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Score a touchdown with tailgate treats

If you’re having people over to throw back a few beers during the event or piling in the car to take it to the field, what really makes a good football gathering great is food.

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By Duante Beddingfield, Contributing Writer 3:10 AM Friday, September 16, 2011

That chill in the air. The tangy smell of woodsmoke, the trees bursting with color, it can all mean only one thing: football! Oh … yeah, and I guess all those things symbolize fall, too, but that’s a minor coincidence at best.

Here in O-H-I-O, football is practically a religion, and that passion extends past the gridiron: More and more, when folks are getting psyched up to root for their teams with friends and family, not just any old hot dog or warmed-over sandwich will do. A good game will always be a good game, but that alone doesn’t make it a party.

If you’re having people over to throw back a few beers during the event or piling in the car to take it to the field, when you hit that stadium lot or open the door for your guests, what really makes a good football gathering great is food.

If you’re getting together with people who matter to you to celebrate something you love, a sport where you feel every win and loss, then make it a real celebration and chow down on some awesome grub while you’re doing it. Here are some easy tailgating recipes that’ll make you and your team shout “O-H!”

Braised cranberry-barbecue beef sandwiches:

(From Cooking Light magazine)

Ingredients:

1 cup less-sodium beef broth

¼ cup instant minced onion

2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

1 (4-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

1 cup sweet hickory smoke barbecue sauce (like Bull’s-Eye)

1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

16 (1½-ounce) hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine first three ingredients in a Dutch oven. (If you don’t know what that is, don’t let it scare you — it’s a formal name for a very common kind of pot most households already have; if you’re not sure, Google it. Target and many other stores sell good ones at very reasonable prices.) Add beef; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 hours or until very tender, turning beef occasionally. Remove beef from pan. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid; discard remaining cooking liquid. Shred beef with 2 forks. Return shredded beef to pan. Add reserved cooking liquid, barbecue sauce, and cranberry sauce; stir well. Cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve beef mixture on buns. Makes 16 sandwiches, with about 1/3 cup of meat for each.

Bacon-cheese dip

(From Southern Living magazine)

Ingredients:

½ cup sour cream

1 (4-ounce) package crumbled blue cheese

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

2 tablespoons diced onion

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Process first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir in half of bacon. Cover and chill 2 hours. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Makes 1½ cups. Serve with crackers, raw vegetables or chips.

Jalapeno afterburners

(From Southern Living magazine)

Ingredients:

12 unpeeled medium-size fresh shrimp

12 jalapeño peppers

12 wooden toothpicks

6 bacon slices, halved lengthwise

Directions:

Peel shrimp, and devein if desired. Cut a slit in each jalapeño pepper; remove seeds and membranes. Carefully place one shrimp in cavity of each pepper. Wrap each pepper with a bacon strip, and secure with a toothpick. Place in a large baking pan. Broil 5½ inches from heat 6 to 7 minutes on each side, or until bacon is cooked. Serve warm — and try them with the dip.

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