Tailgate Tiddlywinkers

You can believe this or not, I don't really care!  I enjoy my summers just like everyone else does only mine have a twist.  Not only do I relax and enjoy when I can, attend most outdoor family functions when I am in town but I spend hours and hours preparing for the upcoming football season as well.

Football has always been and will remain my favorite sport to watch on tv, to watch from the stadium bleachers or camped out in the parking lot at least 24 hours before game time draws near...actually we will get there as soon as they will allow us on the lot!  Have to in order to set up and ready the site for all the action to come!

We are never alone. There are other tailgate buds that meet us there as well and we all get just as close to one another as possible. We have been known to assemble as many as 17 vehicles in our area...side by side and tail to tail.

1. Weather
2. Clothing
3. Theme
4. Foods
5. Drinks
6. Cookers
7. First Aid Kits
8. Lighting
9. Dishes-Utensils
10. Port-a-potty
11. Garbage Containers
12. Misc. Unexpected Gear (tarps, tables, chairs, umbrellas, etc)
    

Your THEME will be determined and set by the teams you are going for!  I love my Packers, Arizona, Saints and my Broncos...they are a few of my pro favorites. College, I love my NEBRASKA! They will always be my number one! Then there are Notre Dame, Miami Gators, Texas A & M, and others too.

I know my Nebraska plays most of these teams but I don't care!  I know who I like and I know what I like. I LOVE MY FOOTBALL.

CLOTHING will be based on the weather and your team colors. Many times, I will wear what I want and fly the banners instead as I am usually busy cooking and other major things.

FOOD I will call friends that will participate and we will determine the menus well ahead of game time so that everyone knows exactly what they will be bringing each and every game.  We rotate so that one person is not stuck bringing the most expensive things each week...like the meats or other refreshments.

We always have a variety of appetizers, finger foods, nibblers, salads, crock pots full of dips, main dish goodies and our desserts.  Beverages consist of lots of hot coffee, iced and hot teas, and of course our party punch for the entire game and coolers of other things...Use your imagination!

GRILLS & LIGHTING  We have our smokers, our gas and our charcoal grills.  We have even invested in a generator, an electric turkey fryer, party/string lights and a roll up-washable sisal ground cover. (We usually have a deep fried turkey ready to sit on the table when the appetizers are first set out...ya gotta nibble ya know). Everyone is responsible for their own cookers, table covers, plates, utensils for their household and guests. I forgot to mention that the food is served buffet style most times.

PORT-A-POTTY  If you let your lot attendants know ahead of time, they will try and get you near the potties. If not, a 5'x7' tarp positioned between two vehicles and tied or fed through the windows of two vehicles will create an enclosed unit. Easy in and easy out.  A 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat can be purchased from any survival/army-navy surplus store and works very well.  Double garbage bags inside the bucket collects the waste and can be disposed of easily.

GARBAGE COLLECTION  Clean up your own mess! The lot attendants have enough to do without cleaning up your mess too. Large toilet paper boxes lined with yard waste bags work wonders and you will need them. If you recycle cans , etc...make sure everyone knows which bag is for what.

MISCELLANEOUS STUFFS  Get a good first aid kit and always keep it handy! That is a must for all games, cars and any event...carry one always! Tarps are lifesavers. It never fails, when you don't bring them it will either rain, hail or snow on you...Fact.  Everyone brings or has at the ready two 8'x10' tarps. What we have done is tie the four tarps together through each grommet and then fold them together and tie them with bungie cords. Always have clothes line rope with you. All tarps can be tied together and fastened to the bumpers of the vehicles and stretched over the tops or tailgates to provide a dry area.

You will need your chairs, your tables, coffee cans filled with sand or cement to hold up the umbrella (we set our poles into wet cement & let them dry-easy in and easy out) We also have a 10'x10' EZ UP popup gazebo that we use at craft fairs and shows.

The generator serves as an electrical outlet for the strings of lights when it gets dark, the crock pots, electric fryer, coffee pots, etc and can be set away from the crowd.  And it also powers up the tunes!  YOU GOTTA HAVE TUNES...

Now, think! I can't tell you what your family will need.  I don't have to worry about anyone buy my very own family. Take or have handy what you would use on a camping trip and you will basically be set.  Oh yes!  We have a TV set or two believe me! Air mattress for the back of the pickup, blankets, pillows...all washable. Have fun! Make it your party!

IF YOU ARE DRINKING ALCOHOL...DON'T DRIVE! OR APPOINT A DESIGNATED DRIVER OR SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT...AS WE USUALLY DO...ITS TO CROWDED TO TRY AND GET OUT ANYWAY!!!

1. Deep fried turkey, chicken and wings
2. Briskets
3. Pork & Beef Ribs
4. Hot Dogs
5. Hamburgers & Cheeseburgers
6. Breads...all kinds & Buns
7. Condiments
8. Dips...Hot & Cold
9. Chips...Potato, Doritos, Cheetos, etc
10. Salads
11. Fruit & Veggie Plates
12. Desserts

There will be at least three types of dishes for each category except the fruit and veggie plates. We usually do a Creole Boil at special games too.  We have mild hawaiian wings, asian wings and cornhusker crackin hot wings...this is an example and we change up every week.

Use your imagination! Have a ball...we will be posting  our own favorite recipes here.  Yes, they come from my very own recipe book...not betty crockers or anyone one else's so maybe we will get to share something with you after all!! And yes, I have stolen a few from my favorite fellow chefs Anne and Guy!

Tis the season football fans! LET's PARTY...