However, Auburn fans are loyal and rabid regardless of the team record, and attending at game at Jordan-Hare stadium (especially at night) is a sight to see and experience!
Unfortunately for the Head Coach, Gene Chizik, this game might be his last one as an Auburn Head Football Coach facing this opponent. I feel terrible for him, as his mother just passed away this week. A win this week would go a long way for him, and for Auburn…
BUFFALO CHICKEN MEATBALLS
ANTIPASTO OR CAPRESE ON A STICK
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| Photo Credit: Frost Me Blog |
Easy peasy appetizer! On a toothpick, layer good Italian sausage (I love abruzzese!), fresh mozzarella, a sprig of Italian Parsley and top with either a large green olive or kalamata.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Another alternative is a Caprese Stick. I’d leave off the sun-dried tomatoes though – too chewy I think for the skewer.
Caprese Sticks
(from On a Stick)
12 cocktail picks
12 basil leaves
12 cherry tomatoes
12 small fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine)
6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced in half
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Pierce a basil leaf, cherry tomato, sun-dried tomato half, and a mozzarella ball with a toothpick (arrange in whatever order floats your little boat). Repeat until you have 12 Caprese sticks. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over the Caprese sticks. Serves 4.
BUFFALO CHICKEN MEATBALLS
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| Photo Credit: Martha Stewart |
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot hot sauce, plus more for serving
2 lbs ground chicken
2 large eggs
2 ribs celery, minced (about 1 cup)
1 2/3 cups dried breadcrumbs
2 tsp coarse salt
Blue Cheese Dressing
Celery sticks, for serving
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Evenly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
Place butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, whisking, until butter is melted and hot sauce is well incorporated.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl; let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Add chicken, eggs, celery, breadcrumbs, and salt to bowl with butter mixture; using your hands, mix until well combined.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Take out of oven and let stand 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with hot sauce; serve with dressing and celery sticks.
(Adapted from Home is Where the Holmans Are)
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| Photo Credit: Home is Where the Holmans Are |
2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese (can use 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese), at room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded, ribbed and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped
2 TBSP lime juice
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 tsp Ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and mayo.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Add bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and half of the chili powder and cumin. Mix well to combine to a uniform mixture.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Spread dip into a baking pan (I used a 1 1/2 quart oval Corningware baking dish but you can use any similar sized baking dish), smoothing into an even layer. Top with remaining shredded cheese, cover with bread crumbs, if using and sprinkle with remaining chili powder and cumin.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Bake approximately 30 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with tortilla chips.
LAYERED GREEK SALAD
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| Photo Credit: Big Oven |
4 c low-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 sm head romaine lettuce
1 sm spanish onion; chopped
2 red bell peppers
1/2 hothouse cucumber
1 c feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c fresh mint, chopped
12 Kalamata olives
2 Tomatoes; cut in wedges
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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Place yogurt in cheesecloth-lined sieve set over bowl.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until reduced to about 2-1/2 cups. Transfer to bowl; discard liquid. Stir in garlic, vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
In 8 or 9 inch round bowl, layer lettuce, then onion, red peppers and cucumber. Spread top with yogurt mixture. Refrigerate, loosely covered, for up to 12 hours. Sprinkle with feta cheese and mint. Garnish with olives and tomatoes.
GRILLED GREEK CHICKEN SKEWERS
(Adapted from Saveur Magazine)
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| Photo Credit: Saveur |
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 12″ skewers
1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
Salt
Pita
Tomatoes, cucumber, and onions (if desired), chopped
Tzatziki sauce
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and thread on eight 12″ skewers.
In a shallow pan (large enough for skewers), mix fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and chopped fresh oregano. Season with salt, then add skewers, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
On a very hot grill (or in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat), cook chicken, basting frequently and turning occasionally, for 7–10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Serve in pita with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions (if desired) as well as tzatziki.
TOFFEE CRUNCH BROWNIES
(Adapted from Pass the Plate blog)
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| Photo Credit: Pass the Plate blog |
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and divided
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup water, boiling
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag (about 1 1/2 cups) mini heath bars, chopped
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
Stir together cocoa and baking soda in large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup butter.
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Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens.
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Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth.
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Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chopped heath bars. Pour into prepared pan.
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Bake 30-33 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD
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| Photo Credit: Pinterest |
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup veg oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 chocolate chips
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Pre-heat the oven at 325 degrees.
Whisk together the oil, sugar and pumpkin puree.
Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure each addition is well-combined.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Sift dry ingredients together. Fold in the sifted flour, salt and baking soda; and the chocolate chips.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Bake in a greased 9x7x3 loaf pan for about an hour, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
TANGERINE TEQUILA PUNCH
(Adapted from Sarah Sprague)
How cute is this orange colored drink for an Auburn game? AND it looks delish too!
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| Photo Credit: Sarah Sprague |
1 1/2 cups tangerine juice, strained (2 1/2 pounds of tangerines yields approximately 1 1/2 cup juice OR use bottled Tangerine Juice for excellent results)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cup good tequila
1/4 cup Cointreau or triple sec
1/4 cup simple syrup
2 cups ice, plus more for serving
Lime slices for serving
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
In a pitcher or punch bowl with ice, mix together tangerine juice, lime juice, tequila, Cointreau and simple syrup. Serve over ice with lime slices.
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Saw this picture on Pinterest and thought it was adorable for a fall/Halloween tailgate!
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| Photo Credit: Pinterest |
So, even though we’re going into this game thinking that Auburn’s chances of winning are pretty slim, at least we’ll tailgate with fantastic food, AND the outfit will be cute!
I’m wearing:
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| Photo Credit: Polyvore by Cate Bogue |
***NEW GADGET! So excited that I bought a new camera lens! The lens arrived on Thursday. I’m trying out a Canon 50mm f1-4 lens for food photography as well as portraits. This lens came highly recommended from my new friend, Taylor Mathis (taylortailgates.com) and was purchased from B&H Photo in NYC (who hands down had THE best prices around). Can’t wait to see all it’s capable of!
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| Photo Credit: B&H Photo |
Sadly, our next tailgate event isn’t until November 17th for the Georgia Tech vs Duke game – FOUR WEEKS AWAY! But, my Dad and Stepmother are going to be there, along with a large group of friends, so we’ve got lots to look forward to – however, we may just have to have a football party in the meantime….
A few tailgate pics:
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| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Hanging out in Auburn with my boy…
Jack’s stuffed “Aubie” toy:
Our sweet boy Jackson:
WAR EAGLE!