Step Up Your Tailgating Game with These Recipes
By Jen Monroe
No idea what NFL actually stands for? Can’t name a college football team to save your life? No sweat. Show up with with an herby corn salad in creamy dressing, zippy sweet-hot jerk chicken skewers, or a dense banana coconut chip cake. Keep your mouth full and your friends will be none the wiser.
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Crispy Spice-Brined Pecans by AntoniaJames
These spiced pecans -- unlike their sugar-shellacked counterparts -- are sitting, unassumingly, on a wonderful secret. At first glance, they appear raw and untouched, but one bite betrays that they're actually perfectly salted and spiced from within, and dried to a crisp.
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Pancetta Slaw with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette by checker
Crunchy meat on top of crunchy vegetables is then bathed in a savory, citrusy and spicy vinaigrette.
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Tomato Salad with Corn, Summer Squash, and Roasted Onions by Merrill Stubbs
Roasting new onions (they come in both white and red and they look just like regular onions, but with fresh green tops and without the papery skins) turns them unbelievably sweet and supple in the oven.
Jerk Chicken Kebabs by sdebrango
This marinade allows citrus fruits to temper and enhance the bite of the sometimes unruly habanero pepper. A little sweet, a little hot, and oh so flavorful!
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Tailgate Paella by North Country Rambler
North Country Rambler's paella is more than just a fun gimmick; it's also a savory, earthy rice dish, generously scented with saffron and studded with chicken, pork shoulder and chorizo, with a stunning top layer of shrimp, peas and roasted red pepper.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Greek Salsa by thirschfeld
When looking for skirt steak for the grill, look for thicker pieces. If all your butcher has on hand is the very thin, long skirt it works great too but it is much harder to cook to any particular temperature.
New England Lobster Rolls with Lemon Chive Mayonnaise by Sonali aka the Foodie Physician
When making a dish with such few ingredients, it's really important to use the best quality ingredients, so make your own mayonnaise. Once you know the technique, mayonnaise is actually not too difficult to make and the flavor and texture just can't be rivaled by the store-bought variety.
Dilled, Crunchy Sweet-Corn Salad with Buttermilk Dressing by creamtea
The dressing, tangy with buttermilk and yogurt, envelops the crunchy corn, peppers and cucumbers in a silky cloak.
Roberto Santibañez’ Classic Guacamole by Genius Recipes
In this recipe, crush only enough of the avocado to warrant it consideration as a dip rather than a salad, but leave the rest of the cubes intact, bathing them in the vividly flavored chile sauce, a bit like salad properly dressed in vinaigrette.
Banana, Coconut, Chocolate Chip Snack Cake by ATG117