EASY TAILGATING SERVING SUGGESTIONS, RECIPES AND GAME DAY TIPS!

IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON... FOUR MONTHS OF GAME DAY TAILGATES, PARTIES, AND TEAM PRIDE. HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO KEEP IT FRESH, FUN, AND EASY!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME: MIX IT UP…one week Mexican with hats and decor, the next week you can take it to New Orleans with a Mardi Gras menu, the following week make it a Lowcountry crab boil, Italian, Pirate Party, Chili cook-off, beach party, etc. You don't have to go with BBQ, wings, or typical tailgate food every weekend.

MULTI-PURPOSE FOOD: For example, chili works for a variety of different foods... chili pie, tacos, hot dogs, nachos, and more. You can host a chili throwdown where everyone brings a Crock-Pot with their favorite recipe. Add a condiment and hot sauce bar so everyone can add their favorite toppings. Serve chili in individual Fritos or Doritos bags.... yes, serving right in the bag makes yummy Frito chili pie or nachos! This is so good and makes clean up a breeze. Best of all, no dirty dishes to take home.

Serve your chili in individual Frito or Dorito bags... delish and no dishes!

MY TOP 12 TAILGATING AND GAME DAY TIPS

1. When it is still hot outside, make sure to take an extra cooler filled with ice so you can keep drinks and food items cold and have plenty of clean ice for drinks.

2. Use multi-purpose glasses like the insulated glasses from Tervis Tumblers – they keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. LOVE THEM... especially when I have a party inside. No condensation rings and no broken glass. Plus they go right in the dishwasher.

3. A great way to keep hot food hot is to wrap and store them in a cheap Styrofoam cooler and pack it with newspaper. This will keep it hot until you are ready to serve.

4. Do most of the prep at home so you just have simple assembly or grilling when you get to the stadium.

5. If you don’t want to take a cooler- get a case of your favorite drinks, empty it and line with a white or clear garbage bag and put the drinks back and fill with ice. Afterwards, put the whole thing in the trash. I always double the bag so I don't have any leaks. You can also use a beer carton as a condiment holder. Works great! Save the carton from your next 6-pack!

6. Another use for a cardboard drink carrier- is to use it for a condiment carrier or a dip holder. Next time you go to Starbucks, save the carrier. Keeps dips and dippers organized and neat.

7. Pre-cook what you can. You can even pre-cook ribs and finish them on the grill. Just make sure to keep them well chilled.

8. Get in on the Crock-Pot craze…. Plug it in before you go to bed the night before and you’ve got a good start on lunch when you get there. My super easy Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Chili is one of my all-time favorite chili recipes and I've had great reviews from people who have made it. Get the recipe....

9. One of the most frustrating things about going to the game is not being able to find your friends or their tailgate! Use a cluster of helium balloons and fly them way over the top of your tent so your friends can spot you from a distance! I got huge balloons and wrote on them with a marker to define our tailgate and help friends locate us easily. Don't use team colors; use pink or something easy to spot.

10. You don’t have to buy special football items or tableware- you can easily make a football field runner from placemats or some other item. I used a green chenille kitchen rug I got on sale for $4 at Target and lined it with white plastic electrician's tape. I got the numbers at Wal-Mart in the mailbox section but you can get stick-on numbers where you get scrapbook supplies also.

A chenille bath rug is a great, cheap table covering... this one was $4 on sale. Stripe with electrician's tape. Afterwards you can wash it and reuse.

11. Bring items in a large plastic tub. When you are ready to pack up, line the tub with a garbage bag and then put your dirty dishes inside. Makes for super easy clean up when you get home!

I love making a few big sandwiches rather than lots of little ones. This is a New Orleans style Muffuletta with lots of cured meats, cheese, and olive salad... it isn't a Central Grocery Muffuletta but really good and perfect for game day.

12. Make giant sandwiches instead of lots of small sandwiches. Just take a large loaf of bread and make one large sandwich. Slice it up and you are good to go! If you make hot sandwiches, make sure to double the foil on the bottom so you do not burn the bread. Open up the top of the foil for the last few minutes to get the bread toasty. Add a little cheese on top and toast it for some extra yum.

NATIONAL S'MORES DAY: MAKE INDOOR S'MORES, S'MORES POPS, S'MORES BAR AND MORE!

August 10th is National S'mores Day... and in celebration of that summertime treat, here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy them and you won't even need to build a fire for some of these versions!

Create a S'mores Bar for a party, wedding, or simple backyard fun...

Make Indoor S'mores for any occasion: family game night, movie night, or an overnight party for the kids. They keep well once cooled and wrapped and make a great gift.

INDOOR S'MORES

Why wait for a campfire or fire for that matter to make up a batch of S'mores? I have perfected Indoor S'mores and I could not wait to share them with you! Perfect for a party or even just a night in front of the tv, make some of these up for the best-ever comfort food treat. They don't go soggy so you can make them for a picnic or take them to a party as long as you keep them in a cool spot. Make some up and let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS

1 box of Graham crackers

1 bag of mini-marshmallows

Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut spread

Fill up sheet pans with Graham crackers. Spread each with a thin layer of Nutella. Put 6-7 mini marshmallows on top of each. Put under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Watch to make sure they get golden brown. Take them out and let them cool slightly. Make sandwiches by pressing two together. Eat right that moment or let them cool completely and wrap each with plastic wrap. Keep cool until serving time but do not chill them in the fridge or the cracker will get soggy.

