Tailgate Food

My favorite time of year is fall for many reasons, from pumpkin patches to that first cozy fire but a major one is that it is college football season. I love watching most sports but there is nothing so familiar and yet so unpredictable as a college football game. Even if your team is having a down year, it is so rejuvenating to pack up your ice chest and head down to the game amongst all your flag waving people. (Beaver Fans on I-5). You feel hopeful and excited as you near your Alma mater, and absolutely can't wait to park & open that cooler! Be sure to make lots, you'll want to share and you'll also need some nourishment as you sit in game day traffic. You might even want to double the cupcake recipe, either for a celebratory dessert or to drown your sorrows afterward. I am not sure what can be more comforting than peanut butter & chocolate. Be sure to pack something equally satisfying to wash it down with, game days can make you unusually thirsty!

For the cupcakes use your favorite chocolate cake recipe, the richer the better!

Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

1 Cup powdered sugar
1 Cup creamy peanut butter (I like Jif)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher salt
1/3 Cup heavy cream

Beat powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until creamy. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth, about 2 minutes.

My girlfriend used to make these sandwiches up for what we called the after after party. For when the hot food is gone, but you need a little snack. On a croissant they also look elegant enough for a buffet, I have made them for baby showers and birthday parties. To make the celery more tender and less stringy, peel the outer layer before chopping There isn't really any measurement to the chicken filling, just make as little or as much as you need! Make the filling a day ahead to let the flavor develop! My sister claims she doesn't like pickles, but when I made these and left them in the fridge overnight, they we gone the next morning!

Croissant Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Croissants
Sliced Swiss cheese
Dill pickles , chopped
Celery, chopped
Roasted chicken, chopped (Roast your own, or use a store bought rotisserie chicken)
Mayonnaise
Ranch dressing (preferably homemade , if not use Hidden Valley)
Salt
Lots & lots of pepper!

Mix chicken with equal parts pickles and celery. Then mix in equal parts ranch and mayo until desired consistency. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Put in Tupperware to sit overnight so the flavors can develop! When ready to assemble, cut croissant in half horizontally. Place chicken salad mixture on bottom of croissant. Place half a slice of Swiss cheese on top. Place top of croissant down making a sandwich, cut in half!

Tuna & White Bean Salad : Legume Recipe # 1

So I have decided to do a 3-part recipe series, on beans. Yes, beans. Maybe I will call them legumes just because it sounds better….The reason I have been trying out recipes using legumes, is because beans are high in fiber and high in protein but don’t have cholesterol. The protein part is key because it means, they actually fill you up. Normally I just breeze right past any recipes that include beans. All fart jokes aside, just due to the fact that I didn’t like them. After testing out some recipes though, I have found that you can actually make some pretty tasty stuff using beans. The benefits to cooking with them? 1. They are good for you. 2. They satisfy (I.e.; fill you up!) 3. They are an inexpensive protein. 4. And probably most important at least to my family, they don’t have any cholesterol.

All 3 recipes I am going to use come from spin offs of Giada De Laurentis recipes. They are changed only slightly because her recipes just don’t need that much tweaking! The first is a tuna & white bean salad. I make this salad and then put it on a Ciabatta sandwich roll (like the kind they sell @ Costco) with some Romaine lettuce. This salad is really tasty and eliminates any need for mayonnaise. (Shocking!) Tuna does have some cholesterol, but it is the good kind, loaded with Omega 3’s. You can eat it without the bread, but I feel like turning it into a sandwich leaves everyone walking away from the dinner table full. Personally speaking, if I try to limit my dinner I just end up snack binging later on in the evening.

This recipe serves 4 easily:
2 (5 oz) cans chunk light tuna in OIL
2 (14 oz) cans canellini or white beans , drained and rinsed
½ pint grape tomatoes (halved)
3 tablespoons capers (drained)
1 small red onion thinly sliced into half circles
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Place beans, tomatoes, capers, onion , canned tuna IN ITS OIL, S & P all together in large bowl and mix. Pour red wine vinegar over salad and mix again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place salad on one half of Ciabatta. Place Romaine leaves on other half and put together like a sandwich. Easy & tasty!