You may have been wondering what three seasons of tailgating would lead to. Say hello to  The Southern Tailgating Cookbook! The book won’t hit store shelves until August, but you can now pre-order your copy from UNC Press!

When I started my first tailgate tour back in 2010, I could never have imagined that three years later it would turn into this book! I have learned a lot in the book writing process and couldn’t be happier with what this project has turned into! Inside the 240 pages of this book you will find 110 recipes that are designed to wow your tailgating guests, 75 images of food and tailgating (shot by yours truly), and 15 side bars that give an in-depth look into aspects of southern tailgating culture. All together this is A Game-Day Guide for Lovers of Food, Football, and the South. Pre-order your copy today!

It is the weekend after Thanksgiving. A weekend filled with Black Friday Shopping, eating leftovers, and in my opinion the best weekend of college football. For many teams, this is the last weekend of the regular season and a weekend filled with the best match ups of the season. This is Rivalry Weekend!

Every school has a rival. Some are in-state and others are from a bordering state. On the last game of the season, these two rivals will face off. Unfortunately, the conference realignment dance has changed some of these rivalries. For now Texas and Texas A&M will no longer face off, the backyard brawl with Pitt and WVU is no more, and the  There are still plenty of great games that will bring out the best in tailgating.

In 2010, I went to the Michigan vs Ohio State game in Columbus.

This traditional noon kickoff is the game for years has been “The Game” that would decide the national championship game. Every time these two meet either team is looking forward to ruining the others season. The winner will usually claim the Big 10 Championship and head on to smell the roses in Pasadena.

In 2011, I visited the biggest rivalry in the state of South Carolina. In Columbia, I saw Clemson and USC fans gather for the Palmetto Bowl.

When your rival is on the ticket, it will bring out the best in tailgaters. Regardless of how your season has gone, this is the game  that you want to win more than any other. Winning this will give you bragging rights for an entire year! Here are some of the best end of season rivalries to check out this season!

Georgia Tech vs Georgia aka “Clean Old Fashioned Hate”

Michigan vs Ohio State

Virginia vs Virginia Tech aka “The Commonwealth Cup”

Oregon vs Oregon State aka “Civil War

Auburn vs Alabama “The Iron Bowl”

Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State aka “The Bedlam Series”

Florida vs Florida State

Ole Miss vs Mississippi State aka “The Egg Bowl”

Washington vs Washington State “The Apple Cup”

South Carolina vs Clemson “Palmetto Bowl”

Notre Dame vs Southern Cal

If this is your last tailgate of the season make it a good one! Happy Tailgating!

]]> http://taylortailgates.com/rivalry-weekend/feed/ 0 http://taylortailgates.com/twelve-sauturdays-giveaway/ http://taylortailgates.com/twelve-sauturdays-giveaway/#comments Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:47:49 +0000 Taylor http://taylortailgates.com/?p=2182

Well football fans, I have another giveaway for you! This week I am bringing you the chance to win a Pennington & Bailes Coach’s Shirt. With the weather getting cooler, this long sleeve button down is a great shirt to wear at those late season games. Ladies, it also makes a great gift for your favorite guy that you will be tailgating with.

At the end of season rivalry games  there are many opportunities to show your school spirit. This shirt would look great on any campus. Here are a few of the match up options.

Pennington & Bailes themes their Coach’s shirts to Alabama, Arkansas, ECU, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech. If these are one of your teams, then this is the perfect attire for an end of the season rivalry game. A full list and images of the shirts can be found here.

Entry for the giveaway is below.

When you think of great tailgating environments  and football powerhouses, Duke University in Durham, NC, is far from that list. The last 20 seasons have been tough on Blue Devil fans. Their last bowl game was at the end of the 1994 season, from 1999-2007 their record was 13-90 including a 22 game losing streak from 2005-2007. Well ignore the past, after a weekend trip to Durham I have seen that things are changing for the Blue Devils.

Tailgating at Duke happens all over campus. There are several pass holder lots around the stadium that have a pretty good crowd. I wasn’t there for as long as I usually am, but every lot I ventured into had great food and fans present. When visiting Duke for the first time, you have to take a stroll around their beautiful campus.

The Gothic style is carried through almost every building on campus. This cohesive look makes it one the prettiest campuses that I have been to.

Like most schools, Duke has a player walk where fans can hi five and cheer on the team as they make their way to the stadium. The Devil Walk happens a little more than 2 hours prior to kickoff along Blue Devil Alley, between Cameron Indoor Stadium and Wallace Wade Stadium.

