Football and the ‘ber months kick off in a couple of weeks, and with that, welcome to tailgating season!
Photo by Sarah Elizabeth
Tailgating season is the pass a good time prelude to the game where fan fabulous tablescape ideas and tasty recipes rule the field of creativity.
Can’t make it to the stadium?
Homegating works too!
Country Living Magazine – Photography by Brian Woodcock
Bringing a festive tailgating-homegating event together requires thought and time to plan, and everyone has a method to their tailgating madness.
Cornell v. Yale Football Program 1956
To every sport there is a season, and to every tailgating style and spread there is a reason.
Photo by Dave Adamson
Successful tailgating times is defined in may ways, but festive camaraderie in late summer, cozy days of fall, and the chill of early winter is the common ground game goal of all.
Vertical Charcoal Smoker Portable BBQ Smoker Grill with Detachable 2 Layer
Double Burner Gas Propane Cooker Outdoor Picnic Stove Stand BBQ Grill
Outdoor Iron Black with Powder Coating Fire Pit
Folding sports wagons and carts accommodate transporting your moveable feast to the tailgating table.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Folding Sports Wagon with Removable Bed
Tote in style.
Straw Bag with Leather Shoulder Strap
Igloo Laguna NCAA LSU 28QT Soft Top Wheeled Cooler Purple
Crock Pot Manual 8-Quart Slow Cooker
Outdoor Gourmet 19-Piece BBQ Tool Set
Grill Brush and Scraper Bristle Free – Safe BBQ Brush for Grill
Ozark Trail 10-Quart Collapsible Sink
Fall gardens, holidays, and celebrations can be the inspiration to guide your tailgating-homegating theme of the week.
Go Dawgs! Sitting Bulldog Figurine
Silver Polystone Football Player Sculpture
Prowling Orange Bengal Tiger On Rocky Grounds Figurine
Initial costs ding the wallet at first, but grant bang for your party buck satisfaction for tailgating seasons to come.
Burlap fabric remains a great option of neutral and inexpensive for table covering needs. It comes in a good selection of colors allowing you to go with team colors game to game.
Spills happen.
If a stain should occur, cover it up with a serving tray or platter for the duration of your tailgating soiree (a hosting trick).
Between tailgating times, head over to a fabric store or online retailer to pick up or order a couple of more yards of this tailgating friendly fabric.
Take into account larger tablecloths give enough over drop to conceal table legs or baskets and totes stored under fold-out tables.
Pick up inexpensive throws in team colors, patterns, and textures to use as spot accents or tablecloths.
In season local fruits and vegetables make excellent table and centerpiece decorations.
House & Garden – Photography by Andrew Montgomery
Play up the fall season and the holidays that come around this time of year.
Tailgate treasure hunt at home.
Better Homes & Gardens 18″ Black Metal Candle Holder Lantern
Mainstays Solar Lantern Bronze
In other words, shop what you’ve got.
Introduce real or faux garlands to the tailgating table as fabulous fillers and display accents.
Centerpiece ideas center around grocery store floral departments and my forever go-to, nature’s floral department; always open and the prices can’t be beat.
Stems and branches denoting regional and seasonal beauty in varying heights and colors gathered together in vases or free form vignettes achieve the look of effortless style and casual elegance.
Take the display to new heights while freeing up table real estate by using crates turned upside down or stacked on top of each other.
Crates and baskets perform double duty as totes and serveware.
Planters, trophies, and urns- all excellent choices as beverage tubs.
Tailgating treasures tip:
End of season clearance sales result in some mighty fine finds with price points to match. Don’t overlook the aisles and the shelves of big box and resale-vintage-thrift stores.
Flea markets, estate, and garage sales source vintage dinnerware perfect for mix and match presentation, cast iron cookware, copper kitchen wares, cake stands, Tupperware, table linens, cutlery, holiday decorations and the like.
Tiger fans making the trek down to Death Valley cross over the Mighty Mississippi River making Mississippi Mud Cake an appropriate sweet treat for tailgating times.
Take the look to next level style with wreaths.
Uses include flanking table ends, candle rings, stunning base for a beverage dispenser(s), and placed on tabletops to complement nickel plated iron serving trays from Dollar Tree.
Bourbon Apple Cider Thyme Punch Recipe
Who wants a Bloody Mary?
Game Time Bloody Mary
Ingredients
6 ounces of chilled Clamato
1 ounce vodka
generous sprinkle celery salt
Pickapeppa sauce
ice cubes
fresh lemon juice
Louisiana spicy beans
Directions
Pour Clamato and vodka into glass.
Shake several splashes of Pickapeppa sauce, celery salt, and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice into mixture. Stir well. Garnish with a spicy bean garnish and it’s game time!
Speaking of sauces…
Louisiana hot sauces kick up the fun and the flavors- two things necessary at a Louisiana tailgating get together.
Pour up hot sauce (or any other type sauce or dressing) into clear disposable plastic cups with lids for individual servings. The deals are better on large containers, and individual servings sizes?
Simple and delicious crowd pleasing appetizer solutions begin with several bricks of cream cheese placed on a lovely plate or platter.
Next, top each brick with a favorite jelly, jam, preserves or spread.
Garnish with fruit, nuts, or fresh herbs.
How deliciously easy is that?
Charcuterie boards score big points with the tailgating and/or homegating crowd.
Easy tops the tailgating menu when you pickup items at your local grocery store that put simple and delicious on the table.
Mix it up, spoon it out, and spread it on thick in real-time before game time.
Country Living – Photography by Brian Woodcock
Caramelized Onion Dip with Crispy Shallots
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil, divided
3 large sweet onions, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, sliced into thin rings
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
Pretzels and potato, beet, and sweet potato chips for serving
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are a deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon; cool completely.
Combine sour cream and onions in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Top with crispy shallots and chives. Serve with pretzels and chips.
Jalapeño Popper Football Cheese Ball Recipe
When tailgating friends ask what can they bring my stock answer is fried chicken.
Pick up a basket, box or bucket of this tailgating food favorite and bring the delicious and the easy to the table.
Chili in a bread bowl, especially oval shaped Bolillos and topped with cheese or sour cream in the form of football laces, is game day genius.
Game day often comes early, and there’s a recipe for that.
Traditional tailgating favorites such as links, burgers, and dogs score big points.
Photo by Paras Kapoor on Unsplash
Louisiana cooking hits the flavor button with its unique blends and mixes of spices, sauces, and syrups.
Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
To the trusty Tiger Bait Recipes we go for Cajun Red Beans and Rice-
Quick dessert bites of the simple to make-no bake-easy to take kind sweeten the tailgating season.
No Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars Recipe
Tiger fans making the trek down to Death Valley cross over the Mighty Mississippi River making Mississippi Mud Cake an appropriate sweet treat for tailgating times.
Giving a glance to the recipe below it, I must admit I am intrigued by this recipe for Sausage Cake. It reads like a c’est si bon classic and new fall favorite to include in the recipe box.
Here’s wishing the football faithful a winning and happy tailgating season!
To me it simply isn’t a Thanksgiving table without serving pieces and figurines denoting a pheasant and turkey pattern.
Dessert compotes remind me of my grandmother- a woman who mastered the art of the holiday table with signature style and grace.
“Fly, Fly, Fly.” 
