The Drunken Tailgate

Tailgating Drinks: Bourbon Manhattan

I’m currently reading Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis, which is just a magnificent book covering all aspects of alcohol. I suggest you pick it up tomorrow… like before noon. His recipe for a Whiskey Manhattan tickled my bourbon soaked fancy. For those who don’t usually drink bourbon straight it serves as a change up to using Coke or Ginger Ale as a mixer. For those who normally drink straight bourbon, it works a little sugary taste into a long day of tailgating. And luckily it’s not a hassle to make at a tailgate, especially if you have a traveling bar. I’ve modified Kingley’s take slightly to work in this context:

The (Whiskey) Manhattan

Ingredients:
2oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon
0.5oz Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth
1 dash of Angostura bitters
1 maraschino cherry
Ice Cubes

Stir the fluid together very hard before adding the ice and fruit. Whatever the pundits may say, this in practice the not very energetic man’s Old-Fashioned, and is an excellent drink, though never, I think, as good as a properly made Old-Fashioned. And you really have to use bourbon (instead of the traditional rye whiskey).

Drunken Tailgate thoughts:

- Sweet Vermouth comes in bottles with red labels. Dry Vermouth comes in green labels. Sometimes they are not marked very well. That being said, it’s good to keep a bottle of dry and sweet vermouth in your bar.

- Angostura bitters is one of those things that looks ridiculous on a drink recipe, but you can get a bottle for a couple of bucks and it will last you a decade.

- Same goes for Maraschino cherries. Just keep them in the fridge and you should be able to use them over the course of a year if you enjoy cocktails

Grilled Krispy Kremes & Hanging TVs

I just stumbled across the Team Tailgate blog. This group of Kansas fans have a serious tailgate. Apparently “Mike the Bartender” takes care of everyone and another dude wears a Jayhawk emblazoned chef’s coat while doing things like grilling Krispy Kreme Donuts for a breakfast tailgate. Their method of hanging a flat screen mount from the top of the tent is also commendable. That would be the advantage of having a tent frame made out of PVC pipe. So check out their site for other menu and tailgating ideas.

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches

There are times when the simplest solution for tailgating food is just making a bunch of sandwiches. They’re filling, can be served whenever, and are pretty cheap. This recipe for Italian Beef Sandwiches from Cooking with Caitlin is perfectly suited for tailgating. Just bring a pot and heat it up on a camping stove to get a really great sandwich. You can also watch a video on how to make these.

key information

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

ingredients

1 Baguette
1 1/2 Pounds Rare Roast Beef
1/2 Pound Provolone
32 Oz. Beef Broth
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasonings
1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Handful Hot Pickled Vegetables

instructions

1. In a large pot, add the beef broth, herbs, and spices. Bring the concoction to medium-high heat so the broth will start to boil and allow the flavors to steep.

2. Slice Baguette length wise without completely cutting the spine of the bread. Fold the bread open and assemble a layer of provolone.

3. Once the bread is ready and the broth is boiling, individually place the slices of roast beef into the hot broth. When the beef begins to float (shouldn’t take longer then a minute), using tongs, place the beef along the baguette.

4. Place the hot pickled vegetables – Giardiniera -(optional) on top of the beef, fold the bread together, and slice into portion sizes. For a real Chicago experience dip the connected side of the sandwich into the hot broth. This gives it that added extra flavor.

Grand Marnier Cake: Just like Grandma used to make

Here is a recipe for a Grand Marnier Cake from The Hot Blonde in the Kitchen. Yellow cake with a kick is pretty much the ideal desert for any quality tailgate. I assume you can figure out what to do with the leftover Grand Marnier.

For the cake:

1 box butter yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Grand Marnier

For the syrup:

1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Grand Marnier

Heat oven to 325.

Butter and flour a non-stick bundt pan. (You can always use that sick spray called Pam, but I prefer B and F–just make sure you use enough so the cake doesn’t stick)

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and Grand Marnier. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake the cake on the lower rack (bottom third of the oven) until a tester comes out clean, approximately 45-60 minutes. (See HB Tip)

In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, bring a stick of butter, water, and sugar to a boil. Once at a boil–stir constantly with a rubber spatula or whisk and continue to cook for 5 minutes—NO LONGER than that! (PS the syrup is dangerously hot!) Make sure you watch the mixture the entire time (one, for safety, and two, for best results). Being extra careful (the mixture will bubble wildly) add the Grand Marnier, bring to a boil again, and cook for only 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Remove the cake from the oven and with a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the warm syrup over the top. Let cool to room temperature. Invert cake onto a serving plate and serve. (PS–this cake is best made 1-2 days ahead of time).

