Cocky Cutting to the Chase
And So It Begins....
by The Cocky Cutter on 09/18/22
For me, football season is always a time to pull things back
together, to shake off the summer and get ready for my favorite time of the
year. My family are all huge football fans, college football in particular, and
we love connecting back with our “football family” who we have been tailgating
with for many years. This group has gone through funerals, weddings, baby
showers and now celebrating the joy of adding our newest tailgaters to the fam.
I’m sure if you love college football like we do, you have your favorite teams and
not-so-favorite rivals and are now getting in gear for your first kickoffs!
YAY!
Our football fam always tailgates together in the same spot
in preparation for our beloved South Carolina Gamecocks’ season. Though I do
get a little bit of nervous stress, I absolutely love planning parties, showers,
birthdays or any other events where I can try my hand at crafting, though my
husband usually accuses me of going overboard. But why not if it gives me joy? So
this love of all things parties typically holds true for our tailgates as well,
and along with my sidekick (my mom, also known affectionately as Gigi at tailgate
since she’s much too spry for her original moniker, Gamecock Grandmama) the
plans for the week’s tailgate theme are set on Mondays. Though we tend to be
creatures of habit, we do like to have some of the same themes but build on
them each year. I thought it would be fun to share some of these themes and
perhaps they may spark some ideas for your menu! Please know that I'm including links to products that I have used to make finding them easy, but that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Our First Game menu
For over forty five years, my parents hosted a “First
Game Party” at the beginning of each season. It was the official kickoff of football
and fall, and there were many great goodies that party goers came to enjoy (and
expect) as they dropped in on their way to the game. It was always a fun and
exciting time, and though they aren’t held anymore, we always look forward to
setting our First Game menu. This year, our team kicks off to a night game which allows us a little more time to sleep in on Saturday morning, but also
encourages us to bring some food that’s a little more hearty and sticks to your
ribs. We’ve selected the following:
I absolutely love the Air Fryer that my husband got me for
Christmas last year. I’ve been wanting to try cooking chicken wings in it because
it saves some calories but also saves time! My air fryer is the Instapot
brand #ad and I just love it. Its easy to use and even easier to clean, which
makes me so happy. I’m making both teriyaki and buffalo chicken wings (using a
3 pound bag of wings purchased from the grocery store) as well as some panko
breaded chicken tenders (from a 4 pound bag from the grocery store) which will
be quite tasty.
We have a major habit of pairing our chicken wings with submarine sandwiches which, in a twisted way, is tied to one of the most significant losses in Gamecock program history. The Gamecocks were undefeated going into the last few games so of the season and got unexpectedly upended by an upstart team from the US Naval Academy. Though the game’s outcome wasn’t good, the meal of wings and subs stuck with us, so we now know this combo as “Navy Day”. Despite losing that day, we tend to do well as a team when we have Navy Day, and it’s all about the superstition in sports, right? So we’ve decided to serve sub sandwiches at our First Game Tailgate, which we pick up from the local Sub Station II (#19’s are the best!). To get them out to the parking spot, we use these phenomenal sub sandwich tubes #ad to carry them in the cooler, and they stay intact and free from moisture from the melting cooler ice. Pro tip, these are also great for taking subs out on the lake while boating! We always plan for the first few game to still be a little buggy, so we make sure to have these cute serving tray covers #ad on hand to keep out the “extra protein” from helping themselves to the food and make sure to have plenty of natural bug spray #ad on hand.
We’ve also really enjoyed the fad of creating our own Charcuterie tray with an assortment of meats, cheeses, crackers and some delicious bacon jam #ad, which you have to try if you haven't!. We like to use this really cute charcuterie board #ad that was a gift from a dear friend that is super handy but also really cute and funny with it’s Shark-Cuterie theme.
My sister is an absolute pro at making the most delicious Linguini
Salad. Mixed with cucumbers, tomato bites, and black olives with a light Italian
dressing, it is a perfect complement to both the chicken and subs. I literally
can’t get enough of it, and she is always kind enough to separate out some on
the side in a separate container #ad for me to have to myself postgame. Yum!
And finally, brownies are also a staple at our tailgate table, and especially if they can be made smaller for a quick one-bite treat. We have some in both camps with the brownies, some who like the edges crispy and others who want their brownie super moist all the way through. To achieve this, we use simple store bought brownie mix and a pan like this one #ad.
For drinks, we always include plenty of bottled water, along with some beer, soft drinks, and some fun and tasty jello shots. Our parking neighbor makes delicious ones, but we’ve also started trying our hand at them. When we’re being especially playful, we enjoy making them in these cups with lids #ad or even in syringes #ad similar to how we’ve had them during nights out on the town. As long as you don’t overfill them, they are super easy to keep cold and transport this way. And when I try to get really fancy, I use my Gamecock-shaped Cocky Cutter to make them.
We started off expecting a small tailgate and, because of some out-of-towners,
we only thought it would be 3 of us. Boy were we wrong!! We always tell our
friends that once they’ve been once, the invitation is always open, and this
led to some wonderful surprises, ending up with a total of around 15 of us. It
turned out the be a beautiful day and we came home with a win, so we’re off and
running for some Fall fun!
