Just Cook It!: Tailgating
Amanda Steen/蘑菇视频
Spicy Sausage and 5-Cheese Dip can add extra flavor to hamburgers and hotdogs.
Amanda Steen|蘑菇视频
Spicy Sausage and 5-Cheese Dip with chips is a perfect pairing for any tailgating party.
Porreca
Andy Williams sings a very famous song that I鈥檓 sure everyone has heard and probably has even hummed from time to time throughout the year.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 the Most Wonderful Time of the Year鈥� is a Christmas time classic. In my December column in a few months, we will talk more about 鈥渢he kids jingle belling and everyone telling you be of good cheer.鈥�
But this month, I want to talk about what I consider to be the other most wonderful time of the year, and that of course is 鈥� tailgating season.
Although you can tailgate at any point throughout the year, I really consider September and October to be the pinnacle of this glorious season.
I believe this for a couple of reasons 鈥� first, September and October are the only months of the year when baseball season, football season and hockey season are happening at the same time.
Second, the weather in the northern portion of the United States is suited perfectly during these two months for being outside to enjoy food and beverages.
Tailgating has become a major event all to itself.
Americans spend more than $35 billion on food, beverages and supplies for tailgating each year, according to some reports. Why is tailgating so serious to so many people? Well, the simple answer is because it蘑菇视频 fun.
I consider myself a tailgate food expert and have been participating in tailgate parties for about 20 years of my short life to this point.
When I was very young, I remember going to Steelers games with my parents and their friends in a recreational vehicle and really tailgating in style.
There蘑菇视频 nothing like grilling some burgers, hot dogs and hot sausage and getting to sit on a couch and watch TV while eating it before going into the stadium to watch the Steelers win.
On the other end of the spectrum, I spent my most recent years tailgating out of my own vehicle.
I鈥檝e tried it all, from setting up a taco bar with Sterno and chafing dishes to the more common and basic burgers and hot dogs on the grill.
When it comes to tailgating, the fun comes from good food with good people and something to look forward to when you pack up the car and make the trek to the stadium or venue.
The most important thing about setting up a tailgate party (aside from making sure you have tickets to the event) is preparation.
Making sure you have ice, not only for keeping beverages cold, but also for keeping raw food cold until you are ready to cook it, can make or break even the most anticipated event.
The other things that you need to consider for throwing the perfect tailgate party is to make sure that all of your appliances work properly ahead of time.
There蘑菇视频 nothing worse than getting ready to slap your burgers on the grill and realizing that you are out of gas or propane to keep your grill blazing. Electricity is also something worth considering.
You can rent a transformer to plug devices into relatively cheaply.
Devices such as crock-pots, heaters, and televisions are very nice appliances to be able to use in a parking lot.
As for the food when you tailgate, it can be anything as simple or as complicated as you plan for.
When we did the taco bar, we cooked all the food in the morning before leaving the house and transported it in disposable foil pans with lids.
When we got to the parking lot, we set it up on tables outfitted with chafing dishes and Sterno.
We had beef, chicken and shrimp that you could use to make your own taco with salsa, guacamole, lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, taco sauce and sour cream.
We also brought chips and dip for good measure.
Again, the key is proper planning. You want to have all your ingredients cut and prepared as much in advance as possible.
For hamburgers have your patties already made and ready to be grilled. Have your toppings cut and bring them in zip lock bags for convenient storage.
We have even made grilled pizza and calzones from scratch while tailgating.
We made the dough before we left and brought it in plastic bags already portioned.
We had a myriad of different toppings also portioned this way.
When we were ready, we simply put the dough on the grill over medium heat and topped it with sauce, cheese and the desired toppings.
Another fun tailgate item is breakfast.
We would get the parking lot very early in the morning, so we would use a cast iron griddle or cast iron pan on the grill to make eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns.
We would also have mix-your-own Bloody Mary蘑菇视频 with breakfast and it was a blast.
One tip when making hot sausage as a tailgate food 鈥� cook your peppers and onions at home the night before and chill them overnight.
Bring them to the tailgate party in a plastic bag and simply reheat them in a saut茅 pan or directly on your grill.
You can cook them from their raw state in the parking lot if you wish, but when it comes to tailgating I prefer to spend more time with the people I鈥檓 there with as opposed to more time at the grill.
The recipe I鈥檝e included this week is one that is not only featured in my cookbook (The Good, The Bad, The Cookbook), but is also one of my all-time favorite tailgate foods.
It is my Spicy Sausage and 5-Cheese Dip that is super simple to make and super delicious.
The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made the night before, stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to head to the tailgate, and then you simply plug in the crock-pot and turn it to the 鈥渒eep warm鈥� setting. In 30 minutes or so you have a delicious creamy dip to use with tortilla chips or, my personal favorite, to top burgers and hot dogs with.
Don鈥檛 forget to go to HeraldStandard.com and watch the video for how it蘑菇视频 made.
Tailgating is a true American pastime, and I encourage you to celebrate this pastime with people you care about.
You can never have too many reasons for good food with good people.
Get together, have some fun, and as always 鈥� Just Cook It!
鈥斺赌�
Mario J. Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, author, and the host of Just Cook It on WMBS Radio 590 AM.
He can be reached via his website at: www.JustCookIt.net.