🏈Football, 🍔Food, and 🐶Fido!
Enjoying the transition to fall, family, and fun
This weekend marks the beginning of fall. I have always loved the season with football, great tailgating and cooking food outdoors, and fun times with family, friends, and loved ones including our dogs!
This weekend, I am traveling to Texas where I am excited to spend time enjoying the transition to fall with family, football, and fun.
Are you ready for some football? 🏈
Delicious Menu Options for Everyone at Your Tailgate
Football season and cooking food outdoors at tailgates and backyard barbeques is awesome! The excitement before the game, spending time with friends, and enjoying tasty comfort food! I love the smell of the grill while munching on delicious chips and salsa.
Tailgating Menu for the Big Game
Grilling doesn’t just mean throwing a piece of meat on the fire and letting it cook. You can have fun and be creative, adding rubs, herbs, and spices for an amazing feast! Here are a few of my outdoor cooking menu favorites with a fun list of tailgate recipes with something for everyone including your vegetarian, vegan, meat lover, and dog friends.
Appetizers: Let’s start with some appetizers! Everyone loves to snack on chips and dips during game day!
I love to get started with garden fresh chips and salsa fresca. Plan to gather your tomatoes, onions, avocados, garlic, hot peppers, and limes from your garden or a nearby farmers market. Chop, dice, and combine your ingredients in advance to get the maximum flavor with tomatoes, hot peppers, onions, garlic, and lime.
Vegetarian chili cheese dip: This dip is a crowd-pleaser! Start with your favorite vegetarian chili, add in cream cheese and cheddar cheese, and heat until it’s melted and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips for a delicious dip that scores a touchdown every time!
Hummus and healthy dips: Offer a variety of dips like hummus, guacamole, and spinach artichoke dip. Serve them with a mix of crackers, chips, celery, carrots, and other veggies. This is a great way to offer something for everyone.
Jalapeño pimento cheese: This dip delivers a strong kick! Combine shredded sharp cheddar cheese, diced pimentos, mayonnaise, and diced jalapeños. Serve with crackers or bread for a spicy treat that’s sure to score!
Main courses: Fill every plate with a wide variety of main courses to fuel your energy for all four quarters!
Burgers and hotdogs: Offer both meat and veggie versions to cater to all dietary preferences. You can set up a toppings table with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and relish.
Chicken and waffles: This is a great option for early morning games. Serve crispy fried chicken on top of fluffy waffles with a side of maple syrup.
Foil packets: These are great for easy cleanup! Try butter garlic potato foil packets or sausage and pepper foil packets.
Greek kabobs: Skewer chunks of lamb, pork, or beef with bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Marinate in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano before grilling.
Grilled chicken: Offer a variety of flavors like taco lime grilled chicken, dry rubbed chicken, or chicken marinated in your favorite sauce.
Grilled fish: Offer a variety of fish like salmon and tilapia. Season with lemon, garlic, and herbs before grilling. Serve with a side of grilled asparagus.
Jackfruit: This is a great vegan option as it has a meaty texture but is 100% vegan. You can use it in tacos, sandwiches, or salads.
Pork chops: Sweet and sour pork chops are always a hit! Marinate in a mixture of brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne before grilling.
Steak: Grill steaks to perfection and serve with a side of grilled veggies.
Sides and salads: Pair with colorful green salads and lighter pasta salads with the main course or serve them up potluck style.
Carrots: These can be served raw with dip, roasted with herbs, or glazed with a little honey for a sweet side dish.
Cauliflower wings: These are a great vegetarian option. You can air fry or cook them with your favorite spicy sauce.
Corn on the cob: This is a classic side dish. You can grill it and serve it with butter, a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bam! Kick it up a notch with a spicey rub.
Pasta salad: This is a great dish to serve potluck style. You can mix cooked pasta with veggies like bell peppers, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. Add some Italian dressing for flavor.
Traditional potato salad: This salad is filled with carbs to fuel pre-game fun throwing a football with friends! Mix boiled potatoes with mustard, pickle, and hard-boiled egg. Add some mayo for creaminess.
Deserts: What is better to balance out the spicey and savory food than a sweet-tasting dessert! My favorite is grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream. Melts in your mouth.
Grilled peaches and homemade vanilla ice cream: This is a classic summer dessert that’s perfect for a game day. Simply cut peaches in half, remove the pit, and grill until they’re slightly charred. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a dessert that melts in your mouth!
Ice cream: You can’t go wrong with this classic dessert.
Chocolate cookies: So much fun! When decorated like a football who can resist?
Our dogs love to join us for these fun tailgate gatherings too! It’s precious when they wear doggie jerseys, and bandanas supporting our favorite team.
Remember, the key to a successful tailgate is variety. Offering a mix of flavors and types of food will ensure that there’s something for everyone - even our pets! Please be sure any foods you offer your pets are safe for them to consume and set out plenty of water bowls too!
Stay hydrated and enjoy the big game!
Where to Find a Great BBQ Pit in Dallas
After the game, you might still be hungry and perhaps you can celebrate at a local restaurant venue that specializes in delicious grilled and smoked food.
Texas is known for its barbecue. I love the Hard Eight Pit in Dallas which offers an incredible menu of “Texas-style” food straight from the pit. The menu is comprehensive with meats from the pit, fixens, deserts, and drinks.
