie. Let the cookies cool for about 15 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet. Scoop about 1/4 cup of ice cream onto the flat side of the cookie and top with the flat side of another cookie. Squeeze together; scrape off the excess ice cream on the sides. Wrap the sandwich in plastic and freeze at least three hours until it’s time to serve. (The ice cream sandwiches can be made the day before and frozen overnight.) If you like, apply hard shell ice cream topping to the top of each sandwich.