Projo Football Food and Spirits

Have you seen the new Dunkin’ Donuts commercial featuring assorted folks freezing at pee-wee hockey? Well, that's nothing compared to the long range forecast for a football game in the teens on Sunday when the Patriots meet the Chargers.

So I wondered about this Milky Way drink and whether it might be good to sip some before the game.
Here's the scoop: DD has partnered with Mars, Inc. to create Milky Way Hot Chocolate. It's a hot beverage that blends chocolate, caramel and vanilla nougat flavors, just like the classic candy bar. It's now a permanent beverage offering along with regular hot chocolate and white hot chocolate. All are topped off with a dollop of whipped cream.

What about elevating that Sunday menu with some Jalapeno Corn Bread and grilled herb lamb chops and veggies. They come to us this week from Stephen Linn of www.theultimatetailgater.com.

Coach's Favorite Jalapeno Corn Bread
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup shortening, melted
1 (16-ounce) can corn, drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
3 jalapeno chiles, chopped

Combine the buttermilk, cornmeal and flour in a bowl and mix well. Add the sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, egg, shortening, corn, cheese and jalapeno chiles and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. You may substitute a different type of cheese for the Cheddar.

Yields 15 servings
Recipe from The Ultimate Tailgater's Big 12 Handbook.

Herb Lamb Chops
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 lamb chops

Place the first five ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixed. Pour in olive oil and pulse into a paste. Rub the paste on both sides of the lamb chops being sure to cover all surface areas. Place in a zip-top bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the grill to high.

Grill the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes. Then flip and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes more until done.

Serves 3-6.
Recipe from the FOX Sports Tailgating Handbook.

Mixed Grill Vegetables
5 green bell peppers
3 large Vidalia onion
5 yellow squash
1 (2-pound) package grape tomatoes
Other vegetables

Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle Gazebo Room Greek Salad Dressing & Marinade (or your favorite)

Cut assorted fresh vegetables in large chunks. Put cut vegetables in a large bowl and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Add Gazebo Room Marinade.
Stir to coat and place on a hot grill pan or skillet if you don't have one. Cook until tender and place back in the bowl used to coat vegetables to give added flavor.

Use as many vegetables as desired. Serve immediately.
Yields 6 to 8 servings
Recipe from The Ultimate Tailgater's Big Ten Handbook.

Stephen Linn's weekly menu at the The Ultimate Ttailgater offers this nice salmon dish.

Grilled Bourbon Salmon
¼ cup bourbon
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 salmon fillets

Combine all ingredients except salmon. Pour into a zip-top bag and add the salmon. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Turn the bag occasionally to coat evenly.

Preheat the grill to high.

Remove the salmon from the marinade and place on the grill. Cook until fish flakes easily, about 6 minutes.

Serves 4

Miami's turn, but we don't eat dolphins. The Marco Island (Fla.) Sun Times offers this recipe for shark kabobs, but swordfish is a fine substitute. (Should you actually have a shark you need to use up, soak the steaks in milk for an hour to neutralize their strong taste.) Swordfish chunks, already cut up, are often less expensive than steaks.

Marinated Shark or Swordfish Kabobs
1 1/2 pounds shark steak
1 large can pineapple chunks, drained reserving juice
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 green pepper, cut in squares
1 red pepper, cut in squares
1 small red onion, cut in eighths

Combine sherry, soy sauce, garlic, pineapple juice, brown sugar, green onion, mustard and ginger in plastic bag or container. (Remove shark from milk and pat dry with paper towel.) Cut steaks in 1 1/2 inch pieces. Marinate steak cubes in refrigerator about 1 hour.

On metal skewers, alternate shark steak, peppers, onion and pineapple chunks. Grill or broil about 5 minutes on each side, basting with marinade. Serve over rice.

I am now subscribing to Stephen Linn's weekly Ultimate Tailgate recipes. He offered three winners last week but since the Pats were away I held them until this week when the parking lot in Foxboro will be full when Cleveland comes to town.

The recipes are for Jerked Wings, Grilled Potatoes, Beggar's Hot Beef Chili.
For the Jerked Wings, the spices are not what you usually find but these seasonal spices.

Do your shopping early and add these to your menu.

Jerked Wings
15 chicken wings
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup onion
¼ teaspoon curry powder.
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
2 cloves garlic minced

Mix all ingredients except wings in blender. Put wings in 1-gallon ziplock bag and pour in mixture. Marinate 4 hours, or overnight, and then place on hot grill. Cook until juices run clear when pierced. These are especially good on a cool fall day.
Yields 15 wings, or 5 servings

Grilled Potatoes
1/3 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 baking potatoes cut into ¼-inch slices
1 large onion, red or white

Mix salad dressing and seasonings in large bowl until well blended. Stir in potatoes and onions to coat. Divide potato mixture evenly among 12-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Seal each to form a packet. Place foil packets on grill over medium-hot coals. Grill 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender.
Yields 6 servings

Beggar's Hot Beef Chili
2 pounds beef stew meat
3 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 ½ cups jalapeños
2 (14-ounce) cans tomatoes
½ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons ground cumin seed
2 (14-ounce) cans kidney beans

Combine all ingredients except kidney beans in a 10-gallon pot; mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Add beans and simmer another hour.
Yields 14 - 16 servings

Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill shared these 10 tips for tailgating success.
They might be helpful if a trip to see the Pats in on your schedule.

