A New York state of mind

Tailgate #10
Theme: New York

Last tailgate of the season *sniff*. This week's theme was New York, which was pretty easy.

{Yes, that's New York Strip and potatoes, Bagels, and New York Cheesecake!}

Quite perfect for a New Year's Day tailgate if you ask me!

Can't wait to see what we come up with next year!

Thanks everyone for following along.

Happy New Year!

xoxo,

H

I got a Pheeling!

Tailgate #9
Theme: Philadelphia

What else does one make for a Philly themed tailgate? Well, Philly Cheesesteaks, of course! To kick it up a notch, we made Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks.

{Pheeling good!}

Nothing complicated about a chicken Philly. Chicken, onions, peppers, provolone (not whiz!) and a little mayo on a toasted roll. Great way to distract one's self from a rainy tailgate! :) 

The Black Hole

Tailgate #8
Theme: Oakland

This week's tailgate theme was Oakland Raiders. Not easy to identify what is regional "Oakland food," but I do remember seeing on an episode of DDD Goes Tailgating in Oakland where they did Chicken and Waffles, so we gave it a shot! For those of you who have never had Chicken and Waffles, you are really missing out! The sweet, savory, crispy, salty, sweet combo is such a winner! The best, of course, is Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. Even President Obama visited on a recent trip! Our version is not quite the #13 (my favorite!) but it was slap your mama good!

{Yes, I said Slap Your Mama Good!}

I would like to smother that gravy on just about everything from now on! The crispy chicken, tender waffle, sweet syrup and savory gravy make for one fulfilling tailgate.

Buffalo Soldier

Tailgate #7
Theme: Buffalo Bills

This one was a no-brainer:

This was was a gimme. Up next: Oakland. Need tips from my Cali peeps please!

Thanks!

xoxo,

H

Here's the SKINny

Tailgate #6
Theme: Washington Redskins

What comes to  mind when I think of Washington, DC? The White House, The President...Spike Mendelsohn?! If you're a foodie, then yes, that's exactly what comes to mind. Spike, his Good Stuff Eatery, and his mouth watering burgers. Spike, best known for being a Top Chef contestant, created  his Prez Obama Burger for then presidential candidate, Barack Obama. That burger too, beat out the McCain Burger 4-1. With melted blue cheese, crispy bacon, sweet red onion marmalade and spicy horseradish mayo...it sure gets my vote!

{Now that's a mouthful!}

Add to it some Tex-Mex Potato Skins, made with Redskin potatoes, of course, and you have a mouth watering tailgate!

Mile High Tailgate

2011 Tailgate #5
Theme: Denver

These themed tailgates are getting harder and harder! What does one make for a Denver themed tailgate? Mile-high something? Tebown steaks? Denver omelets? We went with the Denver Omelets. Not an easy task for a rookie tailgater...luckily we are seasoned pros! 2 grills, 2 pans, 3 omelets with potatoes and toast later...

All this for one perfect plate:

Add in some mimosas and you've got another successful tailgate!

(although I'm still trying to walk that plate off!)

Houston, there is not a problem!

2011 Tailgate #4
Theme: Houston

When I think of Texas, there is only one thing that comes to mind...STEAK! Luckily I came across this recipe from Food Network for a Texas Steak Sandwich. Perfect for a Sunday tailgate, with a toasty roll, juicy steak, tomatillo salsa and sharp cheese. (Silly Publix didn't have cojita cheese, so we substituted with Parmesan.) To go along with it, a Texas Potato Salad, complete with pickled onions, Dijon and cilantro, compliments of the divine Bobby Flay. Throw in some BBQ chips and a some Captain Morgan, and you have yourself a tailgate folks!

{clockwise from left: the winning tailgate plate, the making of a killer sandwich, making new friends}

It's getting pretty tough to top these tailgates... first lobster, then steak? Now what? Anyone have ideas for a Denver tailgate? Send them my way!

Also a big, warm welcome to all my new blog followers. Thanks for following me on my foodie journey!

Happy eating,

H

Patriot games

2011 Tailgate #3
Theme: New England

One can't have a New England themed tailgate without a bunch of seafood, now can you? Well, for the girl that is not really a huge seafood fan, there is only one true option...lobster! Add some Boston Baked Beans, Cape Cod chips, macaroni salad and Boston Creme Pie and you've got yourself a New England tailgate folks!

{Killer tailgate plate, baked beans, cape cod chips, grilled lobsters with herb butter, Boston cream pie, double grills for this tailgate...serious!}

Wow, my mouth is watering just looking at these pics again. I think the bar is set pretty.darn.high for future tailgates at this point folks!

Shoot 'em up Cowboy

2011 Tailgate #2
Theme: Dallas

What does one cook for a Dallas themed tailgate? Well, Tex-Mex, of course! Despite a little tailgate emergency (anyone seen the knob for the grill?) and a little rain, we ended up with some of the most delicious tailgate food ever!

{Chicken & Steak Fajitas, Tex-Mex potato skins, potato skins getting some cheese}

Yes, that's TWO kinds of fajitas (Chicken & Steak) and Tex-Mex Potato skins. Too die for! I am not a fan of Texas in general, but thank goodness for Tex-Mex! Yee Haw!

Next up: New England. Anyone have any ideas for a girl that doesn't eat seafood???

Carolina Crushin'

Decided to do a different approach to tailgating this year. Each game we will cook/eat/enjoy a food from the region of the team that we are playing. First up: Carolina! Just look at these delicious Carolina style ribs and potato salad!

