mountaineer tailgating recipes
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Beer Bratwursts
Jeff's Nacho Cheese Goodness
Creole Shrimp with Creamy Grits (or rice)
Buffalo Wing Tailgate Recipe
Beer Bratwursts (Katie Bonkemeyer Ezell '00)
In a large pot on the stove: for 6 bratwursts, put in 3 cans of any beer and 3 beer cans of water. Add one chopped onion and a dash of salt and pepper. Add ½ stick 
of butter and the bratwursts. Cook on 2 or low on the stove for 6-7 hours, stirring once every hour. (This can be cooked the night before and stored in the fridge until tailgate time.) Grill when ready.
Jeff's Nacho Cheese Goodness (Jeff Wilson '01)
1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 large jar salsa
1 large block of regular Velveeta cheese
1 small block of Mexican Velveeta cheese
Cook ground beef and season with taco seasoning. Pour jar of salsa into large pot while heating on medium-low. Cut cheese into blocks and drop small amounts at a time into pot with salsa. (Stir as cheese melts.) When all cheese is melted, stir in seasoned ground beef. Add more cheese/salsa as needed. Keep warm while serving with tortilla chips.
Creole Shrimp with Creamy Grits (or rice) (Amanda Griggs '03)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery with green leafy tops, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme, intact
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 to 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons hot sauce, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup beer, 1/3 of a bottle
3 cups chicken stock, divided
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped frozen okra, optional
1 1/2 pounds peeled, deveined medium to large shrimp, tails removed
1 cup whole milk
1 cup grits
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter melts into extra-virgin olive oil, add garlic, onions, celery, bell peppers, thyme, bay leaf then season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies 7 to 8 minutes until tender, add in the Worcestershire, 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce (medium to spicy heat level) and the flour and cook 1 minute more then add in beer and cook it off, another 30 seconds or so. Whisk in 1 cup of stock then add tomatoes and okra, if using, and bring to a bubble. Add shrimp and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until shrimp turn pink and firm then turn off heat. Remove thyme stems and bay leaf.
Bring remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cups stock, 1 cup milk and 2 teaspoons hot sauce, to a boil in a sauce pot. Stir in 1 cup grits. Stir constantly to mass the grits. Once the mixture thickens to the consistency of whipped potatoes, season the grits with salt and divide among dinner plates.
Serve generous ladles of shrimp and sauce on a bed of creamy grits.
Buffalo Wing Tailgate Recipe (Jay Hanson)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot® (can be found in the ketchup aisle at the grocery store)
1 cup homemade Ranch salad dressing (made with 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup mayo, and 1 packet Hidden
Valley Ranch dressing mix)
2 cups diced cooked chicken (I use the pre-cooked grilled chicken strips in the grocery store meat case)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (it's definitely best to use freshly grated cheese)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and hot pepper sauce until well blended. Mix in the Ranch dressing, chicken and Cheddar cheese. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. If oil collects on the top, dab it off using a paper towel. Serve with tortilla chips.
For easy transporting, then just plug it into a power inverter (available at Radio Shack) to keep it warm, when it's time to tailgate.
