David Joachim - The Tailgaters Cookbook

The Tailgaters Cookbook

By David Joachim

The Tailgaters Cookbook

More Than 90 Winning Recipesand a Truckload of Tipsfor Your Party in the Parking Lot

David Joachim

Copyright 2012 by David Joachim

Cover Copyright 2012 by Ginny Glass and Untreed Reads Publishing

The author is hereby established as the sole holder of the copyright. Either the publisher (Untreed Reads) or author may enforce copyrights to the fullest extent.

Previously published in print, 2005.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold, reproduced or transmitted by any means in any form or given away to other people without specific permission from the author and/or publisher. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the Publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

http://www.untreedreads.com

For August and Maddox

CONTENTS

Spreads, dips, salads, sandwiches, cakes, candies, and puddings

Beef, pork, chicken, game, fish, shellfish, veggies, pizza, sandwiches, breakfast, and dessert

Soups, stews, chili, beans, rice, sauces, and deep-fried turkey

Hot and cold drinks

Cookies, snacks, pies, tarts, fried chicken, breakfast, and dessert

NFL, NCAA, NASCAR

Chillin and Grillin in America

What is it that draws thousands of people to stand around on asphalt, sometimes in the bitter cold and rain? Is it the infectious enthusiasm of fans in team colors? The spectacle of hilarious costumes and outlandish vehicles? The wafting warmth of a charcoal fire? The vast array of tables spread with every kind of food imaginable from the chilled to the grilled?

Ive tailgated at football games, soccer matches, car races, and even in the parking lots of theme parks and ski resorts. In my broad definition of the experience, you can tailgate anywhere youre allowed to park your car, grill food, and enjoy a drink with friends. But tailgating means different things to different people. Whenever I go to a tailgate party, I ask people what it means to them. Whats it all about? Why do people invest so much time and money on the place where you park your car before heading into the event?

The answers are all over the map. For a lot of people, its all about team spirit. Its about being a good fan and supporting the players and the team. Take the Boneshaker, for example, better known as Mike Parisi. Hes been a Tampa Bay Buccaneers season-ticket holder for more than 15 years. Mike fires up the football players and fans at every home game. He has a ship tattooed on one leg and a Bucs flag tattooed on the other. He wears a custom-made Bucs earring and matching necklace. Mike also brings an 80-pound wooden boneshaker to every game. Mike the Boneshaker lives to get the team pumped up to win.

Further north, theres Titanman, a diehard Tennessee Titans fan. Also known as David Anderson, Titanman has been dressing up like Captain America for more than 10 years. In full superhero regalia, Titanman is the teams warrior. He plays the theme music from the movie Rocky to rally the troops to victory. And like any good superfan, Titanman trash-talks the competition whenever they enter the Coliseum in Nashville.

Look around any stadium parking lot and youll notice that some of the most devoted fans are women. Stephanie Phillips has held season tickets to Philadelphia Eagles games for more than 20 years. On game day, she usually gets up at 6 a.m. to finish making the mountains of food she began preparing days before; she drives 45 minutes to the stadium; and shes tailgating by 9 a.m. At work, at home, at games, Stephanie is a diehard Eagles fan. Her mailbox, bathroom, den, and guest room are completely decked out in Eagles green.

Then theres Len Orme, a Cincinnati Bengals season-ticket holder since 1980 who has never missed a home game. A longtime fan, Lens van is painted in Bengals colorsblack with orange stripes. His entire basement enshrines the Bengals with an endless display of team memorabilia. Len wears a simple orange and black tiger hat to every game. A model of the tailgaters generous spirit, Len has raised more than $25,000 for the underprivileged and homeless in Cincinnati at the annual Bengals Dance fundraiser.

All four of these loyal fans were inducted into the Visa Hall of Fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Established in 1998, the Hall of Fans pays tribute to folks like these who go all out to support their favorite NFL team. Check out more of the crazy costumes and decked-out vehicles of the most dedicated football fans in personal profiles throughout this book.

* * *

Tailgating History: The Highlight Reel

Americas favorite parking lot pastime is a curious blend of beer, barbecue, and spectator sports. Here are highlights from more than two centuries of evolution.

1793. Washington, D.C. Americas Capitol is completed. The public ceremony includes a barbecued five-hundred-pound ox.

1861. Manassas, Virginia. The Civil Warera Battle of Bull Run occurs. Spectators line up to see the event, carting in pies and other edibles.

1869. Kansas City, Missouri. Hannibal Bridge opens as the first bridge to cross the Mississippi River. Celebrations include a huge public barbecue.

1869. New Brunswick, New Jersey. The first football game occurs between Rutgers and Princeton. Students gather before the game to drink, eat, and socialize.

1893. Princeton, New Jersey. First National Championship football game is held on Thanksgiving Day (Princeton vs. Yale). 50,000 spectators attend, some of whom rent carriages and eat picnic lunches on the roof.

1922. College Station, Texas. At Texas A&M University, E. King Gill begins the tailgating tradition of football spectators acting as the 12th Man on the field, supporting and serving the team.

1927. Dearborn, Michigan. Ford releases the Model A Station Wagon, the first automobile with a fold-down tailgate.

1952. Palatine, Illinois. Weber markets the kettle grill, which becomes the standard charcoal grill in America.

1967. Los Angeles, California. Americas first Super Bowl takes place (Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs). Sixty million fans watch the game on television.

1970. Cleveland, Ohio. The first Monday Night Football game is televised (Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets). Football goes primetime attracting 33 million American viewers.

1996. Tempe, Arizona. Super Bowl XXX (Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) becomes the most widely watched sporting event in television history.

2002. San Antonio, Texas. The American Tailgating Association (ATA) emerges as the countrys largest tailgating club. The ATA estimates that between 20 and 23 million people tailgate annually in the United States, mostly at football games, but also at NASCAR events, horse races, and other sporting events.