{finger lickin' good!}

This football season is gonna be fun...and tasty! 

Tailgate, take nine

The last tailgate of the year was special for a couple reasons. One, it was the day after Christmas, so everyone was happy and ready to go! Two, it was the last game of the year, so you have to savor the moments...it's a long time until the next one! And three, my adorable nephew, Dustin, was my partner in crime this time. Now, Dustin is not what you would call a foodie, so nothing life-changing here. And lucky for us, I lost the first ladder-ball tournament, so I had to do cooking! Dustin's meal of choice was a Turkey-Cheese panini, the Dustini, if you will!

These bricks sure have come in handy this year!

Nice, hearty sandwich for a chilly Miami day!
Let it be known that I won the second round of ladder ball, so Dustin had to buy the burger and fries at half-time! :)

Tailgate, take eight

A little behind in the blogging...sorry for those who have missed me! Let me try to catch you up on what's been cooking...

For the second to last tailgate of the year, I decided to get a little cheeky and try something new from Bobby Flay's new cookbook, Burgers, Fries and Shakes. We were playing the Buffalo Bills, so I decided to make the Buffalo Burger. No, it's not made of Buffalo meat, but something even better! I was extra-excited, because this is the first recipe I have made from the new book. As always, Bobby's recipe was easy to follow, accessible ingredients and out-of this-world taste! Take a look at the breakdown:

Ground Chuck burgers with just S&P on them

Cover with hot sauce (IE Buffalo wing sauce)

Slather with Blue Cheese Sauce, Crunchify with potato chips and add a toasty bun. YUM!

Add potato salad and you have the perfect pre-game meal!

Another Touchdown by Bobby! Too bad my cheeky idea didn't lead to a home-team win, but at least the food was good! If you would like the recipe, let me know and I will email it over to you!

Tailgate, Take seven

This past tailgate would be my last with Scott, as I am taking some other friends for the last two games, so this one had to be special. Being an early game, I decided to open Scott's eyes to the wonder that is chorizo. He had never had it, so the pressure was on for me make it good...and I think I did, but you be the judge!  

First up were some potatoes:

potatoes, onions, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes= perfection!

Then came the chorizo:

brown and spicy and perfect

Add in the eggs:

Warm the tortillas:

Put Scott on tomato chopping duty:

And put it all together for one hunger & soul satisfying pre-game breakfast!

This is how much we loved it:

 

I'd say Scott is definitely a fan of Chorizo now!



Tailgate, take six

Sorry for the delay is posts lately folks, been running a bit behind. I know you've missed me! I'll try to catch you up in the next couple days, starting with this random tailgate from about a month ago.

Trying to come up with new ideas for tailgating can sometimes be a pain. That's why I pass the idea torch over to Scott, and he always comes through with great ideas! For this one, we went way outside the typical  boring burger bun and went with a classic, the BLT.  How does one make a delicious BLT at a tailgate you ask? Well, with the careful planning of my dear SIL Tammy and some creativeness, that's how! First you start with good quality ingredients: Potato Bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo (not Miracle Whip) and salt & pepper. Tammy pre-cooked the bacon for us, so all we had to do was heat it up and toast the bread:

Put it all together, and you have a wonderful pre-game snack if I do say so myself!

Add some of Tammy's potato salad, and it's game on! Yum!



Tailgate, Take five

I am getting pretty good at this tailgating thing, if I do say so myself! No boring burgers or dogs here! Not that there is anything wrong with them once in a while, but I think keeping it exciting is important. This week, I went with the same theme as last time and did a panini again. This time, the inspiration came from Food Network Magazine and their 50 Great Panini booklet from the October Issue. My partner in crime this week was Amanda, and we went with #20, the Steak and Gruyere Panini.

Curious about what's in that other foil??? Stay tuned! :)

Rain was definitely an issue, and I was very afraid that we would end up sad, soggy sandwiches, but we made friends with nearby tailgaters and shared their tent. I still got pretty wet, but it was worth it for this delicious pre-game treat!

Yes! That's Asparagus! At a Tailgate!! I told you I keep it exciting!

 Not pictured, chocolate croissants I baked the night before. Yes, I am that good!

Tailgate, take two

As you may recall from last week, I have been craving Philly Cheesesteaks for a while now. Well, I thought I had my fill here, but guess not!  I wanted them AGAIN this week. Problem was, how could I fulfill that craving while tailgating? Well, my SIL Tammy is a genius and came up with the solution....foil packets!

She pre-filled the packets with the meat, onions, peppers, cheese and mushrooms (on one at least, I am not a fan of the fungi!). Notice how one is labeled mush (for mushroom) and one is labeled I <3 U ?! Guess which one was mine?! :)   All we had to do was warm them up on the grill:

What resulted was a perfectly warm, melty, sandwich of goodness!

Insert picture of me devouring the sandwich, juices running down my chin and me not caring ONE bit! The game may not have been a win, but at least the food was good! :)

Tailgate, take one

Football season is here, and you know what that means?! Guys in tight pants, and TAILGATING! This weekend, I officially kicked off my football season with a little pre-season grilling action. Even though we had a little trouble keeping the grill it in the wind, in the end all turned out lovely and delicious.

On the inaugural menu, was Honey Mustard Chicken:

and a Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad:

ADDICTIVE! The warm potatoes with the crispy green beans and the tangy dressing, there is NO way that you can stop at one serving!!

All in all, a successful tailgate...can't wait til the next one!