It is back! College football is back tomorrow. We have a slate of week zero football games. So, we have compiled a few tasty tailgate treats to help you celebrate the greatest season of the year. Did you check out last week’s recap of the 2023 recipes? These might be a little more time-consuming. We need an excuse to cook for our friends in week zero (and week one) then sit and watch football ALL DAY LONG! Hope your team makes you smile more this season than they break your heart. Enjoy the recipes! Happy college football!
Football Friday Tailgate Treats: Week Zero
Baby Back Ribs With Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
Save a couple of cups of strong coffee from your morning pot—you’ll need it for the marinade and sauce in this mouthwatering barbecue ribs recipe. Baby back ribs are a classic choice for this preparation, but you can also make this recipe using St. Louis ribs.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses or sorghum
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 2 slabs of baby back ribs, about 4 pounds total
Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ small yellow onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and black pepper, as needed
Directions:
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together coffee, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic, and chile powder. Place ribs in a gallon-sized resealable bag or a large glass baking dish, and pour the marinade over the ribs. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight, turning the ribs over occasionally to make sure the marinade makes contact with both sides.
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Preheat the oven to 275˚F. Remove the ribs from the marinade. Wrap ribs in aluminum foil, crimping to seal the foil. Place the foil packet on a baking sheet. Bake for 2 ½ hours.
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Make the Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (instructions below).
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Remove ribs from the oven, and turn oven temperature up to 350˚F. Open the foil packet and flatten the foil on the pan (or use a fresh piece of aluminum foil), removing excess liquid with a spoon or a turkey baster if needed.
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Brush the ribs on both sides with Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, flipping ribs over and brushing with more sauce every 15 minutes, until meat is very tender and pulls off the bone easily when checked with a fork. Cut ribs into individual pieces between each bone and serve with more barbecue sauce.
Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce:
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In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ketchup and brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, until sugar is dissolved.
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Add the coffee, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon, cider vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cooled sauce can be transferred to a sealed container and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Meatball-Stuffed Garlic Bread Sliders
Ingredients: Make your own perfect meatballs or if you want to spend more time pregaming buy a bag of frozen meatballs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice, divided
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 18 dinner rolls
- 2 cups spicy tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Place beef in a large bowl. Add onion-garlic mixture, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, and 1 large handful of fontina cheese, reserving the rest for topping. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix by hand until just combined. Scoop meat mixture into 24 mini muffin cups; meatballs need not be perfectly round.
- Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, about 12 minutes. Leave oven on. Let the meatballs cool briefly while you make the garlic butter.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic once the butter starts to bubble; stir, then immediately remove from heat. Stir well and set aside.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat the foil with the remaining olive oil. Transfer rolls, still attached, to the baking sheet. Cut a hole in the top of each roll, about 2/3 of the way down. Brush garlic butter over the insides and outsides of the rolls.
- Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce into each hole. Stuff meatballs into the holes. Top each roll with a spoonful of tomato sauce and remaining fontina cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
- Continue baking until cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with more parsley. Let rolls sit for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up; transfer to a serving platter.
Million Dollar Dip
This is a personal favorite of mine. It is easy and so so good. A crowd pleaser. You can cut the mayo down and add sour cream- a tasty sub. You can add a packet of ranch dressing. Do not be afraid to put your spin on it.
Ingredients:
- 4 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise or sour cream
- 1 (7 1/2–oz.) pkg. chive-and-onion cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
Directions:
Cook bacon:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add bacon; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise:
Stir together mayonnaise (or sour cream) and cream cheese in a medium bowl until fully combined.
Add remaining ingredients:
Fold in bacon, Cheddar, almonds, and scallions. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Peanut Butter Cookie Cups
The easiest recipe ever. Enjoy!
- 1 package (17-1/2 ounces) peanut butter cookie mix
- 36 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare cookie mix according to package directions. Roll dough into thirty-six 1-in. balls. Place in greased miniature muffin cups. Press dough evenly onto the bottom and upsides of each cup.
- 2. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until set. Immediately place a peanut butter cup in each cup; press down gently. Cool for 10 minutes; carefully remove from pans.
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