Journal-News.com

Tasty Tailgating

Tailgating — it's as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.

Before you hear the roar of the crowd or the crunch of two teams colliding, tailgaters usually hear meat sizzling on grills, fans tackling subs, and lots of laughter.

For example, when Nathan Baughman, of Cincinnati, an assistant coach for the University of Cincinnati cheerleaders, works at a college game, at least a dozen family and hometown friends follow.

Linda and Reid Baughman, Nathan's parents, always use the KISS — keep it simple, stupid — method when tailgating.

"We take hot dogs to grill, buns, condiments, and anything that comes in a bag, said Linda Baughman as she sat on the back of a PT Cruiser. "For beverages, we take beer, pop, wine, and a little Jim Beam for when it's cold. Our daughter, Kristen, takes a jar of her homecanned peaches, too."

Aside from food, said Linda Baughman, the three essential items you need to tailgate are a grill, paper towels, and one sharp knife.

The Baughman's tailgate at UC, University of Dayton, Miami University, and Ohio State games with friends Carol and Lanny Butler; Mariah and Mathew Vogelgesang, of Dayton, and former Oxford residents and Butler County natives Barry and Cheryl Parsons, among others.

And everybody brings something to eat, because they tailgate before and after the game.

Although Carol Butler is known, among her crowd, as someone who doesn't cook much, she said she brings things such as her cheeseball and cookies to tailgating parties.

"I like to do things prepped in advance, like this cheeseball," said Carol Butler. "And I'll eat anything with mustard on it. I love condiments."

Cheryl and Barry Parsons have been tailgating for 35 years, many times after the game because Barry was a high school varsity football coach for many years. Nevertheless, Cheryl Parsons said her bourbon cocktail wieners always are a hit at parties, as well as her recipe for Bourbon slush.

Over the years, the Baughmans and their friends have tailgated on the curb in Cincinnati, at Bear Cat Village at UC, in Miami's Millett parking lot, and at parking lots near the OSU stadium.

But Linda Baughman's two most memorable places to tailgate were at Miami and OSU.

"One time at Miami, it was a really cold day and we had made and brought hot tomato soup in a thermos. We poured it into styrofoam cups and it tasted so good," recalled Baughman. "At OSU, they tailgate in style. In the parking lot, some people even had big screen TV's because they brought their own electric generators."

Sometimes, football fans tailgate close to the stadium, but not in the parking lot.

Take Daryle and Robin Anderson, for example.

Longtime Oxford residents, who live near Miami's stadium, the Andersons sometimes party before the game in their front yard.

"We usually have at least 30 people, and we grill brats, mets, hamburgers, and hot dogs," said Anderson, who's been tailgating since 1970. "But my specialty is West Virgina-style hot dogs. They're messy, but they're really good."

RECIPES:

West Virgina-style hot dogs

2 1/2 pounds ground round

2 packages hot dogs

2 packages hot dog buns

1 quart sweet cole slaw

Chili for hot dogs:

1 (28-ounce) can Whole Hunts tomatoes, chopped

1 (28-ounce) can Hunts Tomato Sauce

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper

Additional onion, chopped and not cooked

On the stove top in a large skillet, cook ground round until done. Drain grease. Add cooked meat to a large stock pot; then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir; then cook the meat in the sauce for 2 hours. While sauce and meat cooks, drain off some of the grease, if desired. (Note: This is Anderson's original recipe. She sometimes substitutes turkey sausage for ground round.) Cook hot dogs on the grill.

To assemble hot dogs: Open a bun, add hot dog, mustard, additional chopped onion, chili, and then add cole slaw on top of the chili.

Yield: 16 - 20 servings.

(Robin Anderson, Oxford)

Bourbon cocktail wieners

1 1/2 cups catsup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated onion

2 pounds all-meat wieners, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup bourbon

In a heavy saucepan, combine catsup, brown sugar, onion, and wieners. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add bourbon and simmer for 30 more minutes. Serve in a chafing dish with sauce. Next to chafing dish, place a container of toothpicks for spearing.

Yield: 30 - 40 servings.

(Cheryl Parsons)

Linda and Carol's tailgatin' tomato soup

1 quart beef broth

1 quart V-8 juice

On the stove top in a deep sauce pan, add broth and juice; stir. Cook on a low to medium heat for about 30 minutes. Pour hot soup into several thermos and enjoy on a cold autumn day before or after the game.

Yield: 2 quarts soup or 8 to 10 servings.

(Linda Baughman and Carol Butler)

Swiss cheese vegetable dip

1 cup Hellmann's Mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

Lawry's seasoning salt, to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Serve as a dip with fresh vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli florets, red bell peppers, and celery, or on your favorite cracker.

Variation: Use 1 dry package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing instead of swiss cheese and Lawry's salt.

Yield: serves a crowd.

(Linda Baughman)

Carol's cheeseball

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoning salt

2 cups chopped pecans, divided

In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, pineapple, green pepper, onion, and seasoning salt. Add pecans and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 or 4 hours. Form into a ball and roll in remaining chopped pecans. Serve with your favorite cracker.

Yield: serves a crowd.

(Carol Butler)

Bourbon slush

12 ounces lemonade, frozen concentrate

6 ounces orange juice, frozen concentrate

2 cups sugar

2 cups hot strong tea

2 cups bourbon

7 cups water

ginger ale, as needed

In a large bowl, mix together lemonade, orange juice, sugar, tea, bourbon, and water. Cover and freeze. Just before serving, scoop frozen mixture into old-fashioned glasses (or tumblers), until each glass is 1/2 to 2/3 full. Top off with as much ginger ale as you want.

Yield: serves a crowd.

(Cheryl Parsons)

Tailgatin' New Orleans muffuletta

Sandwich:

1 (8 - 10-inch) round loaf unsliced crusty Italian or sourdough bread

1/2 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced

1/2 pound provolone cheese, thinly sliced

1/4 pound smoked ham, thinly sliced

leaf lettuce (optional)

fresh tomato slices (optional)

Olive salad for sandwich:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, finely chopped

1/2 cup kalamata or ripe olives, finely chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make olive salad for sandwich: Whisk together the first 2 ingredients and combine well with the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Stir occasionally.

To assemble sandwich: Cut bread horizontally in half. Starting about 1-inch from the crust, remove 1/2 inch layer or more of soft bread from inside each half. Drain olive salad, reserving the marinade. Brush reserved marinade over the cut sides of the bread. Spoon half to 3/4 of the olive salad over the bottom crust of the bread. If desired, put lettuce and tomato over bottom of bread. Top with half the cheese and one of the meats. Repeat with the remaining cheese and meat and finish the layering with the remainder of the olive salad. Cover with the top half of the bread. Cut into 6 large wedges, wrap in aluminum foil, and head for the game.

Yield: 6 large sandwiches.

(Margie Potts)