When you see fans lining up on either side of a cement walkway, you know that you are in the right place. Like most walks, the band leads the way.

Followed by the mascot and then the players.

Once the players have made their way through, fans will begin making their way towards the stadium.

My trip to Durham was not one of my usual tailgating travels. I was actually going to this game. My grandmother is a season ticket holder and was going to be out of town. When she asked if I wanted her tickets, I jumped at the chance. There is no way I could miss them playing UNC.

The DUKE Vs UNC basketball rivalry is known throughout the country as being one of the best and most heated rivalries in all of sports. The schools are only 8 miles apart and year after year each fields a team that will challenge for a national title on the court. With football, things are a little bit different. The Duke vs UNC football rivalry is something that only Duke and UNC fans are passionate about. I am a huge Duke fan. Other than The University of Wisconsin ( Class of 2008), Duke is the only school that I would consider myself a “fan” of.  I use the term “fan” to imply that I have an uncontrolled bias and unexplainable loyalty to this school that their wins and losses effect me in daily life. My love for Duke is something that truly was unavoidable. My mom went there, my Aunt went there, both of my grandparents went there.  My late grandfather, Carl C. James, played football and was on the track team there. After college he was football recruiter at Duke before ultimately serving as Athletic Director. Unfortunately the decision of which side to pick wasn’t so clear. My Dad is a UNC Alum and my parents both met at UNC Law School. With my grandparents influence, I chose the Blue Devil side. Growing up in a house divided is something that is common for many sports fans.

For this game I wasn’t just in a house divided. It was a car divided.

My fiancée is a UNC Alum and a very passionate Tarheel fan. With Duke and UNC being so close to each other, a house divided was a problem that many fans faced.

In this game, the players play for more than just pride. The Victory Bell is on the line with the winner retaining rights to it until the next year’s contest. I mentioned that Duke’s program is on the upswing. In this 2012 meeting both teams entered the game at 5-2 and ESPNU picked up the game as its Saturday night game. If Duke won, it would become bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. Either way, there was going to be one member of my car that wouldn’t be happy on the ride back to Charlotte.

Wallace Wade Stadium was packed for this game. The final score. Duke 33 UNC 30.Here is a video of the last play and Duke storming the field to take back the Victory Bell.

Their record on the field in past years may not reflect it, but there are plenty of passionate fans in Durham. It may be one of the smaller stadiums in the ACC, but funds for stadium expansion are being raised and the play on the field is headed in the right direction. All of this will lead to a game day environment that will only get better.  I had a blast in Durham and can’t wait to visit again.

You have seen it everywhere. Bars,backyards, and of course tailgates. Anywhere there are a gathering of people you are sure to see bean bags flying through the air. It may go by various names, but it is most commonly known as cornhole. Here is everything you need to know about bringing cornhole to your tailgate.

HOW TO PLAY CORNHOLE

To play cornhole you need:

• 2 cornhole boards
• 8 bean bags (4 of one color 4 of another)
• 4 players formed into 2 teams of 2
• an open area to throw bags

Cornhole is a team game. To win, your team must accumulate 21 total points before the other team.

One team member from each side will be at each board. Boards are placed about 27 feet apart from one another. Players on side A will throw their bags, alternating by team, to side B. The goal is to try and land the bag on the opposite side’s board. After side A throws, Side B will then throw, and then Side A, then Side B and so on until one team breaks the 21 point barrier. It doesn’t need to be exactly 21 to win, just 21 or higher.

Points are scored through landing bags on certain areas of the board.

Any bag that land off the board or hits the ground prior to landing on the board will be awarded 0 points. Points scored when a players front foot crosses the front of their board will also be awarded 0 points.  Scoring is done through a cancellation system.

There are many different techniques you can use for tossing your bags. Just make sure that when throwing, your front foot doesn’t cross the plane of the board’s front edge. Doing so will disqualify your throw and earn 0 points for that throw.

Cornhole boards need to built to certain specifications. If you are planning on building your own boards, check out The American Cornhole Association to learn more. Personally, I find it it easiest to purchase quality already made boards from cornhole.com and then customize them to my liking. Here is how I painted a set of natural boards that I ordered from cornhole.com.

After staining, taping, painting, applying decals, and finally sealing with polycrylic My boards were done. For the paint I used an outdoor semi gloss paint from Lowes. You don’t need to buy a large can. A small sample size is enough to paint a board. You may need to apply several coats in order to have a nice thick coat. I applied 3 coats.

What happens when it starts to get darker? It is a little harder to see the hole right? Well Cornhole.com has a solution.  Cornhole Hole Lights.

