It’s on! Football season in the South and it’s a big deal around these parts. We gather with friends to attend games or watch on TV. The outcome for your favorite team may not be a given but the food you serve before, during, and after the game certainly can be.
The official definition for tailgating is: “Host or attend a social gathering at which an informal meal is served from the back of a parked vehicle, typically in the parking lot of a sports stadium.”
However you define it the food served can involve grilling or serving some simple, easily prepared food that can be just as memorable as the game itself. Whether you are actually in the stadium parking lot or watching from home with a few friends, we’ve got some go-to foods that are sure to score a big win!
Today we are serving up 3 simple recipes for tailgating that are tasty and require a minimum of prep. I’m a big advocate of using “frozen” foods on occasion, especially for appetizers or finger foods for something like tailgating. If frozen is good enough for Southern Living, it’s ok in my book. Besides, if frozen stuff is “dressed up,” it can taste like you spent as much time prepping the food as the coaches did working out all those Xs and Os.
Potato Skins Ingredients:
How many potatoes to bake will depend on how many friends you are hosting. This will be based on four people total. You can add more as needed.
- 6 baking potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, or Red are all good choices)
- Cheese (cheddar or Colby jack are both great choices)
- Bacon bits (You can either fry bacon and crumble or use a good brand of bacon bits)
- Sour cream for topping
Directions:
Potatoes can be baked in the oven (325 degrees for 1 hour or microwaved for 10 minutes or longer depending on the number of potatoes.)
Let the potatoes cool. Cut in half and scoop out inside to about 1/4 inch. (Leftover potato insides can be used later for mashed potatoes or potato pancakes.)
Add shredded cheese or sliced cheese and bacon bits, if desired. Put in oven until melted.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Little smokies ingredients:
I didn’t have Little Smokies for our at-home tailgating so I used hotdog wieners. Either will work just fine.
- Pack of Little Smokies or a pack of eight hotdog wieners cut into bite-sized pieces.
- cup of barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays because that is what I had on hand.)
- 1/4 cup of grape jelly
- 1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Combine all and simmer until all ingredients for a sauce and wieners or Little Smokies are cooked and begin to thicken a bit. Shouldn’t take more than about 20 – 30 minutes.
Meatball ingredients:
You could make meatballs from scratch but we went with frozen Italian meatballs. You can use your favorite go-to brand or Rosina’s are available at Walmart in Cleveland, Georgia and they are very good.
- 2 Tbls Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbls Spicy honey mustard
- 3/4 cup apple jelly
- One pack of frozen meatballs (there were 20 larger meatballs in the pack we used. Next time I will look for the bite-sized, smaller meatballs.)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a cast iron or another large skillet. Stir and coat meatballs. Simmer until done about 30 minutes. If you like a little “heat” you can always add a squirt of Sriracha sauce.
These could be transported to the stadium parking lot if you have a hotbox or way to keep them warm or you could keep the game on at home and cheer on your favorite team while cooking and enjoying the outcome.
What are your favorite tailgating goodies? Drop me an email at [email protected]
