Football Season! (Tailgating Snacks)

It doesn’t go unnoticed to those close to us that James and I are huge Virginia Tech Hokie fans. We’re both Hokies ourselves, though we didn’t know each other while we were in school there (even though we spent two years on the campus at the same time and are almost certain we brushed into each other at least once). We consider ourselves diehard Hokies representing all that is VT no matter what time of year it is, but during the fall it’s as if nothing else really matters quite as much as Hokie football (regardless of how great or heartbreaking of a season we may be having). We also of course love to cook, so we get REALLY excited to combine those two things when we have the chance. We made these tasty tailgating snacks shown above for the season opening game that we watched at our friends/neighbors’ house (also Hokies). All of the recipes for these came out of the “Taste of Virginia Tech” cookbook – an excellent/nostalgic/much-used gift given to us that contains recipes from various on and off campus food establishments and some VT tailgaters’ favorites. And then there’s the bourbon because well, we love ourselves some bourbon, especially at this time of year.

So anyways….. what we made! We made some garlic breaded chicken bites (with panko bread crumbs and fresh chopped garlic, baked in the oven), some Parmesan spinach artichoke dip that we baked as well, and then some pigs wrapped in cheesy jalepeno blankets. These little piggies may have been my favorite with the fresh diced jalepeno and shredded cheddar combo (and rolling them in halved crescent rolls makes them SO much easier). I also made a homemade tangy mustard sauce for dipping at the last minute which proved to be quite the perfect companion to both the pigs & chicken.

Our friends made some other delicious tailgating dishes (they have the same cookbook!) like a very festive macaroni salad incorporating pickle juice (YUM) and pulled pork shoulder that they smoked all day before kickoff (who said adult tailgating isn’t as fun and DELICIOUS). Look out for the next post to see what we made with some of the leftover pork we went home with (hint: it’s a morning meal). And you’re also sure to find more of our game day recipe favorites as this fall (Hokie) season rolls on, so stay tuned! And of course, GO HOKIES!

Broccoli & Shrimp over Orzo

Disclaimer: I was clearly off my game the day I posted this… that’s BOW TIE PASTA that those shrimpies & broccoli florets are over! Goodness gracious… please forgive. In any sense, I do stand by what I wrote about the versatility and wonderfulness of orzo, so I’ve decided not to change the original post below. Just know that this particular dish was served with bow tie (just as easy and delicious). Cheers!

Orzo is one of those wonderful items that can pretty much go with anything (SOMETHING) that you’ve got on hand. For that reason we always have a box of it on our shelf. It cooks quick, and serves as a great base for veggies, beans, meats, seafood, sauces, spices, you get it. This particular go-round we had some broccoli and yellow cherry tomatoes that we needed to use before they went bad, so we threw them over the cooked orzo with some shrimp and grated Parmesan. Easy, quick, delicious, and a great way to get those vitamins in too. Orzo is also a great thing to use for flavor experimentation. It’s inexpensive and a little goes a long ways, so you can cook small portions and play with the ingredient and spice combinations you add to it.

Mexican Street Corn

I had my first experience with Mexican street corn at a food festival here in town a couple years back, and every now and then I have flashbacks of its flavor explosion and dripping chipotle sauce as I ate it with one hand. Well, finally I decided it was time to attempt to make it myself and while it was a lot less saucy, it still packed a big bang of flavor. I made a sauce of mayo (weird yes, but such a great sauce/spread base), hot sauce and some spices, spread that on the corn, then barely heated them on the stove. Sprinkle the warm cobs with a little cheese and cilantro, serve with your favorite Mexican dish (one of ours being turkey tacos – with a little homemade salsa verde) and you’ve got yourself a Mexican fiesta of flavor!

Toasted Chickpeas

I saw this recipe a while ago and stored it in the back of my mind for when I needed something easy and different to snack on. This recipe really is super easy…. just toss some chickpeas (I used dry that were soaked overnight) with a little olive oil and any spices that you like then bake them on a cookie sheet for about 40 minutes, giving them a nice shake a couple times throughout. That’s it! And they came out quite tasty too. I made two different kinds here… one with an Asian flare (toasted sesame oil, a little ground oriental mustard, and sesame seeds) and one with a Mexican flare (cayenne, chili powder, cumin, and cilantro). Easy (chick)peazy snack that’s packed with protein and kickin with flavor.

Melon Mint Sangria

We ate a lot of watermelon this summer…. like, a LOT. To the point that I could almost say we got tired of it… but I won’t dare. So after snacking on the delicious watery melon for days and days, melon after melon, we decided to get a little more creative. In addition to James’ famous watermelon milkshakes we decided to make a more adult friendly refreshing cocktail type bevvie. Sangria is one of the easiest alcoholic concoctions you can make… basically just pouring of liquids and chopped fruit into a single pitcher. Well, if you don’t know, watermelon ends up getting a bit gritty and foamy after a bit if you just let it sit in said pitcher, so in order to capture its flavor without the watermelon mustache we decided to juice it. And since watermelon is as watery of a fruit as they come, a little goes a long ways AND it doubles as the liquid addition to the wine. So we juiced the watermelon, added it with some vino verde (this adds the bubbly effect to the sangria without having to use a sugary soda), threw in just a few cubes of watermelon and honeydew, and some lemon mint leaves. Oh my, this certainly turned out to be quite the refreshing summer treat. It tops my list as far as sangrias go (though the milkshakes are still a fave).