Instgrammin': Late Summer Edition

It seems like every September I catch a little cold. Not a knock-down-seeing-stars flu, just a cold that's inconvenient enough to sap all my energy and give me a low-grade fever. It's not a time when people like you to handle their food. I'm in recovery mode with plans for a pumpkin bender, but until then, here's a glance at the past month or so.

This is the face of disobedience. It's a sweet face to be sure, but mercy this dog doesn't listen!

Farm-fresh eggs come in pretty colors and taste phenomenal, too.

I think he's silently communicating "I don't take pictures of you while you eat."

Gameday Treats

In honor of my beloved Gamecocks' opening day, I present to you some of my favorite snacks for tailgating and general football-watching. Also, baby in a jersey!

• Pimento Cheese: A Southern classic, pimento cheese makes the perfect sandwich or spread. Spice it up with chopped pickled jalapeños or make everyone a little happier with crumbled bacon.
• Fried Chicken Biscuits: Good for those noon games whereupon you want both breakfast and lunch. And a mimosa.
• Deviled Egg Salad: Good on a sandwich or a cracker.
• Triple Chocolate Cookie Bars: Every tailgate needs a little something sweet. Portion them out into cookies for easy grabbing.
• Feta Squares: Good for your gameday chili or on their own.
• Ham Rolls: These buttery, salty sandwiches are always a hit. 
• Fried Chicken Nuggets: Good warm or cold, perfect for tailgating.
• Boiled Peanuts: Y'all, it's not a game without boiled peanuts! I've got three pounds of peanuts goin' on the stove as we....speak? Salty and juicy, boiled peanuts are my favorite gameday snack.

Super Bowl Sunday 2012

Y'all, it's about that time again!  Super Bowl Sunday.  I must confess, I'm way more invested in college football than I am in the NFL.  Oh sure, I cheer for the odd team here and there.  I like the Saints because I really love New Orleans.  I like the Broncos because my grandparents used to live in Denver.  But none of that really translates into a diehard fan.  I still really like to watch football of course, plus I like the commercials just as much as anyone.  So I pick a team to cheer for for the night.  I also watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.  Sooooo cute!

I remember the last Super Bowl where the Patriots played the Giants.  I cheered for the Giants because something really irks me about Tom Brady.  Probably his face.  I know everyone thinks he's sooo cute, but I just don't see it.  I mean, he's reasonably attractive (and he did land supermodel Gisele), but I can think of at least 10 other athletes I like better.  If David Beckham doesn't open his mouth and talk with his Mickey Mouse voice?  Game over.

So go Giants.  Hah.  If you're still deciding what to serve for the big game, let me make a few suggestions.

Fancy Taters- Make a big ol' batch depending on how many people you serve.

 Everyone goes crazy for Ham Rolls.  You might want to make extra, just in case!

When are Fried Chicken Tenders ever wrong?

Oh jeez, forgive me for this picture.  At any rate, no party is complete without some Pimento Cheese.  You can jazz it up with bacon and/or jalapeños.

Speaking of cheese, these Cheese Wafers like to fly off the table.

Oh my goodness, more cheese.  How do I survive? Feta Squares are lovely on their own or with chili.

For something sweet, try Chocolate Chip Cookies.  What's more American than a chocolate chip cookie?

Except maybe warm Apple Crisp.

No matter who you're cheering for tomorrow, have fun and be safe!

Feta Squares

Do you remember that show Cybill?  Maybe not, but I do.  It's one of those shows I used to watch with my mom when I was little.  It introduced me to Cybill Shepherd and Christine Baranski, who continues to be one of my favorite actresses.  I loved her as the jaded best friend in Cybill and now as a badass lawyer in The Good Wife.  Seriously, her filmography is massive.  And she's done theatre.  So there's that.  I'm totally bringing this up because the TV Guide channel shows reruns of Cybill.  My mom and I also used to watch Murder, She Wrote.  Who doesn't love Angela Lansbury (aka Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast)?!?!  We also watched Murphy Brown and basically any show with heavy topical sarcasm or a criminal procedural.

Sorry I've been a little slack in posting lately.  Between travelling and footballing and hanging with my sister, I lost the energy for photo editing and posting.  Whomp whomp.  But I'm back, and I've got a ton of stuff to share.  Starting with feta squares.  

