Husker Football Tailgate recipes for week 4

Time to begin Big Ten play. Great news this week for BIG RED as De’Mornay Pierson-El will be let loose in practice but probably not on the field. Time to find out just how well that foot fracture has healed. Jack Gangwish is eager to get back to the field too but will probably have to wait. Hopefully Josh Banderas will get back to the gridiron as we certainly need the Husker Blackshirts to start stepping up.

Jason Condon enjoying some Valentino’s pizza inside Memorial Stadium (photo Kelli Anne)

But enough football chatter, what’s on the Husker Tailgate menu? What comes to mind when you think of Chicago? Deep dish pizza and Chicago dogs are probably among the first things. Since it’s a “homegate” this week it’s easy enough to order pizza or grill some hotdogs, but that’s kind of boring unless you order from Lou Malnati’s. It’s a 2:30 kickoff time so you can either go with munchies or an after game full meal.

For inspiration this week I turn to the Fighting Illini. In 1921, Chief Illiniwek became the school’s mascot. A Native American headdress and face was the symbol for all things Illinois. Like many things deemed politically incorrect, the mascot was retired in the fall of 2007. So in keeping with the Native American theme, I wanted to use something with corn. I have a favorite recipe that is served cold and it’s a great way to get in some of Nebraska’s best stuff to the table. I found the recipe on the Pillsbury website a couple years ago, but I use fresh sweet corn instead when I can.

Around the Corn

PILGRIM CORN SALAD

2 (11 oz.) cans Green Giant white shoepeg corn, drained

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. apricot preserves

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

Combine corn, cranberries and chopped pecans in a medium bowl. In a large measuring cup for pouring, whisk together the vinegar, oil, preserves, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour into the bowl, toss and let sit for 10 minutes.

Last year I came up with the Pellini so it’s time to come up with something new for this game. Since it’s being played in Champaign, Illinois I let it inspire me for the Frozen Riley cocktail. Everyone who meets the Husker coach says he’s the sweetest so this one is just that. Grab the blender and GO BIG RED!

FROZEN RILEY

1.5 oz vodka

1 oz peach schnapps

2 oz champagne

1 small scoop of frozen strawberries

3 oz orange juice

Put all the ingredients in a blender, add a scoop of ice and then get it ALL RILED UP!

Husker Football Tailgate Report: Week 5 – Illinois

By Kelli Anne | Oct 1, 2015