Tailgating at Home
Forget the parking lot parties; stay at home for your next pregame shindig—and do it up in style.
By: Karen Weir-Jimerson
Tailgating is all about team spirit. And food!
But you don’t need the rusted-out back end
of a pickup truck to have a great time. In fact,
you can enjoy the festivities with all the comforts
of home. And whether you’re rooting for your
favorite squad in football or another sport (hey,
why not do a tennis or golf grill-out?), your party
is all about team cheer and great food shared in
the company of friends and family.
Here are some bright ideas to help create a fan-tastic
tailgating party:
Flowers to dye for . Are you a
New York Giants fan but can’t find the right
hue of blue flowers for your centerpiece? Try spray-on
flower colors from Design Master ®. Its COLORTOOL
sprays can transform white roses or mums into team-color
centerpiece flora. Visit dmcolor.com for more fun
ideas.
Show your true colors. If
you’re
a totally-over-the-top fan, you can paint your deck,
den or entire house in your team colors. Glidden ® Team
Colors paint selections allow you to brush on the
exact hue of your favorites from Major League Baseball,
the National Football League and NASCAR. You can
even purchase college and U.S. Olympic team colors.
Go to mostcolorfulfan.com (under New Team Colors
Paint) and find your true hues.
Put on your game face. Let obsessed
fans express their creative sides with some face
painting before the kickoff. Check out “Face
Painting,” a great starter book that offers
step-by-step instructions—and five colors of
water-based face paints! Brush on tiger stripes to
root for the Cincinnati Bengals. Try on a grizzly
mug for da Bears. And football fans can go all red
in the face for the Cardinals, Bills or Chiefs.
Although writer and columnist
Karen Weir-Jimerson owns a pickup truck with a
tailgate, she prefers to do her autumn entertaining
in the comfort of her own backyard.
Fire Up the Grill
A prerequisite for a tailgating party is grilled
fare, but there’s no reason it has to be basic
barbecue. Try this upscale and healthful grilled
salmon with a zesty kiss of lime.
Lime Barbecue Salmon Sandwiches
1 15 x 7 x1/2-inch cedar or alder grill plank
4 6- to 8-ounce fresh or frozen skinless salmon
fillets, 1 inch thick
½ teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 French or sourdough rolls, split and toasted
Apple Slaw
1. At least 1 hour before grilling,
soak plank in enough water to cover. Weight down
plank to keep it submerged during soaking. Drain
plank.
2 . Thaw salmon, if frozen. Rinse
salmon; pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, combine lime
peel, lime juice, salt and pepper. Brush lime mixture
over both sides of salmon.
4. For a charcoal grill, place
plank on the grill rack directly over medium coals;
heat about 5 minutes or until plank begins to crackle
and smoke. Place salmon on plank. Cover; grill salmon
for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily
when tested with a fork. (For a gas grill, preheat
grill. Reduce heat to medium. Grill salmon as above.)
5. Serve salmon on sourdough rolls
topped with Apple Slaw. Makes 4 sandwiches.
6. Apple Slaw: In a medium bowl,
stir together 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel,
2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil
or salad oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup slivered
tart red apple; 1 cup shredded green cabbage; 4 very
thin onion slices, halved and separated into rings;
and 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro. Toss mixture
to combine. Cover and chill for up to 1 hour, stirring
once. Makes about 2 cups.
Sides for the Season
The key to great party hosting is to plan ahead
so you can be free to enjoy your guests, the food
and the event. Make-ahead recipes allow you to do
that. You can prepare this warm and hearty side-
or main-dish chili the day before, then warm it up
for the pregame fete.
Zesty Black-Bean Chili
1 16-ounce jar thick and chunky salsa
1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
11/2 cups vegetable juice or hot-style vegetable
juice
8 ounce fully cooked turkey kielbasa (Polish sausage),
halved lengthwise and sliced (1 3/4 cups)
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic or 1/4 teaspoon
garlic powder
Dairy sour cream or plain low-fat yogurt (optional)
Sliced green onion and/or chopped red onion (optional)
Chopped avocado (optional)
1. In a large saucepan, stir
together salsa, beans, vegetable juice, turkey kielbasa,
water, chili powder and garlic.
2. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Ladle chili into bowls. Top
with sour cream, onion and avocado, if you like.
4. Serve with Cumin-Cheddar Corn
Bread. Makes 4 (1 1/4-cup) main-dish servings.
Cumin-Cheddar Corn Bread
(serve with Zesty Black-Bean Chili)
Preheat oven to 400º F. Prepare one 8 1/2-ounce
package corn muffin mix according to package directions,
except stir in 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
and 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin into batter. Spread
in greased 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan or 8 x 11 1/2-inch
round baking pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until
toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Serve
warm.