Tailgating Party Food

By Kendra Smoot
Though you may not have been to a tailgate party since your college days, why not host a party before the next game you attend? Here are a few ideas to transform your tailgate party from a bunch of guys sitting around a keg to a fun, kid-friendly get-together.

Seth Smoot

The easiest way to avoid a messy tailgate party is to stick with finger foods. You'll probably be taking along a mini-grill, so why not cook mini-foods? Even your main course can be hassle free if you provide bite-size fare such as hamburger sliders and corn cobs cut in half. With these delicious little guys, you don't have to sacrifice taste and flavor. Spice 1" balls of ground beef with cajun seasoning and grill over coals or on a gas grill. Buns can be cut with a small round cookie cutter to fit the sliders. For the corn, butter and season clean, shucked cob halves and wrap them in aluminum foil. They're then ready to be placed directly on the grill where they'll cook about 10 minutes per side (20 minutes total). You can tell they're done when the kernels turn a deep golden color. Add simple sides like potato chips or veggies and you have a delicious meal made entirely of no-mess finger foods.

Seth Smoot

Class up your party by ditching the chip bags. A large bamboo steamer, found in Asian food markets, is a perfect snack keeper. Just line the bottom with parchment paper to keep chips from getting crushed. The steamer has two layers which can be separated off and passed around separately. Remember the old adage – happy guests are guests with hands full of snacks.

Seth Smoot

Fall soup is perfect for warming up guests on a chilly day. But who has time to chop those tough fall veggies like squashes and sweet-potatoes? Save time by serving up store-bought varieties, but then add delicious toppers like cheesy crackers, sugared nuts, cream, and fresh herbs. Heat the soup at home and transport to the game in a covered metal pot. It's quick and easy and will keep your insides warm no matter how cold the weather.

Seth Smoot

Finally, a use for day-old bananas that doesn't involve baking bread! Traditionally cooked in a campfire, this dessert also turns out fabulously when cooked on the grill. Slice unpeeled bananas and wedge chocolate (Hershey's and Rolo work best) and marshmallows into the slit. Wrap in aluminum foil, sealing well so the gooey deliciousness doesn't melt out. The result is a chocolatey take on bananas foster that will have you wanting to make them at home in your oven rather than wait for the next outdoor event.

Seth Smoot

Prove to your friends that you can be a sports fan AND one crafty chica by making a felt banner rooting for your favorite team. It's cheap and easy – just use felt squares and iron-on athletic letters, both found at craft stores. Display it near the snacks where your guests will linger and soak up your team spirit. When you're ready to leave the parking lot and head to the game, load things up in a bag like this brilliant one from LL bean

Seth Smoot

Let little ones get in on the cheering action with a set of homemade pom poms. Each pom pom takes about 10 shopping bags. Lay the bags down on a cutting mat and use a ruler and rotary cutter to cut the top, bottom, and both sides off. Discard these and you'll be left with a rectangle of plastic pieces. Cut this into 1-inch strips which you'll then gather and secure in the middle with a twistie tie. Fluff the pom pom by separating each piece of plastic, and then repeat the process for each pom pom. Be sure to make extras, as your toddler's friends (and maybe even some of the adults) will all want their own!


Seth Smoot

The Best Chips For Tailgating Dips

By Kathleen Squires

Football playoffs are in full swing, and any proper game day spread wouldn't be complete without the sport's official food mascots -- chips and dip. And although the average Joe can wax prolific on why he would never dunk a pita chip into onion dip or -- horrors -- smear a Pringle with guac, we've seen enough broken chips in our dip bowl to know that there's a science behind finding the perfect chip for every dip. So who better than a real food scientist to guide us in our search? As director of culinary technology for New York's French Culinary Institute (FCI), Dave Arnold develops, researches and teaches the latest trends in food technology and techniques, so we thought he'd be up to the task.
Arnold and his team of food science experts experimented with eight dips and eight chips, rating each combination on the essentials of a satisfying chips-n-dip experience: dip retention (read: the dip staying on the chip), chip breakage factor, crunch stability, and, last but not least, flavor. Their findings -- touchdowns and fumbles alike - follow.

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Salsa

WINNER: No surprises here -- triangular tortillas are the perfect platform for salsa, primarily due to the chip's geometrical surface area. Plus, "corn and salsa is a classic flavor combination, period," says Arnold.

