Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tailgating in Your Living Room

I own a Tailgate.
You know; that door thing that’s hinged at the bottom and sits at the back of a Pickup Truck. My tailgate sits in the garage. However, there’s no Truck attached to it. It’s just a tailgate. That’s ironic, don’t cha think?

The State of California Gross Polluter Law took the truck, but the Tailgate I kept. “Why” you might ask; do I have a tailgate sitting in my garage with no truck? I don’t know exactly. Maybe it’s because intense memories form attachments.
Maybe it’s because that tailgate holds adrenaline charged memories of my teaching four teenage daughters to drive a stick shift. And when it was still attached to a Nissan Pickup, my wife and I made memories and used that tailgate for a picnic or two in the country. In America we call that “Tailgating”.

In our American culture Tailgates have almost become iconic. They represent a type of game day, supersized outdoor picnic that usually revolves around sporting games; particularly American Football. Dishes consist heavily of grilled meats and treats that will cause traffic jams in your arteries. Hardcore Tailgaters have been known to bring their entire living rooms, including their Lazy Boy recliners to stadium parking lots. Interestingly, this American ritual in it’s many forms is about bonding. Tailgating events actually form social connections with friends, family and fellow football loving people. It’s the perfect union of food, fun and fellowship. As we say in California, it’s our chance to hang out; our chance to chill with one another.

This year we will have our annual Super Bowl party. Of the 20 or so people who will be here, more than half couldn’t care less about the game. And of those of us that do, none of our teams even made the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49er’s, San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys are all watching the game at home like us. Here’s irony; this year’s Super Bowl is in Dallas at the Cowboy Stadium. So then, why get together?Because it’s a chance to show the love. Tailgate parties are about building your neighborhood of friends. It’s about making connections and celebrating old and new relationships.
So we are tailgating in our living room. Party on people!

Who cares if you understand that silly game? Text, Facebook & shout at a few people and throw a Tailgate party right there in your living room this year. The Super Bowl is as good an excuse as you will ever find. It really doesn’t matter if you like football or not. It’s all about building your neighborhood of friends.
So if you need a little inspiration, or something special to spice up your living room party décor; you can always borrow my Tailgate. It’s right out there in my garage.But remember, it doesn’t come with a truck.
Now go Explore!

Following are some of our very own recipes that we have for our Tailgating in our Living Room Parties:

Brown Sugar Daddies Recipe
Bacon and sugar? What’s not to love? That’s a couple that didn’t need Match.com to discover their compatibility. Here’s my version of it.
• Take 1 pound sliced bacon
• And 1 cup brown sugar
 • And 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the brown sugar and the Dijon mustard in a large plastic zip-top bag. Add your bacon. Then toss with attitude!
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a cooling rack on the lined baking sheet. Put bacon on the rack and take the remaining mix from the plastic zip lock bag and press it onto the bacon. Roast those Brown Sugar Daddies in oven for 25 minutes. Let drain. And keep a rolled newspaper nearby. You may have to fend off early nibblers.

Nana’s Nachos Recipe
This is a real crowd favorite; especially our crowd. Great nachos are about great ingredients. We serve it Nachos Bar style. We often serve seasoned ground beef, but these nachos are so great, no meat is required.
• Tortilla chips - extra thick
• Pinto beans. You can always buy canned refried beans, but you haven’t eaten beans like those that are made fresh. Nana makes them. We eat them. Consider trying to make them yourself. They are easy and they will make your Nachos unforgettable. Email me if you want the recipe.
• Que Bueno! Nacho Cheese Sauce. This natural cheddar cheese sauce is thick and creamy. And it’s spiced just enough with pieces of jalapeno peppers and green chilies to make your taste buds dance the salsa.
• Side garnishes that you can include are sliced pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped Cilantro, sour cream, diced tomatoes, salsa and guacamole

Okay, enjoy!
YKGE5DJAZE83




37 comments:

YQN said...

A good recipe friends ...
mmmmm..... I'm from Indonesia ..

and i follow u

Anonymous said...

Siii,il Super Bowl,famosissimo in tutto il mondo!!!!! ;-)
Bellissimi racconto come sempre il tuo Mario,bravo!!! :-)
Buona giornata a presto

Jool said...

Wow. Have fun. :) And interesting food recipe. :) (and now I'm starving.. hahaha!)

Have a nice day!

Brigita said...

well you instructions are to write I love chocolate and since I am a huge chocoholic i can write that - and I know it is not conected with this post but since it is in your profile I can.
also thank you for visiting my photography blog - am glad you like the photographs :)
hope to see you soon
ENJOY

latest said...

maybe i should try this recipe ....
vi$it u back my friend ......

teJan said...

hi..nice site here...i'm glad i dropped by..hope to see u around!

thingsIlove said...

Thanks for your comment! Great blog!

Nervenruh said...

Very comfortable to be here!

promdi said...

i enjoyed reading here, mario. im following you thru GFC...and will probably be back, TAILGATING ^_^

ciao

Unknown said...

will follow you from here, too.

