VT-Arkansas State Tailgate

We started the tailgate in a new way: a new parking lot.  We were fortunate to have another parking pass for this game, so we decided to get there early, and see how the other half lives.  We found a great space, with plenty of grass to set up the tailgate.  We also discovered the coldest weather of the early football season.  I certainly was happy that I grabbed a windbreaker before I went to the game.  It was just cold and windy enough to make me glad I brought some jeans too.

After we set up, we got to cooking.  I decided to go with some tandoori chicken that I have grilled at home before.  What made today's tailgate unique is that I found some wire skewers on sale at Wegmans.  So maybe we talk Wegmans often here, but they sell that stuff in the center of the store, at incredible prices, when the seasons change.  We found some great grilling and kitchen supplies, so we bought up.  The sale items will make a later post, but for now, we are going to focus on the dish we made for the tailgate.  

For the tailgate, we were joined by our friend Rob, his wife Barb, and a guest appearance by JJ.  You may remember Rob from a previous event, the Raleigh Beer Festival.  

I prepared tandoori marinade for the chicken.  If you want the recipe, you are going to have to post something in the comments to motivate a recipe today.  I then took about five pounds of chicken breasts and cut them up into large, bite sized pieces.  I also cut up some onion, pepper, and broccoli for some vegetables to eat as well.  I placed the chicken onto two of the new flexible skewers.  That is right, five pounds on two skewers.  You can see what one of the skewers looks like below.

Tandoori Chicken (click to enlarge)

I was very impressed.  I will do things in a somewhat different order next time.  I should have marinated the meat, and then placed it on the skewers.   The marinade had some difficulty getting on the covered parts of the chicken.

For good measure, and because I like pictures, below is a picture of the vegetables.

Vegetables marinating (click to enlarge)

These flexible skewers made it possible to cook a lot of food at once on a  little grill.  We packed up the grill as shown below, and patiently waited.

Grilling Food on a small stove (click to enlarge)

Below is the final product.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken (click to enlarge)

The new skewers made grilling this a breeze.  The meat can fit in a variety of containers, unlike when using the old fashioned kind that need an extra long container.

We sat around, and enjoyed the grilled chicken, and the company of friends.  We ended up grilling and eating everything that we brought, but hey it was the entire day.  We would like to thank everyone for coming out and sharing the food adventure with us.

Virginia Tech vs. Appalachian State Tailgate

There have been a lot of requests (okay, it was two and one was my Mom), to show a little of what we had before the game.  We enjoy getting to the game early, parking, and enjoying some good food. Because this game kicked off at 1230, breakfast was the obvious choice for the game.  I decided if we were doing breakfast, I was going to break out a variation on an earlier dish that we tried, Eggs in Red Peppers.

I started out firing up the gas grill that has served us well for several years.  It is a little burned up looking, but the grill pumps out the heat, and it has a lid.  Don't forget the value of a lid when cooking outside.  You can never tell if you will get some windy conditions, and nothing cooks very well when the wind is blowing 20 miles an hour.

Here is what I used to make the dish.  Remember, the measures are only approximate anyway, so let's just say 2 tablespoon of each.  Adjust the amounts based on your tastes.

4 Eggs
2 Peppers
Onions
Shallots
Potatoes
Cheese
Prosciutto Ham
Salt
Pepper
and any other seasoning you like on eggs

Two prep steps help move this along.  Do these before you go to the game.  Take the peppers and cut off the tops, and clean them out inside.  It helps to get peppers that will stand up after you cut off the tops.  The other step is to dice everything finely, so that the ingredients will cook quickly.

When you arrive, fire up the grill.  Place the cleaned peppers on the grill face down, for about ten minutes or so.  When the peppers are starting to turn soft, they are ready for the next step.

Peppers Grilling (click to enlarge)

Place the prosciutto ham in a small frying pan.

Prosciutto Ham (click to enlarge)

Let prosciutto ham cook until it starts to give up some fat, and then add everything else, except the cheese.

Adding (click to enlarge)

Cook everything for about five minutes or so, until everything gets soft.  At this point it should smell really good.

Cooking (click to enlarge)

Break the four eggs into a bowl and scramble the eggs.  Add the cooked ingredients as well as the cheese, and stir into the cooked peppers.

Filling the Peppers (click to enlarge)

Place the eggs on the grill, and cook until the eggs are solid.  The peppers below are not yet done.  You can cook the extra stuff in the pan, to warm up the guests before the peppers are done.  This would be a great time to use the lid mentioned earlier.  The peppers will cook much faster.

Mostly Cooked (click to enlarge)

The final product is below.  Sure, this might not be the prettiest dish I have ever made, but it might be one of the best ones I have ever made tailgating.  Don't let the little black parts fool you, this is good.  The pepper will cut right up with a fork, and makes a great combination with the eggs inside.  I suggest serving a good Bloody Mary with the dish.

Enjoy (click to enlarge)

See if you can get someone to help clean up.  Tell them you did the cooking!

The Aftermath (click to enlarge)

We will be back for the next game, with something new and exciting.  In the meantime, poke around the site.   We will have some regular updates for the next several weeks, or read the archives.  Some feedback below is always welcome.