Cook to Bang: Jalapeno Poppers

I just happened to find a link to a recipe for something called Oh God Dont Stop! Jalapeno Poppers. Usually when I find a recipe I just reprint it here for your convenience. But that would be a disservice in this instance. You need to visit  Cook to Bang. Why? Because it’s a website devoted to creating dishes that will help you get laid. Here is their explanation:

Cooking should be the hardest part of your evening. Banging will surely follow if you play it cool, keep it fun and never EVER appear eager or desperate. Your date is already in your lair. You’ve cooked up a mind-blowing meal. The second bottle of wine is emptier than a baby daddy’s promise. Go from cook to bang in 60 minutes flat.

So all of the meals have sexually themed names and the instructions are less “dry” than other recipe sites. But the included step by step photos and great looking food are the real value. So give them a visit and good luck in your sexual conquests.

Tailgating Recipes: Mac and Cheese with Chicken

From the Buffalo News via Cooking For a Cause a recipe for preparing a meaty mac and cheese. Bring it in a warm casserole holder or reheat it up on the grill to get the cheese melting again.

Ultimate Tailgating Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
3 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
2 pound loaf Velveeta
Meat from 1 cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 c. chopped onion
8 oz. blue cheese
4 oz. (1 stick) butter
2 c. milk
1/2 c. cayenne pepper hot sauce, like Frank’s
1 lb. sharp cheddar, shredded
2 c. celery, sliced thin
1 c. plain yogurt

Directions:
1. Cook macaroni al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Skin chicken and strip meat, tearing it into bite-sized chunks.

2. In large pot, melt butter. When foaming stops, add onions. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until translucent and browning, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not allow to burn.

3. Add hot sauce, stirring until sauce evaporates into onions, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

4. Add milk, yogurt and Velveeta torn in chunks. Stir steadily as Velveeta melts into liquid. (Do not allow to boil, or it will burn on the bottom of the pot.)

5. Set oven to 500°.* Spread cooked macaroni in standard half-sheet sized foil catering pan. Scatter celery and chicken over the macaroni, and crush blue cheese to spread across the mixture. Add cheese sauce and stir to combine everything evenly. Smooth out the mixture.

6. Top with shredded cheddar and place pan in preheated oven. Bake until brown and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Can be covered with heavy foil and kept warm in a cooler, stuffed with crumpled newspaper as insulation, for up to four hours.

* This sounds like a very hot oven! You may want to bake it at 450 or lower.

Fried Sausage Wrapped Hard Boiled Eggs

A photo and recipe from flickr for hard boiled eggs that are wrapped with sausage and then fried. This sounds crazy. (HT: Gorilla Mask)

Scotch Egg Recipe

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs, well chilled (i try to cook them to just past soft boiled stage, then stick them in the coldest part of the fridge to firm up)
1 pound good quality sausage meat (i used ground turkey meat, seasoned with sage, white pepper, salt and a tiny bit of maple syrup)
1/2 cup AP flour
1-2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup panko-style bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
peel eggs; divide sausage into 6 portions.
roll each egg in flour then press and shape a portion of the sausage around each egg.
dip sausage-wrapped eggs into beaten egg and roll in panko.
heat oil to 350˚F .
cook each egg for 4-5 minutes (longer if shallow frying–constantly turn the eggs around for best results) or until sausage is cooked and browned.

Can be served cold

Tailgating Recipes: Deviled Eggs for 50

I love deviled eggs plain and simple. And really the only problem with them is the look you get when you put four of them on your plate.  Turns out that it’s considered “appropriate” to leave some for others.  Hogwash!  To avoid that problem DeviledEggs.com has a recipe that should satisfy your entire tailgate.  All 50 of those drunken rebel rousers.  Of course, I can eat 50 deviled eggs by myself.

DEVILED EGG RECIPE FOR 50

1 cup Fat free Mayonnaise
5 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 4oz Can Deviled Ham
2 Finely Chopped Scallions
2 Finely chopped Stacks of Celery
1 TSP Celery Salt (Deviled ham has salt already in it, so do not over do salt)
2 TSP Dill Weed
1 Gallon Freezer bag
Garnish:
1 can of whole Olives
5 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
Paprika

Place eggs underneath the top of the water, bring to a boil, over Med-High heat. When the water comes to a boil, cook eggs for 10 minutes and remove from heat, but do not remove them from hot water for another 10-15 minutes (This reduces the green gray haze to the outside of the yoke). Run under cold water and peel.

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yokes, and place in Medium Bowl, and mash up with a fork. Add Celery Salt, Dill Weed, Deviled Ham, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Finely chopped Celery and Scallions Mix well and place in 1 gallon freezer bag. Cut one end of freezer bag for dispensing mixture in egg shells.

Slice Olives and place on top, sprinkle paprika, and crumbled Bacon. Refrigerate until served.