Interested? Head over to Cornhole.com and search for Cornhole Hole lights under accessories.

Bringing a cornhole set to your tailgates is a way to show off your design skills and team spirit. There is no limit to how many designs you can create. If you are at a loss and need some inspiration, check out the best cornhole designs that I have seen throughout my travels.

Your tailgate has a tent and a table, but you may be missing one of the most important elements. Your set up isn’t complete without a team themed table cloth. Today, I am sharing with you one of my favorite product lines and giving you the chance to win a tablecloth for your next tailgate.

Schools have their official colors, but did you know that your team might have an official plaid? Here is the story about the University of Kentucky’s plaid that you may find interesting.  Pomegranate Collegiate offers a wide product line of tablecloths, totes, napkins, and other products are perfect for any tailgate. All products are designed using your team’s plaid pattern. What started with the manufacturing of Kentucky’s plaid has expanded to teams across the South. They currently offer lines for

Kentucky, Oklahoma, Louisville, Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Kansas and plan on offering patterns for Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and South Carolina very soon. Every fall they plan on offering new school’s to their line up.

Here are their available patterns.

If you like the prints, be sure to check out the other products available in your school’s plaid. Head over to Pomegranate Collegiate to see your team’s store.

To celebrate this tailgating season, Pomegranate has agreed to giveaway a 55″x55″ tablecloth. This size will fit perfectly over a standing card table.

As the season progresses, I will be bringing you more giveaways from more of my favorite tailgating brands!
 

When you think of tailgating food, a bowl of pasta isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But why not? Pasta can easily feed a large crowd, is easy to transport and has a wide variety of flavors that you can add to it. For this version, Sally has created a dish with Surryano Hamas the store. What is Surryano you ask? It is serrano style ham made in Surry County Virginia. It is delicious substitute for any case when meal where you would use prosciutto or serrano ham. Here Sally will show you how to make her Tailgate Bucatini with Surryano Ham.

Tailgate Bucatini with Surryano Ham

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 pkg Bucatini (about 17.5 oz.)
1/2 cup olive oil   (best if drained from 8,5 oz. jar of sundried tomatoes w/ olive oil and herbs)
3 T. chopped garlic
4 T. unsalted butter
1 can (28 oz.) good quality diced tomatoes
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups reserved pasta cooking water
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 oz Surryano Ham cut into thin strips
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

DAY BEFORE TAILGATE.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water.When pasta is just before al dente. remove 1 1/2 cups of pasta water and reserve. Drain pasta and set aside to cool.Place cooked cooled pasta in sealable container and refrigerate until needed. It is important that you don’t fully cook your pasta. Stop cooking about 2 minutes before done. You will continue cooking it on site, and if you fully cook it ahead of time, you will end up with overcooked pasta.

While waiting for pasta water to come to a boil, put olive oil in small sauce pan. Add chopped garlic. Warm oil/garlic mixture over low heat. Stir occasionally and let oil cook on low for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. let cool.  Strain oil, discarding cooked garlic.  Pour oil mixture into sealable container. Add butter, seal container and refrigerate until needed.

In a large sealable container add tomatoes, vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, black pepper, red pepper, Tabasco and 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water. Seal container and refrigerate until needed.

Put shallots, red onion and ham into sealable container and refrigerate until needed.

Put Parmesan into plastic storage bag. Put white cheddar into plastic storage bag. Put basil leaves in plastic storage bag with a slightly damp paper towel crunched into bottom of bag. Seal and refrigerate bags until packing for tail gate.
PUT ALL ITEMS IN COOLER AND HEAD TO TAILGATE.  Pack a high sided saute pan or stockpot to cook pasta in. pack propane burner.

AT THE TAILGATE

Put oil and butter into pan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add the shallot,onion and Surryano ham.

Stir. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until onions/shallots are soft.

Add the tomato mixture.

Cook stirring over medium high heat until sauce comes together and thickens a bit, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add the pasta. Toss  the pasta to coat with the sauce.

Add Parmesan cheese and stir into pasta and sauce mixture. Cook pasta in sauce for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring  as needed. Lower heat and  layer the shredded white cheddar cheese over the top of the pasta.