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S'MORES POPSICLES

Fudgey-Choco Pops recipe below*

20 mini-marshmallows

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Small plastic or paper cups

Popsicle sticks

In the bottom of a plastic cup, put a small amount of the graham cracker crumbs, about 1 teaspoon for each cup. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture and 4 marshmallows, top with another  teaspoon of the chocolate and use a spoon to press the chocolate into the marshmallows. Tap the cup on the counter to make a dense layer. Continue layers as necessary to fill the cup, leaving 1/4" at the top. Allow to set up for at least 30 minutes and add a popsicle stick to each cup. Allow to freeze for at least 4 hours.

These S'mores Popsicles are very simple to make and taste just like their namesake!

FUDGEY CHOCO POPS

1 cup water

2.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( you can sub cocoa- just add 1 tablespoon butter if you do)

1/3 cup sugar

pinch salt

1/3 cup milk (use whole or 2%)

1 T. heavy cream (or you can use half and half)

1/2 t. vanilla

1/8 t. instant coffee (or you can use leftover strong coffee)

Put the chopped chocolate, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the water, a little at a time as the chocolate melts and the sugar dissolves. Once the chocolate has completely melted, remove from heat. Whisk in the coffee, vanilla, milk, and cream. Chill and cool completely.

And if you want to build a campfire, offer your guests lots of options with my S'MORES BAR!

Simple and delicious... make a S'mores bar for your next get-together so guests can create their own special dessert!

PLANNING ADVICE: HOW TO BUY WINE FOR A PARTY OR WEDDING

Every savvy host knows that almost half of their overall party budget will be directed to food and beverages and wine can be a significant part of that expense. Wine is not only expensive, it is intimidating. There are thousands of choices and so many new labels; it is easy to make a mistake or worry you are going to make a mistake when selecting wine and champagne for a large crowd. Even experienced party-givers and industry professionals are a little intimidated when it comes to selecting wine. I don’t pretend to be an expert in this area. I know a little, but I prefer to rely on the real experts to guide me. It’s their job to be up on the latest, best, and best priced wines in the market so I go to them for help. Any large wine seller will have an in-house expert. Give them a budget and they should be able to recommend several wines to meet your needs.

Here are the most questions I am most frequently asked about wine:  

How much wine do I need for my party?

The basic rule of thumb for calculating consumption is 5 glasses per standard 750 milliliter bottle of wine. Many glasses are oversized but don’t be tempted to over-pour. Five ounces is considered the correct amount per glass no matter how large the glass.

Dinner Party: Estimate four glasses per guest for a four hour dinner party or about one glass per hour. For example, if you have ten guests for four hours, you’d serve forty glasses of wine which would be about 8 bottles. You’ll have to determine the ratio of white to red based on your menu and guest list. (Add 20% extra like the caterers do, especially if you have some heavy drinkers on your guest list.)

Cocktail Party: Estimate three glasses per guest every two hours. For example, if you have ten guests for 2 hours that would be thirty glasses of wine which would be six bottles of wine. Determine your ratio of white to red wine based on the time of year, the time of your party, your menu, and your guest list. Why? Because women will usually drink more white wine than red and men have a tendency to drink more red wine. In summer, typically more people will drink white wine than red. For a party in the afternoon, more people will drink white than red to keep things light. At an evening affair, red is almost always the more popular choice but that could vary depending on the menu. If your guests list includes more women than men and your party is on a summer afternoon, you’ll need a greater percentage of white wine than red. If your party is in the fall, most of your guests are men, and the guests arrive at seven in the evening, you’ll likely serve more red wine than white. Are you completely confused? 

How much should I spend on wine for my party?

There are so many good wines available in every price range you can find something to serve that is easy to drink and easy on your pocket, too. I have no trouble finding good wines under $15 per bottle. A few good ones are listed below.  

Do I need to rent or buy special glasses?

Anything goes, but if you are having a large party, renting glassware is an easy solution. You can mix and match, too, but that isn’t what wine snobs would tell you. For a large event, you aren’t likely serving high value wines so you don’t have to use the perfect wine glass. Champagne, however, is best served in a flute. Target, Pottery Barn, and Pier 1 all have boxed sets of affordable wine glasses that come in a sturdy box for storage. Buy several of these and you won’t have to worry about renting. I don’t like serving wine in plastic but will occasionally use it for the right occasion—like at the beach where glass is prohibited, for example. 

What wines do you recommend?

Since wines are always changing, it is difficult to recommend one. It seems as if every time I go to my favorite wine store, I don’t recognize half of the brands on the shelves. I do have a few “go-to” favorites for different occasions. What I buy depends on the size of the crowd. For small, intimate gatherings, I tend to spend more per bottle than I do when there is a large crowd. Also, I will spend more on wine if the emphasis of the party is on the food. If we’re having a big party with lots of beverage options, I don’t spend a lot on the wine; I like to keep the price around $12 per bottle.

If I have a party coming up and want to be sure of what I’m buying, I will stop into Whole Foods or a wine shop where they have wine tastings to sample wines that will work for my event. They typically have a price break during these events so I try to stock up.