Happy Football Friday, Y’all. It is November, and the Playoff Committee is making its weekly ranking. So, this week I did recipes for the Top Five teams in this week’s rankings. But before we dive into this week’s recipes did y’all save last week’s recipe “Bacon Wrapped Greatness“? Which was your favorite recipe? Are you baconed out yet? Also, for this week Let me know if I missed one that you think would fit better for each school. Enjoy!
Football Friday Tasty Tailgate Treats: The Top Five Teams
1. Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds raw peanuts, in shell
- .75 to 1 cup kosher salt
Instructions:
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Combine peanuts, salt, and 14 cups water in a tall, oval 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 18 hours or until peanuts are soft. Drain peanuts before serving or storing them. Store in zip-top plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes: Cajun Boiled Peanuts: Add 1 (3-oz.) pkg. boil-in-bag shrimp-and-crab boil and ⅓ to ½ cup hot sauce (we tested with Frank’s) to the slow cooker before cooking.
2. Ohio State “Buckeyes”
- One and a half cups of peanut butter
- One cup of softened butter
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla
- Six cups of confectioners’ sugar
- Roll the mixture into one-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball and place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to harden.
- Next, melt four cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler (or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water). Stir until the chocolate is smooth.
- Then, holding the toothpick, dip the frozen peanut butter balls in the chocolate.
- To give it the look of a real buckeye, leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top.
- Place the buckeyes back on the cookie sheet, remove the toothpicks and refrigerate until tailgating! This recipe yields about 60 buckeyes,
3. Easy Opening Day Michigan Pasties
Ingredients for Filling:
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 12 oz. ground beef or 12 oz. meat or plant-based meat of choice
- 1/3 cup carrots, 1/4 inch dice
- 1/3 cup white onion, 1/4 inch dice
- 1/3 cup rutabaga, 1/4 inch dice
- 1/2 cup russet potato, 1/4 inch dice
- 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- Butter for dotting the filling before baking (pea-size dots)
- 1 egg for making egg wash to seal the pasties
Prepare the filling
- In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the meat, onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Saute until the meat is nearly cooked through. Approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga and cook another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the vegetables are evenly cooked.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool until ready to assemble the pasties.
Assemble and bake the pasties
- ½ 15-ounce package (1 crust) rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crust. You can also make your own crust from your favorite recipe
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
- Whisk an egg for the egg wash.
- Dust your work surface with a little A.P. flour. Roll the first dough disk to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch circle cutter, cut out 9 circles. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the second disk of dough.
- Brush the rim of each dough circle with the egg wash and place approximately 1/4 cup of filling in the center of the circle. Place a pea-size dot of butter in the center of each pasty before closing.
- Gently fold over and crimp the sides to seal. You can gently stretch the dough as needed. Use a fork to press and seal the edges of the pie dough.
- Brush the tops of the pasties with egg wash. Using a sharp knife, poke three small holes in the top of each pasty to allow the steam to release while baking.
- Bake at 450 degrees F. for 23-25 minutes until golden brown on top. Allow the pasties to rest for at least 15 minutes before eating. They may feel cool enough to handle before then, but they will still be extremely hot on the inside.
- Serve with gravy if desired.
4. TCU Texas Style Ribs aka Tim Love’s Baby Back Ribs
Being from Texas if you have time make this recipe beach everything Tim Love makes is delish. Or if you are in a hurry pick up ribs from your favorite local spot. Cooper’s, Railhead, or Riscky’s just to name a few.
Ingredients:
For the rub:
Special equipment:
Step 1 – Prepare the grill for indirect heat:
If you don’t have a smoker with an offset box, you can build a fire on one side of your grill and then put a piece of foil on the opposite side of the grill. This will create indirect heat.
Step 2 – Prepare the ribs:
Remove the thin, papery membrane skin from the back of each rack of ribs by pulling it off in a sheet with your fingers, using the corner of a kitchen towel to gain a secure grip, or with pliers.
Step 3 – Prepare the rub:
In a bowl, whisk together chile powder, salt, pepper, cumin, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and sugar.
Step 4: Generously season ribs with the mixture, rubbing them onto both sides of the rack.
Step 5: Place the ribs, bone-side down, on foil to cook with the lid closed. Cover the grill and keep the temperature of the grill at a constant 225°F. Cook the ribs for about 3 to 4 hours or until tender.
5. Tennessee Sausage Balls
This may or may not be a Tennessee tradition but it is a tried and true recipe from a die-hard Volunteer fan so it makes it official in my book. Thank You, Michelle Epperson for sharing your tasty tailgate treat! I did link to a recipe I found online with similar ingredients in case you like to click links.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb hot Wramplers sausage (room temp)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (or more) (room temp)
- 1 – 8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
- 1 1/4 Bisquick
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400°
- In a large bowl, combine the ground sausage, biscuit baking mix, and shredded cheese.
- Form into 24 golf ball-sized balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the sausage, is cooked through entirely.
- Remove and serve hot!
On The Menu
We will be back next week with more tasty tailgate treats for your gameday fun. Hope your team is in the Top Five. Hope your team is winning and having a great season. Enjoy the tasty tailgate treats.
