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PrintTackling The Tailgate
You don’t have to hit the pavement to be part of a phenomenal tailgate. Throw your own pre-game party in the comfort of your very own home or driveway!
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Pig Skins
5 small Russet potatoes
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup barbecue sauce
1 pound (about 2 cups) pulled pork
Sour cream
2 tablespoons chives or scallions
Yield: 10 servings
The Day Before
Preheat oven to 350°. Rinse the potatoes and dry them completely. Use a fork to prick the skin of the potatoes on each side, spray with cooking spray, and place them on the middle oven rack. Bake potatoes until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove them from the oven and let sit until cool. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half-inch shell. Wrap potato skins individually in aluminum foil, and put them in a Ziploc bag in the fridge.
Cook 5 strips of bacon. When it’s cooled crumble the bacon, place in an airtight container, and keep on the counter (it will stay crispy until the next day).
Combine pulled pork and barbecue sauce, put in an airtight container, and put in the fridge.
Snip the chives with kitchen scissors, place in an airtight container, put in fridge.
On Game Day
If you are tailgating away from home, pack the potatoes, barbecue pork, cheese, chives, and sour cream in a cooler. In a separate bag, bring the bacon, cooking spray, salt and pepper, aluminum foil, and utensils. Before serving, wrap the pulled pork in an aluminum foil packet and place on the grill—seam side up—or in a 350° oven, and cook until hot, about 10 minutes. Fill the potato skins with barbecue, then add bacon, cheese, sour cream, and green onions on top
Show Team Spirit
1.
Purchase a roll of freezer paper on your next trip to the grocery store. The paper is dull on one side and shiny on the other, and the shiny side will adhere to your shirt or fabric when ironed.
2. Print a stencil design on regular paper. Tear off the needed amount of freezer paper, lay it over your printed sheet, and trace the design on the dull side of the freezer paper using a broad-tipped permanent marker (we used a Sharpie). Using an X-ACTO knife or a pair of small, sharp scissors, cut out your design. This creates your stencil.
3. Lay the stencil on the shirt in the desired location, and gently iron using medium heat and no steam. (Remember—shiny side down!) Let cool. Dab fabric paint within lines of stencil using a foam brush or stencil brush. Wait a couple of minutes, then gently peel off the freezer paper stencil. Follow washing instructions on fabric paint container.
Sports Page Popcorn Cones
Show your team spirit as you eat from the sports pages of your local newspaper. Cut or tear a single sports page in half and fold over to make a triangle. Bring the bottom left of the triangle around the back and match up to the top point, making a cone shape. Repeat with the bottom right point of the triangle. All points should match up. Fold the points down twice to secure the cone. Line your cones with wax paper before filling with popcorn.
Popcorn Topping Station
Your guests will be yelling “Touchdown!” with this easy and delicious idea. Set up a station of popcorn toppings such as:
1. Garlic salt
2. Parmesan cheese
3. Dry taco seasoning
4. Dry ranch-style seasoning
5. Green onions
6. Bacon
7. Granola
8. Coated candies
