<p>The team is not looking so good this year, but we all know that the real star of football Saturday is the tailgate food! The challenge is: no oven, no refrigeration except modest sized coolers, and game time is at noon! We are thinking of something brunchish before the game followed by appetizers afterwards. My signature appetizer is buffalo chicken dip, but can’t keep it hot… I am thinking of an apple coffee cake before the game. Are there any CC foodies out there who have mastered the tailgate challerge?</p>
<p>Drink coolers- those 2 gallon Igloo ones with the spigot on the bottom - will keep food hot for at least 6 hours (figure the time of your trip and the length of the game). Our favorites are chili (of course), pulled pork, any kind of hearty soup, pasta salads, green salads and 6 foot heroes (from real delis - not Subway!). If there is electricity handy, large crock pots are great.</p>
<p>Gusaspara, I had no idea! That is just the tip I needed! I should be able to transport just about anything and have it hot after the game. Sounds like I need a Walmart trip this afternoon!
Any dessert ideas??</p>
<p>My mom (and I) have two standbys for large groups:</p>
<p>7-Layer Bars, which can be served any temperature but are yummiest chilled:
1/2 Cup butter or margarine, (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
14 ounces Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, Not evaporated milk!
1 cup butterscotch flavored chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, (325 for glass dish). In 13x9 inch baking pan, melt butter in oven.
Sprinkle crumbs over butter, pour Eagle Brand evenly on top of crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients in order
listed; press down firmly with fork.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.
Tip: For perfectly cut cookie bars line entire pan (including sides) with a sheet of aluminum foil first. When bars
are baked, cool; lift up edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual squares. Lift off of foil.</p>
<p>Note: I take out the nuts and add in 1 cup white chocolate chips. Also, instead of pouring everything on top like it says, I make the crust first and then mix the rest of the stuff in a big bowl and pour it on top. I think it gets more evenly spread out that way.</p>
<p>Or Cheesecake for a Crowd, which does need to be refrigerated.
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cube butter
24 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pint sour cream
8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
1 can pie filling
Crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs (can also use Oreo Crumbs), 1/4 cup sugar and butter. Press into 9x13
glass pan.
Blend cream cheese and sugar together. Blend in sour cream. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over crust. Refrigerate.
Before serving, spoon any flavor pie filling over individual squares.</p>
<p>Note: it is especially delicious if you use smashed oreo cookies (cream removed) for the crust instead of graham cracker crumbs.</p>
<p>Glad to help - remember to rinse with HOT water before you put the food in and the more you fill it up (i.e. the less air that’s in it), the hotter it will stay. I use both 2 gallon and 1 gallon ones - depending what I’m making. I’m on my last year of tailgates - 
- boy, will I miss it!</p>
<p>Fave tailgate foods, in order:</p>
<p>Beer
Buffalo wings
Anything BBQ
Anything crunchy–chips? pretzels? etc
Anything sweet, especially really decadent brownies</p>
<p>Bonus points of any/all of the above are from my parents, who lovingly decided to buy season tickets for all four years of my undergraduate education (which sadly is ending this year…). Guess I’m easy to please. </p>
<p>Have fun tailgating! And yes, you’re right, that’s the best part of the games :)</p>
<p>Beer
Almost Anything else. (burgers, dogs, sausages, party subs, brats, chili)
For noon kickoffs we do breakfast.</p>
<p>The opposing Quarterback’s LIVER!!!</p>
<p>What? Too harsh? I’ll go with Brats then.</p>
<p>I do hummus and caponata dip. I pack hoagie rolls, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc, etc. and make hummus/caponata hoagies. YUMMMM. Or you can just bring crackers and pitas and use as dips.</p>
<p>Cheesy potatoes</p>
<p>2 pkgs shredded hashbrowns
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (2nd can optional)
stick of oleo
salt & pepper
1-2 packages finely shredded colby-jack cheese</p>
<p>bake at 350-400 for about 45 minutes - stir half way through.</p>
<p>We always eat before the game, so these arrive hot & ready to go.</p>
<p>HisGraceFillsMe: I am making the 7 layer bars! So excited - these were served in my college sorority house frequently and the group we will be tailgating with includes 4 sorority sisters. We will all reminish. I have not had this treat since college. Thanks for the perfect suggestion!</p>
<p>Costco sells ghirardelli brownie mix that is better than any other.</p>
<p>lived at purdue 3 years…standard tailgate: kfc bucket(keeps well in the cooler and you can order ahead)…large croissants from the deli…sliced co-jack cheese…grapes…ham salad & crackers…carrots & dip…peanuts in the shell and lots of dessert. Love the idea about the Igloo cooler though…add a nice soup and off you go! </p>
<p>Also, an insulated “hot bag” will keep a casserole dish warm for several hours…and I used to take my buffalo chix dip in that. or a cheese potato or corn casserole.</p>
<p>nowadays, i would add hummus and stacy’s pita chips or Fridays potato skin chips from sam’s club.</p>
<p>ALMOST FORGOT…another GREAT tailgate is taco’s in a bag…fritos or doritos in small individual bags (sam’s again_) dump in taco meat (from your hot bag or igloo) and any taco fixins you like (tomato, cheese, onion, esp.). Provide forks and napkins, and life is GOOOD! A real crowd pleaser.</p>
<p>also, a friend of mine suggests the round loaves of Kings Hawaiian bread (sweet) cut in half horizontally to make a giant “bun” then loaded with roast beef, or ham or turkey and cheese, then sliced like a pizza for individual servings. shove it back in the plastic bag, and you can make several “hoagies” to put in the cooler. That and soup would be enough!</p>
<p>^^ another ridiculously amazing “wish I’d thought of it” thing involving individual chip bags:</p>
<p>Fritos (1oz bag) + Chili + onions (+ cheese) + fork = A-M-A-Z-I-N-G</p>
<p>Virginia style ham biscuits. Thin slices of real Smithfield cured ham on a small soft roll. Washed down with favorite adult beverage.</p>
<p>My pleasure! I adore those bars and I’ve never made them and had people not like them (even though I tell many people what’s in them and they say “I don’t like coconut”…then they try them and beg for the recipe ;)).</p>
<p>I’m having a dessert potluck for my 20th birthday tomorrow and am considering making some myself. :D</p>
<p>Ya’ll are making me hungry. Don’t you just love football season?!!</p>
<p>Today’s tailgate menu is burgers, italian sausages, macaroni salad, chips and salsa, and homebrewed peach ale.</p>
<p>kristin, LOVE the fritos with chili and all the fixins…Growing up we called it FRITO PIE…YUMMMMM…preferable to the Walking Tacos, using taco meat—just sayin’!</p>
<p>I had walking tacos at the rodeo this summer for the first time. Genius!!! And good in that boy I better not eat this too much, but could I have another quickly, kind a way. :D</p>