Anonymous said...

...and, because your i am taking note of your nacho recipe, will tailgate from here, too

o0pink0o said...

Hi,

I am your new follower :)

Kim said...

Nice gathering with friends :)

hope you'll visit my page :)

thyra said...

Hii.... I visit Ur blog....

That's great! I like Ur article....

Mona said...

my first time here in your blog and learned recipe already :) following your blog now .. do follow me back ok :)

Unknown said...

Hi,
What a fascinating article. I don't know much about American culture and this is good. Thank you for sharing.Look forward to your next article.
Take care.

Salam from Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia.
Umi

briarrose said...

Oh the bacon....so yummy.

LaPhemmePhoodie said...

Sounds like you are all set for your tailgate. Nachos and bacon make any tailgate great. Enjoy!

lola said...

Hello Mario, mi inglés es muy malo.Me ha hecho mucha ilusión que me mandaras un comentario sobre mi blog, hace poco que lo tengo y cualquier comentario me da ánimos para escribir. Tú blog me parece muy apetecible.Tienes recetas muy sabrosas que intentaré preparar.
Te recuerdo que mi blolg te informará sobre las novedades en moda y cosmética.Te recuerdo que es http://peaubelle.blogspot.com

Gaia Eos said...

Hi Mario well have learnt new things about the American culture hope you had a great time then good foods, nice people the good receipt for a lovely moment wish you a fabulous weekend take care ^_^

Nicole Ayres said...

Hi, thanks for your comment!
Very interesting your blog, I'm following it! =)

http://vivereler.blogspot.com/

Marie Lourenço said...

hi, I'm from Brazil!!! I loved your blog!!! come visit my blog too!!! Follow me...I'm following you.. see you!!

LUCIA said...

HOLA MARIO:
BUENOS DIAS GRACIAS POR TU VISITA ES UN PLACER SEGUIR TU BLOG PERO MI INGLES ES MUY POBRE MAS QUE TU ESPAÑOL,
PERO DESPACIO Y CON PACIENCIA SEGUIRE TUS ESCRITO,
Y TE ESPERO DE VEZ EN CUANDO EN EL MIO PORQUE SOIS VOSOTROS LOS QUE DAIS VIDA A ESTE UN BESO QUE TENGAS FELIZ SEMANA TALIÁ.

lola said...

Hello Mario, thank you for your comment in my blog. The tranlaiter is very good.

Sabrina Modelle said...

I love that you own a tailgate, but not a truck. That's perfect. Though I've haven't watched a Superbowl since my dad was at one in 1982 and only then it's because I was looking for him, I'm totally into the idea of homemade nachos and even more into your bacon sugar daddies. YUM! I'm about to be a vegan for 28 days, so I'm thinking I'd better try that bacon before then.

Mara said...

Oi Mário!
Vim retribuir a visita no meu blog e já virei seguidora.
Gostei muito das tuas conversas e das receitas, aqui no Rio Grande do Sul temos muitas receitas que também "causam congestionamentos em nossas artérias" rsrs
Quer fugir um pouco do frio? Se quiser temando uma receita de "goulash", é uma delícia.
Estou te enviando um email com uma foto da nossa comida mais famosa no mundo todo rsrsrs
Abraços

Anonymous said...

è bellissimo il nuovo look del blog Mario e la foto è stupenda,sempre sorridente,bravo!!!! ;-)
Buona serata a presto ciaooo
Daiana

cakewhiz said...

Great recipe for nachos!
And awesome blog. I really like your wallpaper :)

Lauren said...

Such great recipes!! I'm going to check out all the ones you have posted and try a few out at home!

SomethingDifferentForDinner said...

Thanks for the add on Food Buzz. I'm your newest follower. Check out my blog when you get a chance. Thanks* Kelly @ somethingdifferentfordinner.blogspot.com

Britne @ Shabbott's Habits said...

Tailgating is something that I really enjoy and I'm a firm believer that you do that anywhere...at a game, in an RV, in a parking lot, in your living room! If there's good food, I'm there!

TheCuteTigerBaby said...

Hi dear Mario. Thanks for visite my blog.Yes, I`m very proud of my cats, I love the all.Your blog is very nice too, I will come back. Have a beautiful day. I can`t find your message box and now I write here. Regards from Germany

Dina @ The Dish and The Dirt said...

hey there mario! hello from san francisco and i'm glad you liked my sushi post. i can think of no better way than to tailgate in my living room -- i can avoid the fog that way and i never have to worry about how i'm going to hold all that food up with only 2 hands! thanks for visiting my blog, too, and i'll look forward to more of your posts!

Artnelly said...

Adorei seu blog, parabéns!

Beth Michelle said...

Im sure you had a blast! That recipe sounds amazing

Dawnie @ The Coach's Wife's Kitchen said...

I am really enjoying my stay here at your blog. I am excited to be a new follower.
Cheers

Angela said...

Looking back through your posts and found this one. LOVE the bacon recipe.