Our football season isn’t exactly going the way we had hoped, and it’s not the BIGGEST game of the season, but we are going to enjoy a great tailgate party next Saturday nonetheless!
Last week we braved non-stop rain in Clemson, SC, and as luck (or unluck depending on your perspective) would have it we had more people show up for the tailgate than ever before – a whopping 54 people braved the elements to join us. Ideal? No. But, we made the most of it and enjoyed the company and food. And now, we are just that much more looking forward to a nice weather tailgate day with family and friends.
SPINACH BARS
POST-GAME:
DESSERT:
DRINK:
catebogue |
This little gems are so good! I don’t know why I never thought of prosciutto (which I love and eat all the time) on a breakfast sandwich before? But, especially at a tailgate, it’s perfect – so tasty without the tremendous grease that goes with bacon or sausage on a grill. This recipe makes 4 – so adjust according to the number of people at your tailgate function. These were a huge hit at our tailgate party! It was so easy to simply pick up a sandwich, wrapped in foil – no plate needed. And…they were really really good. Why haven’t I ever thought of prosciutto for breakfast before?????
Toast the English muffin halves on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes (or use a toaster OR place them on the grill).
Remove from oven and place cheese on four of the halves. Return them all to the oven and bake about four more minutes, or until muffins are crisp and cheese is melted (again, can place them on a griddle on the grill until the cheese melts).
catebogue
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Mix all ingredients except corn flakes and 1/4 cup butter.
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Put in greased 9×13 casserole pan.
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Then add the 2 cup corn flakes to 1/4 cup melted butter and spread on the top.
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catebogue |
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered. HINT: Let the hash browns thaw a little before mixing.
SPINACH CHEESE BARS
Photo Credit: Just a Pinch |
These spinach bars are sooooo good! They are a lovely addition to any brunch, but they could also be served as an appetizer anytime. An alternative would be to spice it up with a can of green chilies or serve with tabasco or salsa.
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed out excess water
1 c milk
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 lb monterey jack (or a monterey jack/cheddar blend) cheese, shredded
2 eggs
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Mix together all ingredients in a bowl.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Spread in a 9×13″ pan.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Cut into small squares to serve. Can be eaten warm or at room temperature. They’re fabulous!
GLAZED APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL BREAD
2 cups flour (even better if you can fine whole wheat white flour)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside.
catebogue |
In another bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla.
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Stir into dry ingredients by spoon until just combined.
Remove from the oven.
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Then whisk together the 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of applesauce for the glaze.
When the bread has cooled for a while (~20-30 minutes or when it’s able to be inverted), remove from pan to a rack, and pour the glaze over the top. It will settle into the cracks and keep the bread moist. The glaze will set slightly, but will remain sticky. YUM! The apple bread freezes beautifully.
catebogue |
The bread turned out perfectly – super moist and there’s a chewiness texture due to the oatmeal that makes it even more perfect for a brunch!
joyofkosher
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1 pt. container strawberries
allrecipes
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Drain diced tomato and green chiles, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Stir together sausage, diced tomato and green chiles, reserved liquid, and cream cheese.
catebogue |
Spoon into a lightly greased 1-quart baking dish; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
catebogue |
catebogue |
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly (you can also microwave the dish until hot and bubbly).
Photo Credit: My Recipes
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I love tri-tips! I have to order them from my butcher, because they are not readily available in my area, but it’s worth the call. They are just so good and flavorful and easy to grill. Slice them up thinly, and they are moist and tender and delicious. Even more so when topped with this decadent citrus chile butter (see recipe at the bottom)!
***For my after game tailgate group, I used only 1 tri-tip, so I cut all the ingredients in half.
Preheat grill to 350 – 400 degrees F (medium-high) heat. Trim fat off of the tri-tips. Sprinkle steaks with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and pour wine and worchestershire over.
catebogue |
Let marinate an hour or overnight. Grill steaks, covered with grill lid, 10 to 12 minutes on each side or longer depending on your desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill, and rub 3 TBSP Citrus-Chile Butter (see below for recipe) onto steaks.
catebogue |
Cover steaks with aluminum foil; let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile saute the green onions, in a bit of olive oil for 1-2 minutes.
Stir together butter, lime zest, lemon zest, minced garlic, jalapeño pepper, and chopped fresh thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
catebogue |
Cover and chill until ready to serve, or shape into a log with plastic wrap, and freeze up to 1 month.
I tried this recipe while attending a cooking class at Atlanta’s Ursula’s Cooking School. It quickly has become my favorite salad—the combination of flavors is amazing!
(throw in any other veggies that sound good to you though – shredded carrots, mushroom slices, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli- whatever)
Prepare salad vegetables and place in a large bowl.
Then mix all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk until blended (or pour into a mason jar and shake vigorously).
catebogue |
catebogue |
Pour over the salad just before serving.
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The dressing easily can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container (or mason jar) in the fridge – then transport to your tailgate function and pour over the salad just before serving.
catebogue |
If I have time, I’m also making THIS dessert – been wanting to try it. This cake is a version of the “gooey cake” that everyone loves. I thought that since it’s fall, nearing Halloween, a Reese’s peanut butter cup version of the cake would be appropriate. As long as you like peanut butter, how BAD could it be? 😉
Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Make sure you do not over bake as the center should be gooey. Let set for about 30 minutes or until the peanut butter layer cools and thickens.
catebogue |
(Adapted from jelly toast blog)
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It’s officially fall now, so I am going with a drink that is all about fall – apple cider! Add some OJ, vodka and cranberry and you’ve got something special! The recipe below is for 1 drink – I’ll be multiplying the amounts to make 8 (and will bring more and make additional batches as needed).
1 oz orange juice (fresh squeezed, strained) – (8 oz or 1 cup for my tailgate) 2 oz cranberry juice (16 oz or 2 cups for me) 1 oz vodka (8 oz or 1 cup for me) 1 btl hard cider (I’ll have 3 – 6 packs on hand for my expected group of 16 tailgaters!) apple slice (optional, for garnish)
catebogue |
Fill glass and cocktail shaker with ice. Add cranberry juice, orange juice and vodka to the cocktail shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into ice filled glass. Top off the glass with the hard cider and garnish with apple slice, if desired. Sip and enjoy!
Here are a few pics from our tailgate this week:
2 of our 3 dogs chilling out before the party starts!
Today’s menu:
Getting things set up!
Truman
Jackson
Maggie’s content!
Jackson’s a happy guy:
Truman’s exhausted from a full day of tailgating and partying with his friends:
Maggie had a big day!
Claire and Jennifer
Ross, Cameron and Thomas
Bill, Paul, Mike and Doug
Jennifer and Ross
Doug and Ross
Jennifer and Claire enjoying their brunch:
Bill and Ross
Cameron and Thomas and our doodle guys:
Cousins – Ross and Thomas
Here I am, sandwiched between 2 of my favorite guys:
Ben and Ross
GT friends join us:
Headed into the game (can you tell these guys all played college and/or pro football?)!
It’s a beautiful day for college football in Atlanta, GA!
Sadly, GT did NOT pull out a win and lost by 3 points. But we had a ball anyway, and it was a spectacularly beautiful day for football and tailgating.