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2nd Tailgate 2021

WOO HOO! We had a HUGE win last week in Mercedes Benz stadium playing UNC (ranked 21 in the country)!

Our next football game is Saturday, October 2nd. It looks to be a fabulous day weather wise, and we’ll have yet another early start with a noon kickoff. Here’s what we’ll enjoy pregame:

GEORGIA TECH

PITTSBURGH

12PM, Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

MENU

BREAKFAST WRAPS

SMOKY SAUSAGE AND GRITS CASSEROLE

SPINACH SALAD

BEST SNACK MIX

BANANA BREAD BARS WITH BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

PEANUT BUTTER CLUSTERS

BREAKFAST WRAPS

Makes 4 servings, so I’ll double or triple depending on our tailgate size.
6 large eggs
2 TBSP milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBSP oil
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup diced fully cooked ham
4 flour tortillas (8″), warmed

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add egg mixture; cook and stir over medium heat until eggs are completely set.

Take off the heat. Stir in cheese and ham.

Spoon egg mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll up.

If not eating immediately, wrap each breakfast wrap in foil tightly and place on a platter.
***Freeze option: Wrap cooled egg wrap in foil or parchment and freeze in a freezer container. To use, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove foil or parchment; wrap tortilla in a moist paper towel. Microwave on high until heated through, 30-60 seconds. Serve immediately.

SMOKY SAUSAGE AND GRITS CASSEROLE

(Adapted from Southern Living)

1 1/2 lbs smoked sausage, chopped (I used turkey sausage)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits

2 (8-oz.) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded + another 1/2 cup for topping

1 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Vegetable cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 7 to 9 minutes or until cooked; drain on paper towels (unless you use turkey sausage where there is no grease to drain.

Bring salt and 4 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Whisk in grits, and return to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until completely melted. Stir in milk and next 4 ingredients. Stir in sausage. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased (with cooking spray) baking dish.

Top with more cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH SALAD

Makes 3-4 servings.

5 oz fresh spinach
1 apple, thinly sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

FOR DRESSING
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Add dressing, toss to combine, and serve.

BEST SNACK MIX

(Adapted from Kristen Tomlen)

This snack Chex mix is so so good! I’m just hoping that it will make it to the tailgate since I love it so much!

1/2 cups flavorless oil (corn, vegetable, avocado, whatever works)

1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix

1 envelope Good Seasons garlic salad dressing mix

2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 tsp dried dill

8 cups Chex cereal – any combo of rice chex, corn chex, and / or wheat chex will work!

3 cups mini pretzels (I used gluten free since they have extra crunch)

3 cups Goldfish crackers

2 cups oyster crackers

2 cups peanuts

Combine oil, salad dressing mixes, lemon pepper, and dill in a 2-gallon resealable freezer bag. Seal the bag and mix together until combined.

Add chex, pretzels, goldfish, oyster crackers, and peanuts and toss until evenly coated. Let sit for at least an hour, shaking bag and turning over occasionally.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and spread mixture evenly on two rimmed baking sheets.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until you notice the Chex barely getting a little color.

(Adapted from Kristen Tomlen)

1/2 cup flavorless oil (corn, vegetable, avocado, whatever works)

1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix

1 envelope Good Seasons garlic salad dressing mix

2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 tsp dried dill

8 cups Chex cereal – any combo of rice chex, corn chex, and / or wheat chex will work!

3 cups mini pretzels

3 cups Cheez-its or Goldfish crackers

2 cups oyster crackers

2 cups peanuts

Combine oil, salad dressing mixes, lemon pepper, and dill in a 2-gallon resealable freezer bag. Seal the bag and mix together until combined.

Add chex, pretzels, cheez-its, oyster crackers, and peanuts and toss until evenly coated. Let sit for at least an hour, shaking bag and turning over occasionally.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and spread mixture evenly on two rimmed baking sheets.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until you notice the Chex barely getting a little color.

Let mixture cool completely on sheets, stirring occasionally. Store in an airtight container.

BANANA BREAD BARS WITH BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

For the Banana Bread Bars:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBSP milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13″ baking pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.

Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and testing for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the middle.

While bars are baking, heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together until smooth. Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be thick).

***Note: These bars freeze perfectly. Prepare completely, then cool to room temperature before covering and freezing. Thaw and cut into bars.

PEANUT BUTTER CLUSTERS

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
6 cups cornflakes cereal

Cook syrup and sugar until mixture comes to a boil and sugar is dissolved.

Stir constantly; do not overcook.

Remove from heat, add peanut butter, and stir until smooth.

Pour mixture over cornflakes in a large bowl. Mix until cereal is thoroughly coated.

Then drop in large clusters onto wax paper to cool.

Makes about 24 clusters. Store in an airtight container, and transport to your tailgate. Can easily be made 2-3 days in advance.

STINGERS (OR SALTY DOGS FOR A CROWD!)

Double recipe depending on the size of your crowd.

6 cups grapefruit juice
1 1/2 cups vodka
4 cups Sprite Zero
Lemon slices for garnish
Salt to rim the glasses

Mix juice, vodka, and soda in a pitcher. Add lime slices for garnish. Rub a slice of lime around the rim of each serving glass, then dip them upside down on a plate of salt to salt the rim. Serve drink over ice.

FASHION FIND

This adorable dress by Splendid was on sale at Nordstrom (I’ll wear it assuming the forecast remains the same = warm and sunny and perfect and 85 degrees, that is (NOTE: this dress runs small. Definitely recommend ordering one size up):

This super comfy adorable one I snagged for a great price as well:

I’ll probably pair it with white tennies like these or wedges and gold (GT) jewelry:

A few pics from last week’s game where we attended a tailgate event as opposed to hosting:

AND…pics from THIS week’s tailgate: