GEORGIA TECH'S FIRST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON!!!

Football season is FINALLY here! We are headed to the GEORGIA TECH (0-1 after losing a tough one at Virginia Tech on Monday) vs Presbyterian College game on Saturday, September 8, 2012 and will have a crowd in tow. Although it’s not exactly a big game for GT, it will be a big tailgate!

My adorable nephew, from Orlando, Florida, is a freshman at Georgia Tech (he’s playing Lacrosse, so we’re looking forward to attending some of those games!). I’m excited to show him a good time at a football tailgate!

GO JACKETS!!!

WHERE:

GEORGIA TECH

225 North Avenue

Atlanta, GA

WHEN:

Saturday, September 8th

Game Time: 7:00PM

Tailgate Starts: 3:00PM (if not earlier!)

The weather should be warm, so I’m planning something that will be delicious but also refreshing.

APPETIZERS:

Muffaletta Dip on foccacia with salami

Tex Mex Pimento Cheese Dip

MAIN COURSE:

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Brats

Cucumber Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw or

Broccoli bacon salad

Chips and Salsa

Fresh celery and Carrots in cups with ranch dressing/blue cheese

DESSERT:

Bumble Bee Cupcakes

DRINK DU JOUR:

Moscow Mule +

Beer, Wine and Water on Ice

MUFFALETTA DIP

(Adapted from Pip and Ebby)

Photo Credit: Pip and Ebby

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

This appetizer is just so good! I’ve made it before, but it’s so good I’m bringing it back again for this tailgate.

16-oz. jar pickled mixed vegetables (giardiniera), rinsed, drained and chopped (remove stems from peppers if there are any)
8-oz. package cream cheese, cubed
4 oz. provolone cheese slices, cubed
2 oz. cooked ham, finely chopped
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed, drained and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salami slices

Combine all of the above except the salami in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low setting for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in enough milk to reach dipping consistency. Serve immediately or keep warm on low setting in crock pot for up to 2 hours. Add milk as necessary and continue to stir occasionally.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Serve over salami, atop a square of toasted Focaccia bread.

TEX MEX PIMENTO CHEESE DIP
(Adapted from My Recipes)

Photo Credit: My Recipes

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 (12-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-oz.) block pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Garnish: fresh cilantro leaves
Serve with: French bread cubes

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in cheeses. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until dip is golden and bubbly. Garnish, if desired. Serve with French bread cubes or potato chips.

BUFFALO CHICKEN BURGERS
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Home is Where the Holmans are)

These chicken “burgers” are so delicious! I had no bread, so I used Panko bread crumbs, and they turned out very well. We ended up placing them on a pan, and then placing the pan (sprayed with Pam) on the grill, so that they wouldn’t fall apart.

I’ll multiply by 5 since we’re expecting a crowd, and I’ll make the “burgers” ahead of time, and place between wax paper in a sealed container and head to our tailgate. They work nicely if you can place them in the freezer for a bit right before grilling.
Burgers:
1 lb ground chicken
3-4 green onions, diced
1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce (plus more for serving)
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 slices day old bread or 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

8 small rolls or 4 hamburger buns

Prepare grill to medium heat. If you are using day old bread, quickly tear into chunks and pulse in a food processor to make crumbs. In a large bowl, add all of the burger ingredients and gently mix until just incorporated. Form into four patties for full size burgers or eight small patties for sliders. Make each patty slider larger than the bun and slightly thinner in the center (this is more important for full size burgers.)

Cook finished patties about 5-7 minutes per side (you want these cooked all the way through since it’s poultry and not beef but don’t overcook them or they will be dry), flip once and cook through. Just before the finished, top with cheddar slices if desired. Serve on hamburger buns topped with condiments of your choice.

BRATS

***I boil the brats at home, and then transport them to the tailgate to grill.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

CUCUMBER BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD

Photo Credit: Eating Well

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers (I use hothouse)

1 14-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed

2/3 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup slivered red onion

2 tablespoons chopped black olives

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add cucumber, black-eyed peas, bell pepper, feta, onion and olives; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled. I prep all the food in advance (chop everything), and then when I get to my tailgate, I just throw it all together!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

BLUE CHEESE COLESLAW

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Bon Appetit

1 package of cole slaw mix (14oz)
1 package of broccoli cole slaw mix

Toss them together.
Cook a 4oz. package of thin sliced Pancetta…dice it up and toss into the cole slaw mix.
Crumble 4 oz. blue cheese

Dressing:
6 oz. Hellman’s mayonnaise
1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP red wine vinegar.

Toss all together.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

BROCCOLI BACON SALAD

This broccoli salad is a version of the classic one with red onions and cheese. It’s lightened up a bit with reduced fat mayo and sour cream, but what I love is the cranberry addition!

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups finely chopped broccoli crowns

1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped (optional)

3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

3 tablespoons dried cranberries

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl. Add broccoli, water chestnuts, bacon, cranberries and pepper; stir to coat with the dressing.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Fresh celery and Carrots in cups with ranch dressing

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Moscow Mule

This drink is so refreshing and so easy to make.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

1/2 ounce lime juice
2 ounces vodka
4 to 6 ounces ginger beer

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Squeeze lime juice into a glass, and add 2 or 3 ice cubes, then pour in the vodka and fill with cold ginger beer. Delish!

BUMBLE BEE (YELLOW JACKET ACTUALLY!) CUPCAKES

As it’s my husband’s birthday weekend, I’m going with cupcakes for this game.

Now, there is no way that my cupcakes are going to look as adorable as these, but I’m going to try!

I’ll use my “go to” cupcake recipe from Amy Sedaris, then I’ll tint the frosting yellow and top with a bumblebee topper. Here are some I found:

From confectionery house

Edible Fondant bees from Etsy

These are the ones I ordered:

Sugar bees from Treasured Birthdays

Amy Sedaris’ Cupcake Recipe:
This cupcake recipe is foolproof if you follow the directions!

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups milk

Amy Sedaris’s Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (see below)

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Turn oven on to 375 degrees F.
Put butter in mixer and beat at medium speed until smooth. Pour in sugar and beat well. Add 2 eggs. Mix well. Add: vanilla, baking powder, salt, flour, and milk. Beat until it looks like it is supposed to and pour into individual baking cups, until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Should produce 24 cupcakes. Frost with Amy Sedaris’s Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Amy’s Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

1 box confectioners’ sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract*
1/4 cup milk or light cream
food coloring (optional)

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

*Less than 1 teaspoon pure almond extract can be substituted.

In a bowl combine: one box of confectioners’ sugar, one stick of softened, unsalted butter, one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup of milk or light cream and beat for a while. Add whatever food coloring you like, and you can substitute ~ 1/4 tsp. pure almond extract for vanilla.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

**To make these cupcakes for tailgating, I’m going to fix them the day before, and then place in an airtight container overnight. I’ll frost in the morning and head to the game!

Now that the menu has been decided, the next big decision is…what to WEAR? Obviously a close 2nd in importance when planning a tailgate! ;0) The outfit has to be team colors and has to be comfortable and cool (it’ll be humid and hot), but mostly it has to be cute!

Georgia Tech’s colors USED to be black and gold, and apparently those are still the colors “academically.” However, “athletically,” they have adopted NAVY and gold, so for a football game, here’s what I’m wearing:

GO JACKETS!!!