Husker Football Tailgate Report: Week 3
By Kelli Anne
So you ask, “What do you mean tailgate? It’s an away game.” Well that’s true but you just turn the tailgate into a staygate. It allows for a different kind of Husker tailgating. You don’t have to be weather dependent, you have unlimited power supply, and you can plan a full bar.
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BIG RED is road tripping down to Florida to play Miami. I recently re-watched parts of last year’s game. I’d forgotten the amount of “chippiness” (see also big fat cheaters) that happened on the field from the guys from “the U.” I haven’t seen that much laundry since the week after finals. Huskers go in as an underdog but they get back Sam Foltz and Cethan Carter. I’m thinking NU comes away with a W!
Rick Reynoldson grilling up some ribs for a Husker tailgate. (photo Kelli Anne)
Last week in my tailgate lurking, I met Rick Reynoldson. He was grilling up some ribs and they smelled amazing so I stopped by and he (in true Husker tailgate fashion) offered me a taste. I don’t even think Webster himself could put into words the goodness of how they tasted. Just the right amount of spice and fall off the bone yumminess. He said the trick is slow cooking them at 200 degrees in the oven and then letting them cool. Rick also makes his own sauces. Hot and mild, but I’d say slow-burn and OH-MAH-LAWD-pass-the-beer! A good TIP for reheating the ribs on the grill is to spray the ribs with a nonstick cooking spray as you set them down and then spray the grill intermittently. THANKS Rick!
Since you may be at a friend’s house or hosting for this football game and it’s an afternoon kickoff, I would go the munchies route. One of the nibble things I like to make is a spinach, tomato, bacon & roasted garlic flatbread. It does take some prep time but you save time by not having to drive and then set up a full outdoor tailgate so why not splurge. The original inspiration for the recipe is here, but I’ve tweaked mine a little. I call it Husker Handy Bread.
Husker Handy Bread (photo Kelli Anne)
Box of flatbread mix (bake per the container directions)
4 large heads of garlic (cut the tops off, drizzle olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 400 for 30-35 mins)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (I grab bacon & scallion flavor)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, dash of salt and pepper
1/8 cup chopped chives
3/4 cup cut up fresh spinach minus the stems
1/2 cup bacon bits and 1 cup cherry tomatoes quarter sliced
Basically, bake the bread, whip up the cream cheese, garlic and seasonings, cut up the veggies and toss the spinach, bacon and tomatoes on top. Cut into munchie sized pieces for serving. You can adjust your level of garlic to taste. I love the roasted stuff so I load it up. I also rolled the bread out more so there was more of a flatbread/cracker appeal to it. This means really keep an eye on it as it’s baking in the oven. It goes from crisp to burned in about as much time as it takes DeMornay Pierson-El to find the end zone. For the cream cheese part, feel free to grab any flavor or no flavor. Make sure you leave it sitting out because it will spread way better at room temperature.
Tailgating at Husker game is Rick Reynoldson grilling up some ribs. (photo Kelli Anne)
DRINKS: Full bar means full beverage choices. A popular drink back at a favorite Polynesian bar of mine was called the Hurricane. You can translate it into a jello shot (kind of) but the real thing is very tasty and can have a similar aftermath as do hurricanes of Mother Nature’s design. In a pint glass, fill it with ice. Pour in 1 shot each of rum, peach schnapps, Southern Comfort, and triple sec. Fill the rest with orange juice and a splash of grenadine. Garnish with something fun and fruity, like an orange slice or cherries. Enjoy but know that it’s got a good kick like Drew Brown to it!
Make sure to thank your host and offer to help clean up after the football game. A good guest leaves their leftover food with host unless they insist you take it with you. Always leave whatever beverages you brought. It’s just good tailgate/staygate etiquette. In the meantime, be good fans when you travel to Miami. Show them how it’s done and GO BIG RED!!!