Tag Archive for: tailgate

End of Summer = College Football

/0 Comments/in , , /by

It is Friday of Labor Day weekend which to me officially is the end of summer.  One last weekend at the beach before we hope the weather turns a bit cooler. However, as sad as I am about summer being over, it also means that college football has started again.  South Carolina kicked off the season last night against the Tarheels, and yesterday, the whole atmosphere in Charleston was all about college football.  Clearly, tailgates are my favorite part of the whole football season- I am starting to enjoy watching the games a lot more, especially since I recognize some of the names of the players.  But really, it is all about the food.  I was looking on-line today for some great tailgate recipes, and I found it very amusing that the breakfast burrito showed up in a lot of lists- as this is for the serious tailgater who is there in time for breakfast.  So, here is my favorite breakfast burrito recipe in honor of those tailgaters who can last all day.

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

12 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound bulk pork sausage

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 red onion, diced

20 (6 inch) flour tortillas

1 tomato, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1  package taco seasoning

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 can diced jalapenos (optional)

Directions:

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt in a large bowl. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the egg mixture; cook and stir until eggs are completely set, about 5 minutes. Chop the cooked eggs and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the sausage and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, then add the onion. Continue cooking and stirring until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Combine the sausage with the eggs, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, and taco seasoning. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, then stir in the Cheddar cheese.
Place a tortilla onto your work surface, then spoon some of the filling halfway between the bottom edge and the center of the tortilla. Flatten the filling into rectangle shape with the back of a spoon. Fold the bottom of the tortilla snugly over the filling, then fold in the left and right edges. Roll the burrito up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Tightly wrap individual burritos with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve. Heat in the microwave until hot, 3 to 4 minutes, before serving.

 

Atomic Blue- A new dipping sauce that will blow your mind!

/1 Comment/in , /by

Clearly one of the best things about fall is football season, and if you aren’t really into football, at least you can enjoy a good tailgate or “football watching” party.  However, I have found that these things tend to get a little repetitive in their food choices.  Wings, beer, chili, you get the idea.  Until now- this dipping sauce is really the perfect blend of spicy and cool blue cheese that makes whatever you dip into it a million times better.  It is so flavorful and interesting- I am completely hooked.  I also love the story behind it.  Three high school friends back in the late 80s and early 90s were tired of ketchup, mustard, mayo as their only condiments and came up with the recipe.  Then college and life got in the way, and it has taken them almost 20 years to get back together and realize that it is still the best dipping sauce and that there still is a need for it today.   Right now, you can order this at www.whatisatomicblue.com, and I have no doubt that you will be able to find it in grocery stores soon.  They will soon offer Atomic Salsa, Atomic Q, Atomic Ranch and Atomic Marinara which I know will be awesome.  So, if you want to add something special to your next tailgate or any event- give this a try!

 

Cheese and Prosciutto Straws and a Steeplechase

/3 Comments/in , /by

After surviving the Saturday night sleepover of 11 eight year old boys, we got to have some grown up fun by the way of the Charleston Cup.  The Charleston Cup is a steeplechase race that started twenty five years ago.  However, this is only the eighteenth running of the race as they took an eight year hiatus.  It was a spectacular day, and what better way to fight off complete exhaustion than to go spend the day drinking and eating at a horse race!  I had not been to the Charleston Cup since I was about ten when we sat on the top of the car and bet pennies on all the races- so fun!  As this was Walker’s first experience with horse racing, and because I wanted him to be entertained by something other than me, I gathered up all the change in the house so he would be able to bet as much as he wanted.  Little did I know that kids don’t bet with pennies any more- it was $5 a race- big stakes- he didn’t win, but I let him keep all the change.

I was also blown away by the tailgates at this event.  I was not informed until I had made a complete fool of myself gawking at everyone’s taxidermy and ice sculptures that there was a “best tailgate” competition going on.  These were the people next to us- if that fox had been a taxidermied jackalope, they would have won! My thoughts on jackalopes requires a whole different post that may or may not happen at some point in the future.  Anyway, back to the tailgates.  Clearly, not only is a tailgate not complete without cheese straws, but I think you would be hard pressed to find- at least in my family- any event where there is drinking, cheese straws are pretty much guaranteed to be involved as well.  With Thanksgiving coming up, and the whole family descending, I found this recipe for Cheese and Prosciutto Straws, that while I didn’t have time to make for the Charleston Cup tailgate (not to worry- they had other cheese straws there)- I will make them for pre Thanksgiving cocktail hour, and I am really excited about them.

  • INGREDIENTS
  • 1½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
  • ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
  • ¼ cup finely chopped prosciutto
  • 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°. In the bowl of a standing mixer, blend together the butter, cheddar, ½ teaspoon of the cayenne pepper and the paprika.  Gradually add the flour mixture and 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream. Fold in the prosciutto and mix until a dough barely forms.  Divide the dough into two balls the same size, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flaky sea salt with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of the cayenne pepper.

4. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, about 1/16 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, knife or pastry wheel, cut the dough into ¾-inch-wide-by-6-inch-long strips. Transfer the strips to baking sheets and use a pastry brush to brush the strips with the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream. Sprinkle each strip with the seasoned salt and gently twist each strip. Place in the oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough until all of it has been used. Serve warm or at room temperature.