Georgia Tech vs Clemson 2018

FINALLY!  We’ve got a 3:30pm game!  WOO HOO!!!

Georgia Tech is facing ACC rival Clemson this coming Saturday afternoon.  After a great win to kick off the season, the Jackets had a tough loss on the road against University of South Florida in Tampa.  Then last week they traveled to Pittsburgh to face Pitt and again, they came away with a rough loss.

Hoping the Jackets can stun Clemson with a big at home win!  But either way, as usual, the tailgate will succeed, and we’ll graciously and happily host several Clemson fans in style. Absolutely thrilled that it’s a later game, so we can serve delicious food that’s not “brunch!”  Expecting roughly 20 people to join us for this tailgate party!

GEORGIA TECH

VIDALIA ONION DIP

1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
1 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellman’s)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together onion, cheese, and mayonnaise.

Spread evenly into a baking dish or pie plate.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly browned around the edges. Serve with your favorite crackers.

GREEK SKEWERS

This appetizer gets no easier!  I always try and have something that guests can walk up to and grab without having to use a fork and knife.  I am not a black olive fan however, so I’m using kalamata olives (green olives would work great as well of course) . You can also add banana peppers to the skewer, and substitute good Feta cheese for the Cheddar cheese for a total Mediterranean taste!

Salami slices

Cheddar cheese or feta, cubed

Green and/or Kalamata olives

Banana peppers (optional)

Toothpicks

Skewer the ingredients onto toothpicks with the cheese cube last so that they sit on a platter flatly.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

(Adapted from wellplated.com)

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup thinly sliced celery hearts

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

FOR THE MUSTARD DRESSING:

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced*

2 TBSP whole-grain mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 TBSP rice vinegar

3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Cook bacon and once cooled, crumble it into a large bowl. Add the celery and green onions.

Bring a large bot of salted water to a boil, then add the sweet potatoes.

Simmer just until fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes depending upon the size of your potato chunks. Drain, gently and quickly rinse with cold water, then set aside.

Prepare the mustard dressing: In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the jalapeno (or fresno chile), mustard, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Add the sweet potatoes to the bowl with the bacon, drizzle with the dressing, then toss gently to combine.

Taste and season with additional salt/pepper if desired. Serve immediately, warm, or refrigerate the salad and serve cold or at room temperature at your party.

JALEPENO CORNBREAD MUFFINS
(Adapted from isabeleats.com)

This recipe makes 12 -18 muffins, so I’m doubling for my tailgate crowd.

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup cream style sweet corn
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 large jalapeno peppers, finely diced (plus more for topping, if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with parchment paper muffin cup liners, or grease with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, eggs and melted butter. Then fold in the cream style corn, shredded cheese and diced jalapenos.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until combined.Then pour the mixture evenly into the muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop to get perfectly even muffin sizes). Top with more diced jalapeños if desired.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly, then remove the muffins from the pan and allow to cool or serve immediately..

***Note: the cornbread muffins can be made in advance and frozen easily.  Thaw the day before and you’re all set!

ROASTED PORK

(Adapted from Claudia Worley)

One of my great friends posted this recipe on her blog (here), and I just had to prepare it and serve at one of my tailgates!

claudia worley

Whole picnic shoulder of pork with the skin on (7-10 pounds)

12 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 – 1.6 ounce bottle of fennel seeds

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

Juice of 3 lemons (which equals about 6 TBSP)

4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Turn the temperature down to 250 degrees F, and place the roast back in the oven for roughly 8 hours. The pork is crispy on the outside and moist, from the juices, on the inside.

Cool slightly, then shred the meat, and serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and (if desired) rolls.

Can easily be made in advance, refrigerated or frozen, and then reheated for your tailgate.

COLESLAW

Package of pre-shredded coleslaw

2 TBSP veganaise (or mayo)

1 TBSP lime juice

1-2 tsp sea salt

Toss all together just before serving.  Serve alongside the pork, with rolls, pickles and BBQ sauce.

S’MORES CLUSTERS

(Adapted from Hersheys.com)

Love it when I find a recipe that’s yummy but also super easy and quick to prepare in a pinch.  THIS dessert fits all the above criteria! And who doesn’t LOVE S’Mores???

6 HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Bars (1.55 oz. each) , broken into pieces

2 cups miniature marshmallows

8 graham crackers (about 1-3/4 cups) , coarsely chopped

Place candy pieces in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, or until chocolate is melted when mixture is stirred.

Stir in marshmallows and graham cracker pieces until well coated. Drop by spoonfuls into miniature paper muffin cups (1-3/4 inches in diameter).

Cover; refrigerate until firm. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen.

*I found these adorable Georgia Tech GOLD mini muffin liners here:

YELLOW JACKET JUICE

I’m making this punch for a crowd and placing in these adorable drink “pouches” I found on Amazon here. It’s the PERFECT yellow/gold color for a Georgia Tech tailgate!

amazon

This recipe makes 6 pouches.  You can easily substitute vodka for the rum.  And you can make them up to 3 days in advance – just make sure they’re either refrigerated or frozen. I’ll multiply by 4 so, I’ll have at least 24 pouches for my tailgate crowd.

16 oz coconut or white rum (64 oz or 8 cups for my crowd)

8 oz pineapple juice (32 oz or 4 cups for me)

8 oz orange juice (32 oz or 4 cups for me)

4 oz lime juice (16 oz or 2 cups for me)

Throw all ingredients in a pitcher and stir.  Then pour the Jacket Juice into the drink pouches and seal.  Chill until ready to enjoy!