Today’s recipe is a throw-back to all of my time at day camp as a child. We made these in the dying embers of a fire, so they work great on a grill. Clean up is super easy as well – just crumble up the tin foil and you’re good to go!

Banana Boats

• Bananas
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate chips
• Miniature marshmallows

You’ll also need tin foil, and although you can make these in a microwave at home, they really are the best in a fire or over a grill, because everything slowly melts together!

To make these, slit a banana from tip to tip, making sure not to go all of the way through, but at the same time, cutting it enough to be able to open it up a bit. Do not peel it! Spread peanut butter inside, and then stuff with chocolate chips and marshmallows. Wrap the whole thing in tin foil and stick on the grill until everything is gooey.

Yuuuuummm. Make sure you have plenty of plastic forks to eat these, since they’re really messy (but totally yummy).

You can find more Game Day recipes here.

Going to make these for your game day? If you do, drop me a note and let me know – take a picture and I’ll post it!

Oh, and if you have a recipe that you’d like to submit, email me at allison.boyer -at- yahoo.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: Banana Boats

This is the easiest, cheapest, yummiest recipe I think I’ve post thus far. Thanks goes out to the guys and gals who were selling these at my local Relay for Life this past spring (and if you’re so inclined to say “thank you,” you can follow that link to make a donation to the relay, a more than worthy cause).

Walkin’ Taco

• Single-sized bags of Fritos corn chips
• Cooked hamburger (about one pound for every 8-10 tacos you want to make)
• Lettuce, Cheese, Tomatoes, and any other taco toppings you want

All you do to make these is smash up the chips in the bag (before you open it!) and dump in all of the taco ingredients. Serve with a spoon -you can walk around eating these, make a little “taco bar” at your car for guests, and avoid the mess of traditional tacos.

You can find more Game Day recipes here.

Going to make these for your game day? If you do, drop me a note and let me know – take a picture and I’ll post it!

Oh, and if you have a recipe that you’d like to submit, email me at allison.boyer -at- yahoo.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: Walkin’ Taco

This recipe is a little more expensive than some that I’ve featured in the past, but it is totally worth it! I’m a huge fan of fondues for tailgates, as long as you have a way to plug ‘er in. Of course, that’s not a problem at home. This is by far the best one I’ve tried so far. Mmm crab…

Crab Fondue Recipe

• 8-oz can of flaked crab meat
• 5- to 7-oz jar of sharp cheddar cheese
• 8-oz package of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of light cream (half & half)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Use a double boiler to heat and melt cheddar cheese and cream cheese. When it is smooth, add in all other ingredients. If it seems too thick, add a little more light cream.

Serve with chucks of bread, bread sticks, etc.

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: Crab Fondue

• S’mores Bars
• Spinach Artichoke Dip (two versions)
• Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Smokey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• Chocolate-Caramel Banana Cream Pie
• Funnel Cakes
• French Fry Alternatives

Make sure you check back every week on Wednesday – I’ll be posting new ones for the 2008 season starting this coming week!

Post from: EveryJoe

Tailgating Recipe Round-Up

French Fry Alternatives

Today, I’m doing something a bit different – instead of focusing on a single recipe, I wanted to give you some alternative choices for a food that I absolutely love – fries. Unfortunately for my hips, French fries are aren’t exactly great for the body. Game days recipes are often high in fat, sugar, and other bad things for your body, so let’s go the healthy route today. Here are some great things you can serve instead of fries. These French fry alternatives  are fairly easy to make and much more friendly to your health!

• Polenta: Many people prepare polenta as they would prepare porriage or oatmeal – it is hot and soft. However, you can also make polenta fried in olive oil. Instead of looking for polenta or cornmeal in a box, look for it in a tube. It will be in a solid form, and you should be able to slice it into very thin pieces. Heat some olive oil (which is good fat) over low heat and fry each slice until it is crispy. A dash of salt and some ketchup, and you won’t even notice that you aren’t eating fries.

