Tailgating food ideas!

KT&John

Girls who are inspired in the food ideas department, I need your help!

My DH has Georgia Tech season tix again this year and Cadence and I will be present for tailgating at all the home games. I usually love planning out the tailgating spreads. This year, though I am excited for the socializing aspect of football season, I feel so indifferent about what I will make to eat.

 Anyone have some fabulous ideas/recipes to share? Any healthy/fresh options? I need some serious help and I know you ladies are full of great ideas!

Mrs.Guz

I'm no help. I always eat the food at the tailgates, never prepare it. But that's because my team is OOT. (GO VOLS!!!!!). One guy is usually in charge of the food and usually just gets food from a local food joint.

myrall

There are tons of food that travel well at room temperature. Some rice and pasta dishes, roasted vegetables (asparagus, portabello mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions).

Deluxe sandwiches are good - you can individually wrap or assemble on site. Wings with hot sauce or jerk seasoning. Briskets are great. Making your own pulled pork is sooooo simple - it just requires a little while in the oven!

There are tons of slaw and potato salad recipes without mayo that can travel well too! One of my faves is a slaw with a jalapeno and a granny smith apple.

JoJoEspana

Hey Katie, we weill be at all the home games too!  Our friends take tailgating very seriously, and we have a spreadsheet every year with assingments.  Usually 2 couples are in charge of meat for the week, and that dictates the "theme" ie fajitas = mexican, burgers or hotdogs = whatever, etc.  Will it just be your family or are you tailgating w/a group?  If a group, I wouldn't say you should go so far as to make a spreadsheet (unless you'r just nerdy like us - LOL), but I would def make assignments or let people take turns bringing different dishes. And I think picking the meat first helps you decide what you'll have for other dishes. 

Off the top of my head, here are some of our past spreads

 Beef and Chicken Fajitas, chips, salsa, and guac, 7-layer dip, black bean salad, grilled peppers and onions, corn tortillas, margaritas and corona of course

Burgers and Brats - pasta salad, baked beans, fruit and veggie trays, pigs n blankets,  cookies and brownies

chili - rice, fritos, diced onions, cheese, jalapenos, corn bread, etc

wings - jalapeno poppers, tater tots, onion rings, chili con queso, spinach dip...

Pulled Pork - corn on the cob, baked beans, sweet poato wedges, salad, vinegar based slaw...

We'll have to find you guys at a tailgate and visit this year!

DzsGirl

We always try to do a theme with who we are playing. We haven't done our whole schedule yet but a few things we are doing is:

Grilling BBQ chicken with pasta salad and a bunch of munchies for the South Carolina game

Jambalaya and maybe red beans and rice for the LSU game

We always play Auburn in Nov...so its a tradition that we do Chili and have a topping bar...

(As you can probably tell...We are DAWG fans :0) but ya'll can do something fun with your schedule as well!)

maykat

we always do a theme too.  One that is always popular is brunch and we do make your own omelettes on the fly (put everything in a zip loc baggie and than grill the contents), also bring a hash brown casserole, and shrimp and grits and bloody marys

apriljensmith

Not an actual food idea but a theme. At Falcons games we used to eat food inspired by the opposing team. Like:?New Orleans- Red Beans Rice, NY- Baked Ziti.

It made us feel like we were killin the opposition already!?

KT&John

Thanks for all the ideas ladies..some great inspiration here..you definitely did not let me down!!

I love the theme ideas..and all the food suggestions sound great!

Jojo- we do have a group but it has dwindled over the years and I think, in part, that has led to the lack of inspiration this year. These ideas will help us revive our awesome tailgates..we used to go the whole 9 smoking pork/ribs, low country boil..you name it! We'll definitely have to find each other this season. I believe we tailgate behind the physics building. I cannot be sure I have that right though..let's just say I am not the GT half of our house divided