During the fall the strangest thing happens. Boys, I guess they are technically young men, migrate to our porch every Sunday. They come from Chicago, Kentucky, Texas, Florida, even Nashville. Last week we scored a New Hampshire! I don’t need to do a scientific study to figure out what’s happening. I know. We have a screened in porch with a new TV, it’s Sunday football and I start cooking early in the day. We have a sort of brunch when they start rolling in for the Titans noon game. The food consumption doesn’t seem to vary according to how the Titans play, but sometimes it gets thrown. I discourage that – strongly. From there it’s on to afternoon snacks for the 3 or 4 o’clock game. That means chips and dip and popcorn from my porch popcorn machine, plus Firecrackers are always required. That’s just to gear up for dinner. Since our guys come from all over the place, I love to ask them about favorite foods and traditions and try to give them a taste of home whenever possible. This past Sunday we had a blast from the past and a much requested barbeque football dinner starring some oldies but goodies – boyhood favorites.
I’ve learned that if I want to enjoy the day without preforming constant food service, some make-ahead dishes are a must. For this menu we had crock-pot barbeque. I pretty much used the recipe from the You’re Grown – Now You Can Cook, but substituted Jack Daniels and preserves for the soft drink. I added a few slugs of soy sauce and some red pepper sauce and it was marvelous. We had Swor House Baked Beans that I put together Saturday night and two dishes I hadn’t made in ages, Seven Layer Salad and Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I used my old tattered copies of the recipes but I’m guessing there are as many versions out there as my best friend has earrings. My old recipes have served me well, but that doesn’t mean I can’t sneak in a new idea or two. If you haven’t made these in awhile or may never at all, give them a try. You’ll find they’re hard to beat for a Sunday football day here in the South – or anywhere for that matter.
Ingredients
2 small or one large head of Romaine lettuce, chopped (iceberg can be substituted)
½ red onion chopped
3 to 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
12 oz bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese
½ cup green onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
* Here is your creative opportunity – also good are chopped tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, even a bit of basil, many possibilities. I have some picky eaters and have to choose carefully!
Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise (made with olive oil is healthier, but it’s anybody’s call)
1 cup sour cream
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
Directions
Layer salad ingredients in a large bowl. (Hint: I add a little salt and pepper between every few layers.)
Mix together ingredients for the dressing and spread over the top of the salad, covering as completely as possible.
Cover with plastic wrap and let salad sit in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 7.
Toss salad before serving.
I know it’s weird, but leftovers, if you have them, are fabulous!
Ingredients
2 cups crushed pretzels (food processor or a baggie and a rolling pin)
3/ 4 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar
8 oz package cream cheese
8 oz container of whipped dessert topping
½ cup sugar
6 oz strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 (10 oz ) packages frozen strawberries, sliced
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix pretzels with butter and sugar and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch dish.
Bake 10 minutes. Cool slightly.
Mix cream cheese, dessert topping and sugar together and spread on pretzel crust.
Mix Jell-O with boiling water until it dissolves.
Stir in strawberries and let mixture sit for 5 minutes to become firmer.
Pour Jell-O mixture over cream cheese filling and chill until set, about two hours.
This can be made the day before. (Try not to laugh when referring to this as a salad. The word salad makes people feel virtuous and you look good for providing it!)
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