This weekend, my family made the trek back to my alma mater to cheer on the football team. It was also the long-standing shared birthday party of my brother and I, and while we won’t say how long exactly, we are well into four decades of fall celebrations together.
Because we are also a farming family in the middle of a dry harvest season, football tailgating on Saturday slid right into “FarmGate” on Sunday afternoon. Yes, we coined the term for the farm-inspired version of tailgating, which includes tractor, semi, combine and side-by-side rides in lieu of the gridiron. With the big football game and lots of out-of-town cousins eager for a spin on the farming equipment, the excitement was high. So, why not elevate the tailgates too?
Birthdays, big equipment and an opportunity to showcase team spirit alongside some strong Midwestern hospitality — I call that one big weekend! Even though my mom always shakes her head in disbelief at the detail of my tailgating efforts, the sold-out football game coupled with personal preferences and beautiful weather gave me plenty of reasons to get creative!
While brats on the grill and bags of chips will always have their place, more fans are bringing sophistication and gourmet flair to the stadium parking lot. Based on some meager mathematical calculations, I estimated that the nearly 50 acres surrounding the stadium and beyond were packed with fans from both sides — and I certainly wasn’t the only person “overdoing” the tailgate!
With the right menu and mindset, your tailgate can also rival any restaurant experience, all while keeping the camaraderie and casual fun that make college football Saturdays or “FarmGate” Sundays so electric — that and the absolutely beautiful weather to enjoy it.
Two campers, several vehicles, lots of coolers and enough outdoor cooking equipment to “feed an Army mess hall,” according to my veteran husband, made outdoor cooking a breeze to feed the 50 or so people who joined us. I don’t want to sidestep the effort. It was still a lot of work, but planning a thoughtful menu that uses staggered cooking times alongside various cooking methods (grilling, sous vide, braising, frying, etc.) and a whole lot of advanced prep make it possible to do two tailgates back-to-back in locations from parking lots to pastures.
Gourmet tailgating isn’t about abandoning tradition. It’s about re-imagining it. Think of it as applying restaurant principles to the parking lot: thoughtful menu planning, balanced flavors, seasonal ingredients and high-impact presentation that doesn’t require a chef’s kitchen.
For this menu, I wanted to feature items that transition smoothly from breakfast to lunch to dinner with minimal mess. I also aimed to incorporate seasonal ingredients from my garden and give traditional condiments an upgrade. Presentation was important — let’s face it, we eat with our eyes — so I focused on elevating the look. I planned sides that could be prepped ahead and finished quickly on site to keep the workload manageable, or at least easy to delegate. And my favorite part — pack beverages beyond the open-and-shut, standard cooler. While beer remains a tailgating classic, it was my birthday, so bubbles, batched cocktails and mocktails were front and center.
It was a graze-all-day kind of weekend. Our tailgater favorites included the smoked pork sliders with teriyaki drizzle and carrot and apple slaw. Those sliders tasted yummy with the lavender habanero margarita. For the sweet treat winner — who doesn’t love a good apple pie with some freshly churned ice cream?
The quality time together, the beautiful weather and all the love we put into a big weekend made for magical memories all around. The football win was the icing on a great gourmet tailgating weekend.
Carrot and apple slaw
Slaw
- 1/4 purple cabbage
- 1/4 green cabbage
- 2 tart apples
- 2 carrots
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1/4 bunch mint leaves
Dressing
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 thinly sliced jalapeno or Thai chili
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil Instructions
Instructions
- Thin slice or shred cabbage, red cabbage, carrots and apple. Separately submerge shredded or thin sliced carrots in ice water with a squeeze of lime. Keep ice cold until ready to serve.
- Combine all dressing ingredients together except for the 2 oils and the lime juice. Simmer over low heat until sugar is dissolved and flavors are combined. Remove from heat, and chill. Once cool, whisk in both oils and add lime juice to taste.
- Drain lime water from carrots and apples, and toss with the shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro and mint, nuts, toasted sesame seeds and dressing, just before serving.
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.