LOSER: Potato without ridges, both for low dip retention and high breakage factor -- not to mention that any guest would likely turn their nose up to this mismatched pair.

DIP TIPS: No matter what type of tortilla chip you chose, "thick salsa works best overall because of its viscosity," according to our panel. Though scoop-style tortillas scored highest on dip retention, Arnold points out that, "They can be like a ladle, and a watery salsa can make the scoop mealy in your mouth." Yuck!

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Onion Dip

WINNERS: We've got an upset! This classic dip -- usually whipped up from a pack of dried onion soup mix and sour cream -- is most often associated with salty potato chips, but our testing panel called out bagel and pita chips as the winners. Bagel chips scored high marks for dip retention, little breakage and great crunch factor. Pita chips stood out because "the wheatiness cuts the sweetness of the onion," Arnold says. Who knew?

LOSER: Despite their long-time standings as onion dip sidekicks, both regular and potato with ridges fell short due to a general lack of sturdiness (read: lots of broken chips).

DIP TIPS: Onion dip's flavor nuances were tricky to pair. Scoop tortillas, which crumbled easily, took last place.

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Hummus

WINNER: Pita chips, which stood up valiantly to the density of this thick chickpea dip. "It's a match made in the Middle East," Arnold says.

LOSER: Potato, without ridges. Here, the dip's density caused too much breakage.

DIP TIPS: Bagel chips came in a close second, and while many of us pair corn chips with hummus, Arnold observed that all tortillas produced a "chemical" flavor within the combination.

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Guacamole

WINNER: When it comes to guacamole, if the chip ain't broke, don't fix it. And that chip is the triangular tortilla, which received a near perfect score in all categories.

LOSER: Potato chips -- which have no doubt made their way into a bowl of guacamole by the end of countless parties -- don't mix well with this avocado-based dip. According to Arnold and his panel, the chemical reaction was off. "Guacamole can be high in acid," Arnold says. "Combine it with the oil in potato chips and the result tastes like poison." Yikes!

DIP TIPS: Guacamole had high retention rates on all chips, except potato. A pairing with a bagel chip was deemed "ashy."

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Bean

WINNERS: Pita and bagel, both of which weathered this dense dip admirably.

LOSER: Plantain, which left behind a "tea-like" residual taste, according to Arnold.

DIP TIPS: "Do not be afraid to adjust the texture of a dip like bean. Adding water can not only loosen a too-stiff dip, it improves dip retainability," Arnold determined. "Plus, a stiff bean dip is just not sexy."

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Cheese

WINNERS: Round tortilla, pita and bagel. Pita and bagel scored high for their durability, while the cheese virtually stuck to the round tortilla like a magnet.

LOSER: Potato with ridges lost points for brittleness.

DIP TIPS: Don't go too gourmet with cheese dip. "If you're going lowbrow, go all the way," Arnold suggests. "You get a great consistency with simply Velveeta, jalapeno and tomato."

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Spinach Artichoke

WINNER: Potato without ridges. This hearty dip's consistency was the surprise perfect match for what is widely considered the most popular chip.

LOSER: Pita, which the panel unanimously agreed, "added nothing" to the flavor of the dip.

DIP TIPS: As if you ever had any doubt, when it comes to dipping, not all potato chips are created equal. While its smooth counterpart took first place, the grooves in ridgy potato chips proved to be a soggy trap for this dip's high moisture content, resulting in a mealy mess.

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Cucumber Yogurt

WINNER: The particles of the cucumber yogurt combo clung nicely to the round tortilla.

LOSER: Plantain. "It just doesn't go well with anything, and it loses for strength, crunch and retainability," says Arnold. "This one was the worst of the bunch." Ouch!

DIP TIPS: One surprise finding: "Pita plus cucumber creates a powdery aftertaste," said a panel member.
OTHER FASCINATING FINDINGS:
•The deeper the bowl, the better for dipping
•Plantain chips -- which ranked lowest for any dip -- should be used only as a last resort
•Baked chips should be paired with fattier dips, like guacamole.
•Pita chips have a porous side and a flat side. Use the porous side for optimal dip retention.
•Bagel chips are a great "neutral canvas" for most dips.
•Salty chips can compensate for bland dips.

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