• Unfried Fries: You can still have French fries, just don’t fry them. Slice raw potatoes into fries or wedges and soak in water for a bit. Spread on a cookie sheet, brush with oil oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It’s not the same, but it is a close second.

• Sweet Potato Fries: If you make your fries in the same way but use sweet potatoes, you’ll have a healthier final result.

You can also use other dip-ables, like slices of grilled chicken or vegies. Keep in mind that these fry alternatives will help you stay around longer to enjoy a few more years…and that’s tons more football games, so it’s definitely worth it!
Going to make these for your game day? If you do, drop me a note and let me know – take a picture and I’ll post it!

Oh, and if you have a recipe that you’d like to submit, email me at allison.boyer -at- yahoo.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: French Fry Alternatives

I love going to fairs and carnivals, but not that summer is over, I don’t get to enjoy my favorite fair food nearly as often. Funnel Cakes. Mmmm. So here’s the easiest recipes in the world to make funnel cakes at home!

Funnel Cakes
Time to make: 15 minutes
Cost to make: About $6 (more if you buy brand name…but you might have all of these ingredients already if you have a well-stocked kitchen)
Serves: 20 people

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• powdered sugar
• vegetable oil

1. Beat the eggs and milk together.

2. Add sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Blend well to create a very smooth batter.

3. Heat oil in a small frying pan until it is around 350-400 degrees.

4. Use your finger to cover the hole of a funnel and fill with batter.

5. Allow the batter to flow into the oil, moving the funnel around to create the lattice look of a funnel cake. Make the cake about 6 inches round.

6. Brown on both sides for around 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on paper towel.

7. Blot off the extra oil.

8. Add powered sugar on top and eat while still warm!

I’ve also seen people add fruit, jelly, peanut butter, caramel, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream,  so have fun with it.Are you an Ohio State fan? Use strawberries and cherries. Rather cheer for Tennessee? Use orange marmalade. UCLA you team? Use blueberries.

Erm…South Florida and LSU fans…you’re on your own.

Going to make these for your game day? If you do, drop me a note and let me know – take a picture and I’ll post it!

Oh, and if you have a recipe that you’d like to submit, email me at allison.boyer -at- yahoo.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: Funnel Cakes

I’m a day late. Feel free to shake your finger and “tsk tsk” me. What can I say? It was Halloween yesterday, and I didn’t have time to post! But, since I’m coming to you a day late, this is an extra-special game day recipe of the week: PIE. Mmmmm….who doesn’t love pie? And really, for all my readers with a penis, this one is so easy to make that you can impress your wives and girlfriends with this with no worries of messing it up!

Chocolate-Caramel Banana Cream Pie
Time to make: 2 hours of bake time, 1 hour of cool time, 15 minutes of prep time
Cost to make: About $6 (more if you buy brand name)
Serves: 6-8 people

• 2 medium-sized bananas
• 2 cans of sweeten, condensed milk
• 1 ready-made graham cracker crust
• 1 or 2 ready-made “snack pack” chocolate puddings (because really, it’s easier than making a whole batch of pudding)
• 1 container of cool whip OR 1 can of whipped cream (the whipped cream looks prettier, the cool whip is sweeter
• 1 chocolate bar or a handful of chocolate chips

1. Dump the two cans of milk into a medium-sized cake pan or loaf pan (whatever you have). Cover with tin foil and place the filled pan into a larger cake pan. Fill the outside pan with water until it is about 1/2 way up the sides of the smaller pan.

2. Bake that at 300 degrees for  2 hours. At about 1 1/2 hours, check it by stirring it around and making sure that nothing is burning.

3. Cool the milk (which should be caramel-y and gooey) for about 1 hour in the fridge or freezer. If you’re using whipped cream and plan to serve the pie right away, start thawing it now so you can spoon it out onto the pie.