Top with pieces of fresh basil and additional black pepper (if desired)

Tailgating Testimonial

Instead of me always telling you why this would be the perfect food for your tailgate, I’ve decided to let my lovely fiancee tell you:

“I, Sara Moore, am one of the pickiest eaters in the world. There are more foods that I don’t like than do like. When I heard that this recipe had Surryano Ham I was skeptical and somewhat apprehensive to try it. In the end, I mustered up as much bravery as I could and had a bowl of bucatini for dinner. It was such a great decision! This hollow pasta is awesome and the flavors were perfect. About halfway through eating this meal I realized that if I had been served this dinner in a restaurant that I would have been extremely pleased. It was delicious in any setting and with the easy steps below, it really is the perfect easy, yet delicious meal for a tailgate.”

Brunch is the ideal meal for those early noon kickoffs. This combination of breakfast and lunch allows for a wide assortment of tailgating foods to be served. Have you ever thought about bringing a quiche? It can be baked the night before and is ready to serve upon arrival at your tailgate. Not only is the quiche convenient and easy to serve, the versatile flavor combinations may be its best quality. You can flavor a quiche with pretty much any combination that you choose. Looking for a beautiful vegetable based option? Try this Sage Derby and Yellow Tomato Quiche.

You may be wondering how this quiche achieves its beautiful pale green marbled look. The secret is in the Sage Derby Cheese. When making this semi hard cheese, a mixture of sage and other herbs are mixed into the curds. This creates a green streaking and marbling effect throughout the cheese. The effects of adding sage are also apparent in the mild herbal flavor that is created. When paired with yellow tomatoes and peppers, you have a quiche that will disappear quickly once laid out at your tailgate. With the game day temperatures now cooling, its is the perfect weather to try a quiche at your tailgate.

Sage Derby and Yellow Tomato Quiche

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 baked 8 or 9 inch pie shell

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped cubanelle pepper
1/4 cup chopped shallot
3 tablespoons chopped scallions (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups grated sage derby cheese

Melt butter in saute pan. Add bell peppers, onion,shallot scallions and chives. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until onions and peppers are soft. (about 5 minutes) Set pan aside.

In mixing bowl add eggs and beat with a fork until blended. Add cream and milk and stir until incorporated. Add salt, pepper and cayenne. stir. Set aside.

Evenly spread the onion and pepper mixture onto the bottom of baked pie shell. Top mixture with the grated cheese.

Pour the egg and cream mixture over the top of the cheese. Put quiche on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until quiche is set.

Remove from oven and cool quiche. Serve at room temperature or cover and chill in refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Have you ever had polenta? Have you ever thought about bringing it to your tailgate? Well if you haven’t you should. It has everything you need for a great tailgating dish. It tastes great and will feed a crowd of any size! Here is an Italian Sausage and Sundried Tomato Polenta Cake that makes a perfect tailgating main meal or appetizer.

Polental is a cooked mixture of cornmeal that has been cooled, cut into cakes, and then fried until crisp. Without any additional flavorings, the dish is rather bland. Don’t look at this as a problem though. This is more of an opportunity to flavor the dish in a variety of different ways. For this recipe, sweet and spicy Italian sausage is combined with onions, shallots, and sun dried tomatoes. Parmesan cheese and a little bit of white wine are added. This creates a perfect blend of Italian flavors that can be finished off with your favorite marinara sauce. For serving, it is your choice whether to serve small pieces as an appetizer of large squares as a main dish. You may choose to fry over a large propane burner or a camping stove.

Serves 10 as a main dish.

Ingredients

1/2 pound mild Italian bulk sausage

1 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1/2 cup drained and chopped sundried tomatoes.

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

32 ounces chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 1/4 cup plain yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

extra cornmeal for dredging

olive oil

In a medium sized frying pan, cook sausage, onions, and shallots, over medium heat until sausage is cooked and onions and shallots have softened. Remove from heat and stir in sundried tomatoes and chives. Set aside.

In medium sized sauce pan add chicken stock, wine, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Sprinkle cornmeal  ,1/4 cup at a time ,into hot stock mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. When all the cornmeal is added, reduce heat to medium low and cook polenta, stirring frequently. When polenta mixture resembles a thick porridge, about 15 minutes, remove from heat. Immediately stir in parmesan cheese and butter. Stir until smooth. Fold in cooked sausage and tomato mixture.

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non stick cooking spray. Spoon warm polenta into pan. Use the back of a wet spoon to smooth polenta out evenly in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until polenta is cool and firm to the touch.  (you may chill polenta overnight if you wish)

Transfer in a cooler to your tailgate. When ready to cook, cut polenta into 10 triangles. Dredge each triangles in a thing layer of cornmeal. Add about a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a frying pan. Over  medium heat on a propane burner, fry polenta until brown and crispy on each side. Serve with your favorite warm marinara sauce.