Football Feast Pt. 2

I made 2 pounds of chicken for four people.  And we had other food.  It's an affliction in my family.  We make far too much food for the amount of people involved.  It dates back to when my grandparents were first married and living on their own.  My great-grandparents came over for dinner, and Jimbo showed his daddy the chicken they were making.  Papa Dick promptly said "Is that it?" or something along those lines.  From then on, there's never been a doubt that we have more than enough food for a small army.

Rich, my brother-in-law, always comments that it's a little weird that we always have fried chicken at tailgates because our mascot is a rooster, albeit a vicious one.  I just think it's good tailgate food.  You can eat it warm when it's fresh or cold after the game.

You know you want to snack on a piece of chicken.  And as chicken frying goes, this is probably one of the simplest recipes.

Football Feast Pt. 1

Um, yeah.  This needs multiple parts.  Let's just review some college football highlights first, shall we?

Starting with Carolina (obvi--they're my team).  I nearly had a heart attack.  Or an aneurysm.  Or both.  My head almost exploded.  I can only hope that they were holding back a smidge because it was ECU, and they're supposed to win.  But I have to hand it to the Pirates, they put up a good fight.  I have a feeling they'll do really well in their conference this year.  That being said, I'm glad we put up 56 points and won.

I really have to hand it to Stephen Garcia and his freshly shaven face.  He revitalized the offense and wasn't afraid to run when he needed to.  Here's to hoping his troubles are behind him.

LSU showed Oregon that changing your uniform every game does not a BCS contender make.  I wish Georgia had taught Boise State a similar lesson.  Boise played a good game, but they just don't have the schedule strength to convince me they're the top team.  And while we're thinking of teams who have been arguing for a shot at the BCS, I'd like to thank Baylor for the upset over TCU.

This Saturday: Gamecocks vs. Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens.  Should be a good game.

Today we're going to look at the ham rolls I mentioned last post.  Be warned, they're addictive.  Salty ham, bright Swiss cheese, and a lotta butta.

In Less Than 24 Hours...

Kickoff.  College football will be in full swing.  I'll be singing the fight song at the top of my lungs.  Hallelujah!  

I love the butterflies I get when 2001 plays and the sentimental tears when I sing the alma mater with 80,000 other people.  Tomorrow's game (or today's rather) against East Carolina is being played in Charlotte.  We're having a little ladies football evening.  In other words, my mom, grandmother, aunt, and I are going to watch the game together.  Real women watch football.  The rest can stay in the kitchen.  I'll be in the kitchen a good deal but definitely not while the game is goin'.  

This picture is from the Bama-USC game last year.  A glorious day as I recall with an historic win for us.  Will wasn't so thrilled as he's an Alabama fan.  

I've been tailgating and game-prepping a while now, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve.  Since we'll be watching tomorrow's game at my grandmother's, it's a little easier to prep.  I can also make more time-consuming dishes because I'm working with a fully equipped kitchen.  I whole-heartedly recommend making as many things ahead of time as possible.  Of course, this is even more important when you're tailgating in the elements and maybe staying at a hotel.  Making pimiento cheese by a bathroom sink?  I think not.  

Game day food should be effortless and make you smile.  Fried chicken from your favorite spot.  Dips of all kinds with veggies, crackers, and chips.  Some things should be homemade, but not everything has to be.  You want to be able to enjoy going to the game, not stressing about garnish on deviled eggs.  For at-home viewing and tailgating, food that doesn't necessarily require a fork is ideal.  

I thought I'd share tomorrow's game day menu.  Again, I'm going to have the luxury of time in a full kitchen.  

• Pimiento cheese with football-shaped Ritz crackers (oh yes, I did)
• Quick French onion dip with chips- Note: I prefer a ruffled or wavy chip for dip because they're sturdier
• Fried chicken tenders with honey mustard sauce- This is one of those dishes where I balance the store-bought with homemade.  I'm making the chicken but bought a gourmet dipping sauce.  If you're tailgating, get your favorite fried chicken and whip up some honey mustard sauce for dipping.  
• Ham rolls- These are always a favorite and super duper easy to whip up.  They're fantastic after the game when you're hungry again.  And the next day when all you want is ham and bread.  Not that that's ever happened to me...
• Crack pie courtesy of Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi

We might have some fruit for something a little healthy, but there's only four of us.  We'll have a balance of hot and cold items, as well as spreadables and more substantial dishes.  

The most important part:  Cheer as loudly and fervently as you can for your favorite team...unless it's Clemson.  Go Gamecocks!