4. Spoon the chocolate pudding into the ready-made pie crust. If you’re really feeling naughty, you can use an Oreo cookie crust instead of a graham cracker crust!

5. Pour about 1/2 of the caramel-milk into the crust on top of the pudding.

6. Peel the bananas and slice into small coin shapes. Add a layer of banana to the pie, saving a few  slices for garnish.

7. Add the rest of the caramel.

8. Finish the pie with the whipped cream. Place the leftover banana slices in the center of the pie as garnish and top with chocolate shavings or chocolate chips. Mmmmmmmmm…..

I like to keep my pie in the freezer so it’s less goopy, but you should at least have it in the fridge.

Going to make these for your game day? If you do, drop me a note and let me know – take a picture and I’ll post it!

Oh, and if you have a recipe that you’d like to submit, email me at allison.boyer -at- yahoo.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: Chocolate-Caramel Banana Cream Pie

I hope you’ll check it out, especially because they’re also included a number of other amazing fall-flavored recipes. I for one plan to check out a few of them! If you try any, email me or leave a comment to let me know!

Post from: EveryJoe

Halloween Recipes

It’s almost Halloween, so in honor of this fall season (even if the temperature is still a bit balmy here…sigh), today’s Game Day Recipe of the Week is something perfect for snacking during autumn. And best of all, if you’re going to carve a pumpkin, this snack is free!

Smokey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Time to make: 5 minutes of prep time, 45 minutes to bake
Serves: your whole party!

• The seeds from your carved pumpkins (get them from your friends and family too!)
• Salt
• Cumin
• Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Melted butter

Another easy recipe! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
1. Remove the big chunks of pumpkin gunk and strings from the seeds first and foremost. Don’t wash them, though. A little gunk gives them some flavor!

2. Toss the seeds in a bowl with the olive oil or butter to coat them.

3. Spread the seeds evenly on a cookie sheet. Cover the sheet with parchment (not wax) paper first for easy clean-up later.

4. Sprinkle the seeds with salt and cumin to cover them. Also sprinkle with the cayenne paper – but keep in mind that if you use a lot they’ll be very, very spicy. Use it sparingly – you can also add more, but you can’t take it back!

5.  Stick ‘em in the oven until they’re toasty. I like to put them in for about 45 minutes, but you should start checking them after 30 minutes and pull them out when they’re perfect for you.

Put your pumpkin seeds in a bowl once they’ve cool enough, and they’re a perfect, healthy snack during the game. The cumin gives them that smoky flavor and the pepper give them that kick. Mmmmm. Serve them with some cider and curl up in your favorite team’s hoodie to enjoy the games this weekend. It’s that time of year!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe of the Week: Smokey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches
Time to make: 10 minutes
Cost for ingredients: around $5 (a bit more if you go for name-brand)
Serves: 10+ people

• A Packages of 20+ Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 1 container of Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1 Package of Mini Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

This is an easy one. Just use two chocolate chip cookies to make an ice cream sandwich (really fill ‘em up), and then role the egde in chocolate chips laid out on a plate. You have so many options witch this one. Use small cookies for bite-sized sandwiches or large store-made cookies for bigger sandwiches. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, make your own cookies and use them – just be sure that you let them cool before you add the ice cream.

Or, play around with flavors. Use peanut butter cookies and chocolate ice cream. Add extras, like a gob of marshmallow cream or few cherries before you top the cookie. Try rolling in mini M&Ms instead of chocolate chips, or even break up some pretzels on a plate to use as the rolling material.

This is a fun one to get the kids involved too. Even little hands can help roll tiny sandwiches.

Of course, since they’re frozen, these treats don’t transport well to a tailgating party unless you put ‘em on dry ice. Keep these for home parties instead!

Going to make these for your game day? If you do, drop me a note and let me know – take a picture and I’ll post it!

Oh, and if you have a recipe that you’d like to submit, email me at allison.boyer -at- yahoo.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

Game Day Recipe: Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches