Husker Football: Big Red Tailgate Recipes – Week Four
Husker Corner’s own Tailgate Diva, Kelli Anne Francis takes to the kitchen once more to satiate the appetites of husker football fans waiting for a prime-time kickoff against the Miami Hurricanes. Without further adieu:
Hopefully you have rested up from the late night game and LONGEST game ever last week. Great to see De’Mornay Pierson-El creating excitement on punt returns. It’s a new week. It’s Miami week!
Some say the most anticipated week of football. I don’t know about that, but it certainly lends itself to a fun tailgate theme.
Miami conjures up images of flamingos, umbrellas in fruity drinks, beaches and of course, the Orange Bowl. An 82 degree forecast can mean wearing Red Husker Hawaiian print shirts and shorts (if the rain stays away). As I hope you know by now, the night game atmosphere is amazing in Huskerland.
Hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate, but packing a Husker rain poncho will almost guarantee sunny skies and low winds. Plan ahead for wherever you will be watching the game. No umbrellas, on a drink or otherwise, are allowed in the stadium.
All Day Tailgating Rule No. 4: Do NOT be an over-served fan. No one likes a drunk person, not in the game, not in a bar, not at your house and certainly not at a tailgate. When you are going to be potentially consuming alcoholic beverages all day, remember to pace yourself and make sure to maintain.
Drink water or Gatorade in between. Your liver will appreciate it the next day, and so will you. Eat and nibble all day long, too. And let’s face it, keep an eye on your friends in case something sneaks up on them. It can happen.
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Sometimes a celebratory shot here, a chugged beer there, hot weather, these all can sneak up on you and ruin a fun time. Have fun but be a responsible fan.
That lecture over, let’s talk food! As I mentioned earlier, Miami brings back visions of the Orange Bowl. and we all know GO BIG RED is synonymous with BEEF. To that end, I’ve got a recipe for Orange glazed beef kabobs.
With all day tailgates, munching on little bits here and there is a good idea. I usually like using the metal skewers rather than wooden ones to cook, but that’s a personal choice. When in a group setting, the wooden ones are better and easier for self-serve.
Make sure to soak them in water 30 minutes before threading. I use a large water bottle to achieve this. Make these up ahead of time or use the extra tailgate time to whip them up as you chat and enjoy the day.
Husker Beef Kabobs w/ Orange Glaze
- ¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ lpounds beef tenderloin (or boneless sirloin) cut in 1-inch cubes
- 8 mushrooms, halved
- 1 red onion, quartered and separated
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes
- Salt & pepper
Stir glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until smooth, about two minutes. Thread beef, onion, tomato and mushrooms on skewers. Brush orange mixture over skewers and season with salt and pepper. Broil/Grill for six to eight minutes at six inches from the heat source until the meat and mushrooms are browned and the onions are just charred on the edges.
Adult treats: Back in my bartending days, I concocted a recipe for a drink called “Hurricane”. It was rather popular, and I’ve tweaked it a little, turning it into a Hurricane Jello shot recipe. It packs a punch (small pun intended), so again, be responsible. I’ll be making them along with the Big Red and Miami jello shots.
Hurricane Jello Shots
Heat 8 ounces pineapple/orange juice mix with 8 ounces water.
Kelli Anne Francis-Husker Corner
Mix with Kool-Aid flavor gelatin packet until dissolved (cherry, raspberry or black cherry will work too).
Add in 4 ounces vodka, 4 ounces Captain Morgan (or spiced rum) and 6 ounces Southern Comfort.
Stir for consistency and pour into cups and let set in the fridge overnight.
BIG RED: My standard mix is 1 part vodka, 1 part peach schnapps, 2 parts jello. The alcohol serves as the second cup of liquid in the recipe. To achieve the pattern fill halfway and tilt the tray in the fridge. Then fill cup with the other color once they have set up.
Lagniappe (that’s LSU for something extra): Captain Morgan was a real Welsh pirate who later became Lt. Governor of Jamaica.
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