1. Have a Game Plan. Plan your menu and start preparing a few days before the game.

2. Keep a cool head. Pick a cooler that’s the right size for your party. A cooler completely packed with ice and chilled food keeps cool longer than one that is only partially filled. Pack ice in plastic bags to keep it from melting onto food. Instead of using one large, heavy cooler for everything, have one smaller cooler for raw meat, chicken or seafood and another for pre-made foods and drinks.

3. Bring (and keep) the heat. If you are working with a standard kettle charcoal grill, you'll want a chimney-starter full of charcoal. Stick with chunk, hardwood charcoal to provide a cleaner heat. Once the pile of charcoal is covered in gray ash and no longer distributing flames, push it all to one side of the grill. For good barbeque, you do not want to place meat directly above a mass of hot coals; rather, indirect heat is best. Ideally, the meat should sit on the part of the grill that is beside the pile of coals.

4. It’s all about execution. Allow at least 30 minutes for the charcoal to get hot. If you are using a small, portable grill, it is better to cook a small amount of food at a time. Overloading the grill will significantly increase the cook time of most foods.

5. Smoke the opponent. For smoked foods, you will need hardwood, like oak, apple, mesquite or hickory. For example, you can use large chunks of oak that come in a bag or mesquite chips. For any type of wood you select, it’s important that you let the wood soak in a bowl of water for at least 60 minutes before exposing it to the flame. The wet wood smolders and smokes for hours, rather than flaming to a crisp in minutes. For best results when using chips, it’s a good idea to wrap the sopping wood in tin foil that has been punctured with holes. This keeps the little chips smoking longer.

6. The clock is still running! Food should be ready at least 1 and 1/2 hours before the game starts. This allows plenty of time for those going to the game to eat, have seconds (or maybe even thirds) and clean up before heading to the stadium.

7. Strategy is key. Tailgaters like to keep one hand free, so finger foods are a must. Try serving grilled chicken wings, ribs and smoked sausage. Since these tasty favorites don’t require utensils, you and your guests can refuel quickly and eat without missing a beat—or a play.

8. Third and long. Keep your guests stuffed and satisfied throughout the long day with a spread of appetizers and side dishes such as old fashioned cornbread, spinach artichoke dip, vegetable platters, pasta and potato salads, and chips and salsa to keep guests happy while the main dishes are cooking.

9. DE-FENSE! Don’t let your food – hot or cold – sit out for more than two hours, and no more than one hour if the outside temperature is above 85 degrees. Put perishables into the cooler immediately after eating. When in doubt, throw it out!

10. Who wants it more? Plan to arrive at least three to four hours before kickoff and stay one to two hours after the game. Remember, some tailgaters arrive at 4 or 5 a.m. on game day, or even the night before, to stake out the best tailgate spot. Whether in the parking lot or on campus, try to park next to a grassy area or at the end of the parking row. This gives you more room to grill out, set up your spread and toss the football around.

With the Buffalo Bills playing the Patriots this Sunday, I've a hankering for hot spicy wings. Here are two recipes. One is for the deep-fried original while the second calls for the healthier version, cooked on the grill

BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
20 chicken wings
Peanut oil for deep frying
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons bottled red hot pepper sauce
To taste salt and pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
Celery sticks

Deep-fry chicken wings in peanut oil for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Melt butter in a saucepan and add bottled red-hot pepper sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne pepper. Pour over the wings.

Serve chicken wings with celery sticks and the dressing. Or go for low-fat ranch for a less caloric option.

Blue Cheese Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup blue cheese

Blend mayonnaise with onion, garlic, sour cream, white vinegar and blue cheese.

This grilled version comes from The Tailgating Cookbook by Bob Sloan.

GRILLED TAILGATE BUFFALO WINGS
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 stick butter
3 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Place the wings in a large bowl, add the olive oil and salt, and toss so the wings are lightly coated. Transfer to a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to cook.
In a separate bowl or bag, assemble the butter, hot sauce, vinegar, celery seed, cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce and refrigerate until wings are cooking when you'll warm it up in saucepan nice and hot.

Prepare coals for a medium-hot fire.

When the coals are ready, grill the wings, turning them every 6 minutes or so, until they are crispy and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a platter, stir the sauce well and pour it over the wings. Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.