Tailgating 101
How to score with food, football and fun
There’s no better combination than your favorite football team, a fantastic group of friends, the perfect party spot near the stadium and a menu fit for victory. It’s tailgating time!
The art of the F3 combo — food, football and fun — dates back to the late 1800s. At the very first college football game, between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869, fans traveled to the game by carriage, grilling sausages and burgers at the "tail end" of the horse. Fast forward to today and tailgating is still a significant part of the game at most athletic events, especially college football.
“It’s a fun experience to try other people’s food, and even if you came there with nothing but a bottle of water, you’d go home full,” says JoAnn Francingues, a 20-year tailgater from Gulfport. “The smell throughout the whole campus is like being in a great big restaurant but there’s no formal attire. People love to brag about their food, and even visitors from an opposing team are invited to try it — it’s one big buffet.”
Putting on a shindig
Football season is a wonderful opportunity to entertain friends and keep alive the pomp and tradition of gathering to cheer on the favorite team. Sometimes burgers and dogs may be just the thing, but with a few extra touches and these tried-and-true tips from party planner John Folding, your guests will feel special at even the most casual gathering.
Outdoor considerations: The biggest challenge with outdoor entertaining may be keeping cold things cold and hot things hot. For safety, food should be maintained at temperatures below 40 degrees or above 140 degrees. Any perishable food items left at room temperature for more than two hours should be discarded. Keep a cooler for drinks, which will likely be opened frequently, separate from your food cooler. Coolers also work well for hot items that are wrapped in aluminum foil and covered with towels, or try the new thermal-insulated serving dishes with locking lids.
Remember any tailgating gig is carry in/carry out, so bring trash bags. Paper towels, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer also will come in handy, as well as a gallon or two of water for washing. And don’t forget the bug spray and sunscreen.
Planning the menu: Check the forecast a few days before. If the weather will be hot, you may want to plan for refreshing cold salads like watermelon and watercress with citrus vinaigrette, or a Nicoise salad with grilled tuna. If a cold snap is expected, think about a pot of chili with cornbread, and a pork tenderloin entrée. For an easy crowd pleaser, try BBQ in a Jar — fill mason jars with layers of pulled pork, barbeque sauce, beans and coleslaw and serve cold. Or why not go catered?
Real estate: Be sure you “know before you go,” so you will be able to secure a spot that will meet your needs. Many colleges and universities have tailgating information on their Web sites, including earliest times tailgaters are allowed to set up, parking guidelines and any restrictions at the site.
Setting the stage: Add color to your table with bright linens; chose team colors or go seasonal. Inexpensive hanging tablecloth weights can help keep your linens draping on a windy day. Fresh flowers are always a beautiful addition — but avoid heavily scented varieties that might mask the aroma of the meal.
Entertainment: There may be a few guests who might even prefer to enjoy the game without leaving the picnic site. It’s not unusual these days to find big screen plasma televisions with satellite set up in a tailgating tent to catch the game from the comfort of your lawn chair. Even if your picnic site is a little more low-tech, have a radio and plenty of batteries handy for the play-by-play action.
Stay calm: It’s inevitable anytime you are entertaining a group — something will not go as expected. It might be a surprise rainstorm, or a recipe that flops. Try not to let the fear of what could go wrong keep you from trying new things and taking your entertaining beyond the expectations. And when all else fails, take a deep breath and smile. Your guests will take their cue from you, and if you are enjoying the day, surely they will, too.
Touchdown treats
Avid Coast tailgaters JoAnn Francingues, Laura and Dean Holleman and their son, Hollis, and the Hollises’ friend, Marcella Richardson, share some of their favorites.
Pastalaya
- 1½ pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped
- 1½ pounds of sliced andouille sausage
- 1½ pounds of boneless Boston butt pork cubed small
- 1½ cups of chopped onions
- 3 stalks of chopped celery
- 1 bunch of chopped green onions
- ¼ cup of parsley flakes
- 3 bay leaves (remove before serving)
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 2½ pounds of vermicelli
- 4½ cups of water
- Hot sauce, black pepper, Tony Chachere's seasoning and salt to taste
Brown chicken seasoned with Tony Chachere's and remove. Brown pork, then boil down with a little water for about 30 minutes or until tender. Add sausage and brown for about 10 minutes. Add onion, celery, bay leaves, parsley flakes, fresh garlic, hot sauce and green onion. Cook on medium heat, stirring to prevent sticking.
When cooked thoroughly and vegetables are wilted, add the rest of the water and return the chicken to the pot. Season as you like, but remember the pasta will absorb the seasonings, so make sure the water tastes a little more salty and peppery than normal. Raise heat to high until water starts to boil, break pasta in half and sprinkle in water so pasta won’t stick together. When pasta is limp, lower heat to medium, stir, place lid on pot for three minutes. Lift the lid and stir completely, replace the lid, lower heat to low and cook covered for 15 minutes. Lift lid, stir and serve.
Spicy Shrimp Cheesecake
Assemble the following in layers in a spring-form pan:
First layer- 2 8-ounce bars of room-temperature cream cheese
- 5 tablespoons of Pickapeppa Sauce
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
- 1¼ pound shrimp (boiled in shrimp boil), chopped
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 2 tablespoons of horseradish
- 1/4 minced white onion
- 8 ounces of grated Swiss cheese
- ¼ cup green olives, chopped finely
Chill covered overnight. Before serving, run a knife along the inner rim and then remove spring-form ring. Serve with Wheat Thins.
Dean & Hollis’ Hot Nuts
Plan ahead because best results come from long, slow cooking. It is recommended that you prepare these spicy nuts outside in a large crock pot, otherwise, your home will be filled with a Cajun cuisine smell for days!
In a large crock-pot, add the following:- 2 pounds of large raw peanuts
- 1 cup of Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's is good)
- 2 tablespoons of peppercorns
- Couple of sprinkles of red chili pepper flakes
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 opened bag of crab boil
Place peanuts and all ingredients in pot and cover with water. Turn on high and cook 8-10 hours. Reduce to low and continue to cook until peanuts are soft. Add water as needed.
Marcella’s Crawfish Dip
- 1 package of spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 package of cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup of Hellman’s mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons of crushed garlic
- 1 package of crawfish tails
- ½ stick of butter
Melt butter in skillet and sauté crawfish until tails curl up; set aside. Drain spinach and put in bowl with artichoke hearts, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise and garlic; mix well and add tails. Bake in a glass baking dish at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve with Tostitos.