Parking Lot Party

I love football season.  I love the game itself, I love the onset of fall, I love going to the games and all the tradition involved with college football in the south--and more specifically the University of Tennessee.  From the Vol Walk to the Power T, it's a pride gushing, adrenaline rushing high.  Part of the tradition also includes the tailgating.

I've noticed throughout my years tailgating before UT games that there are many different levels of tailgating.  You have the minimalists, who are content to just sit on their coolers, beverage in hand, with a bag of chips.  And you have the extremists with their elaborate set-ups and spreads, the RVs, big screen TVs, BBQ pits and grills, jello shots nestled in specially carved fruits, and appetizers and entrees more complex than what I cook and serve at home, much less in a parking lot.

I fall somewhere in-between.  I like to have some comfort and good food, but I'm a realist:  any time I bring any nice accessories, they get broken or stolen.  Plus I know what inevitably happens at most of these parking lot parties, and food usually isn't the primary focus. But I have found myself deliberating more on food the past couple of home games than usual.  I guess it's the same as everything; we get tired of the same old same old.  So for the Georgia game, I tried a few new eats.

I'm a fan of dips, but the mess and storage of a dip during a tailgate just doesn't appeal to me, so I searched for something dip-like but convenient:  Cheesy Bacon Rotel Cups.

Cheesy Bacon Rotel Cups

Ingredients:
3 (1.9 ounce) boxes of frozen Mini Phyllo (Fillo) Shells (15 per box)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies), drained
1/2 cup chopped, cooked bacon
OR 1 (2.8 ounce) bag Oscar Meyer Real Bacon bits
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove phyllo shells carefully from their boxes. No need to thaw. Place shells onto a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Rotel tomatoes and bacon pieces. Once combined, stir in the cheese. Scoop 2 Tablespoons of filling into each phyllo shell. Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

I was initially turned off by the mayo idea, but you really couldn't taste the mayonnaise.  And just as I had hoped, it was tasty, dip-like, and convenient.  I will be making more of these, as well as variations.

Instead of sandwiches, I decided to make wraps.  I must have been craving Mexican because along with the Rotel, I opted for a Ranch Fiesta wrap:

Ranch Fiesta Wraps

 Ingredients:
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
1-oz. pkt. Hidden Valley Ranch Dips Mix
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4-oz. can diced green chilies
2.25-oz. can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 green onion, sliced
1/3 to ½ cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 to ½ cup diced yellow or orange bell pepper
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
5 spinach wraps

Directions:  Combine all the ingredients and spoon onto spinach wraps almost to the edge. Roll up jelly-roll style as tightly as possible, especially tightening up the ends. If necessary, use a little of the mixture at the edge to seal the tortilla. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Slice down in 1 to 2-inch pieces.

I liked these quite a bit, but if you have people in your group who aren't as adventuresome of eaters, then the peppers and olives might turn them off, as it did several in my group.  Plus, it wasn't as easy and convenient as the Rotel cups, and you had to worry about them getting hot and soggy.  (Yuck!)

And rather than cookies, I tried Sweet & Salty Dessert Bars:

Sweet & Salty Dessert Bars

Ingredients:
-3 cups pretzel sticks, snapped in half (or regular pretzels, snapped in half)
-2 1/3 cups chex cereal
-2 cups m&ms, any variety (I used 1 cup dark chocolate & 1 cup chocolate covered cookie dough candies I had--thanks Maggie!)
-1/4 cup chocolate chips
-1/2 cup butter
-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
-5 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions: 1. In a large bowl, combine pretzels, cereal, candy, and chocolate chips. Set aside.
2. In a large sauce pan, melt butter and peanut butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in marshmallows and continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted. Pour over the snack mixture and stir to coat well.
3. Press mixture evenly into a 9x13 pan lined with wax or parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Once cool, cut into bars and serve.

The only problem I had with this tasty treat, which we later dubbed "Crack," was keeping my husband out of the bowl as I was putting it together the night before!

The Homecoming game against Auburn presented a different dilemma when determining our tailgating menu; the game was at noon and we planned to have our tailgate set up by 8:30, so the typical food fare just didn't seem appropriate.  So along with good ole Pigs in a Blanket, I tried Potato, Ham and Cheese Crescent Mini Quiches & Fresh Orange Muffins:

Potato, Ham, & Cheese Crescent Mini Quiches

Ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup diced, cooked ham
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup diced cooked potatoes (approximately one potato)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.  Remove crescent rolls from can and cut each crescent roll in half. (You will end up with two extra crescent rolls that you can either use for round two or just roll up, bake and enjoy.)

3.  Whisk together eggs, half and half, ham, cheese, potatoes, salt and pepper.

4.  Divide mixture evenly between the wells of the muffin tin.

5.  Make sure that there is at least a quarter inch between the egg mixture and the top of the tin because the eggs increase in size as they cook up.

6.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

These were really good.  They weren't too eggy, which was something I was worried about with most recipes of this kind, and they were convenient, time of day appropriate, and hearty.

The Orange Muffins, however, didn't go over quite as well.  The only reason I made them was because muffins sounded good for a morning tailgate.  Rather than go for the corresponding "Big Orange" though, next time I'll stick with banana.  Here's the recipe anyway:

Fresh Orange Muffins

Ingredients:

1 orange, quartered and seeds removed (with peel)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F; spray a muffin tin (12) with non-stick cooking spray like Pam and set aside.
2. Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
3. Add egg and butter to food processor and combine; pour into large bowl.
4. Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture.
5. Stir to combine.
6. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before removing muffins.

Yeah, if you're looking for a good orange dessert, at least one that's orange in color, I'd recommend what's called Pumpkin Better Than Sex Cake, or, renamed more appropriately, Orange and White Cake.  Now THAT is a good cake for any kind of party!