Fall - Time For Football, Food and Fun

Fun to eat, easy to take recipes are key to successful tailgate parties. Whether you are headed to a College football game or a NFL football game, these recipes and ideas are sure to please.

Whether you are planning to travel to the game or watch the game at home, food is often a big part of the experience. My university is a part of the SEC, and believe me, football is an "event!" For our family and others, it is a day filled with a "mini-reunion" for our family, great food and exciting football.

We travel over an hour to get to the campus and in the past, we traveled five hours. This makes it hard to bring food that has to be heated. We have found that it is helpful to put food that is going into the cooler in air-tight container and we often use containers that can be chilled ahead of time and contains a built-in freezer pack. These are sold at local retailers such as Target and are also available from Pampered Chef.

Drinks For the children, we often pack pouch-style drinks and individual bottles of their favorite juice. We also bring plenty of bottled water for everyone especially when it is very hot.

Lemonade-Iced Tea This tea is a refreshing twist to regular iced tea or lemonade and is easy to prepare! You will need ten cups of tea brewed using tea bags, 3/4 cup of sugar (or substitute splenda,) 6 ounces of frozen lemonade and a sliced lemon. First, mix sugar and lemonade together thoroughly in a pan. Pour the boiling tea over the lemonade/sugar mixture and mix. Refrigerate. Transport it to your football event in an insulated thermos container with ice.

Bloody Mary Bloody Marys work well especially for early games, when liquor is allowed. Webtender.com has a great recipe which is easy to prepare. Per drink, you will need 1 ½ ounces of vodka, 3 ounces of tomato juice, 1 dash of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, 2-3 drops of Tabasco sauce, 1 wedge lime and ice. Shake all ingredients (except lime) and strain into cup over ice cubes. You can add salt and pepper to taste if desired. Add the lime wedge and serve. Remember to drink responsibly.