Are You Ready For Some Football (Food)?

Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In my book, the end of summer is not cause for celebration. (I still have nightmares about shoveling my driveway during our first winter in Ohio).

What I do celebrate each and every Labor Day weekend is the return of football season! While many people are planning for their Labor Day weekend cookouts, I am thinking of tailgate parties.

Tailgate parties have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I adore the crisp fall air, the backdrop of colorful foliage, the smell of burning leaves and burgers on the grill, the footballs and corn hole bean bags sailing though the air, the sound of crunching of pads and helmets, disgruntled fans, the band, the announcer and finally, the supreme “people watching” opportunities  that tailgating offers. 

This time of year I can get my fix three or four days a week, starting with high school games on Friday, college games on Saturday and the pros playing on Sundays and Mondays.

My tailgate experience has certainly evolved over the years. There was a time in my life when I never missed a home game tailgate party at my alma mater, Purdue University.

As a kid, my sisters and I piled into the car with my parents for the two-hour drive from our northern Indiana farm to Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette every home game Saturday. Later, as a college student, I rolled out of bed and hurried into game-day apparel before meeting up with a pack of friends and travelling across campus from my dorm, sorority house, and eventually, my shoddy apartment to the tailgate party. 

In college, we moved from one parent’s tailgate to the next, gleaning snacks and drinks as we geared up for our time in the bleachers.

As graduates, the party continued. The usual group would meet up at the tailgate, each of us trekking from the cities and suburbs where we had sought employment. We still made the rounds to our parents' tailgate parties; only now most of us had jobs and could afford to contribute to the spread of food and beverages.

Over the years, the members of our tailgating group have married and eventually started their families. With the next generation of tailgaters, our children in tow, the party calmed down quite a bit. As official grown-ups, we started taking over the organization of the tailgate party. 

These days our tailgate gang has a reserved spot in the tailgating lot, a blog to record the events of the day, and members communicate weekly through a Facebook group to discuss party themes and designate what each family is bringing to the event. Since our family lives in Ohio now, we only make it back for a game or two each season. While we are too far away and often too busy to attend the game, it still makes me smile every time I read the weekly tailgate updates from home.

I know that I am not alone in my enthusiasm for football season or the parties that precede each game. This Indiana girl learned long ago (as a result of several road trips to away games) that the people of Ohio can also “rock a tailgate."

One only has to attend a Browns pregame party by the lake or squeeze through the crowd at OSU’s  Heineygate to realize that the folks of Ohio share and possibly even surpass the passion for tailgating that was instilled in me during my formative years.

Which brings me to this week’s featured recipes. These recipes are very similar in preparation method, but they vary when it comes to flavor profile.    

Anyone can grill burgers and brats or pick up a deli sub for the tailgate party. However, if you really want to impress your crowd at the next tailgate party, make one of these amazing grilled subs. You can make them ahead at home and then toss them onto the grill at your tailgate party to reheat.  

Of course, if you have no plans to tailgate in the near future, just throw one of these delicious subs on your backyard barbecue. You won’t be sorry!

Grilled Sub Sandwich from Taste of Home Cookbook 2005

1 large green pepper, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 loaf (1 pound) unsliced Italian bread
1/3 cup prepared Italian salad dressing, divided
2 ounces sliced deli turkey
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 ounces sliced deli ham
3 slices cheddar cheese
2 ounces sliced deli pastrami
1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
Additional olive oil

In a large bowl, toss green pepper and onion with oil. Place on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square). Fold foil around vegetables and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 12-15 minutes or until tender; set aside. Cut loaf in half horizontally; remove bread from top half, leaving a 1/2-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Brush cut sides of loaf with salad dressing; place cut side down on grill. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Place bottom of loaf on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. x 12 in.). Layer with turkey, two Swiss cheese slices, ham, cheddar cheese, pastrami and remaining Swiss cheese. Top with green pepper mixture, pickles and tomato. Drizzle remaining dressing over cut side of bread top; place over filling. Brush bread with additional oil. Fold foil around sandwich and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over
medium heat for 4-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into slices with a serrated knife.
Yield: 4 servings.

Tote-and-Slice Loaf Sandwich adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Makes: 6 sandwiches
Start to Finish: 25 min.

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
1 1-lb. loaf Italian, French, or focaccia bread
1/2 an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon Italian dipping spices
1/3 cup basil pesto
4 oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
2-4 slices of American cheese or cheddar
8 oz. thinly sliced peppered or regular salami
4 oz. thinly sliced ham
8 bottled peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
4 oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Small salad peppers and/or pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)
Directions
1. Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes and place in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Or finely chop tomatoes by hand.

2. Split loaf in half horizontally. Remove some soft bread from the bottom half of the loaf, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell.

3. Spread cream cheese on cut sides of both bread halves. Spread top half with dried tomatoes and bottom half with pesto. On bottom half layer provolone cheese, salami, banana peppers, onion, and loaf top, spread side down.

4. If toting, tightly wrap loaf in plastic. To serve, slice loaf crosswise into six sandwiches. If desired, spear a salad pepper and olive on long toothpicks; insert through sandwiches. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Notes: For a toasted sub, wrap the sandwich in heavy duty aluminum foil and place on the grill until the bread is toasted, the cheese is melted, and the sandwich is heated through.  

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6 sandwiches Calories588, Total Fat (g)34, Saturated Fat (g)14, Monounsaturated Fat (g)11, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)3, Cholesterol (mg)69, Sodium (mg)1645, Carbohydrate (g)46, Total Sugar (g)5, Fiber (g)4, Protein (g)24, Vitamin C (DV%)16, Calcium (DV%)28, Iron (DV%)21, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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