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Stacking Stones
​A Creative Craft Blog

From the mind of Jason Kapcala comes an eclectic journal dedicated to the study of creative writing, rock music, tailgating, and other miscellany. The musings, meditations, contemplations, and ruminations expressed here are my own unless otherwise indicated. Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, and opinions, but do so respectfully and intelligently.
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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 1

9/13/2015

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After Tom Brady's exoneration and the obnoxious opening-night Patriots pride display that opened the season, it's almost painful for us to make Irish food this week, but you may recall that last year, we made a commitment to cooking foods from each other's ethnic backgrounds this year. 

That means, Kap has to cook dishes that are Irish and/or southern Italian. And Mina has to focus on Ukrainian and Welsh recipes this week. It's an exciting way to connect with our personal histories, and also a fun opportunity to imagine what our ancestors would have made if they were tailgating/couchgating, and . . . you know . . . if football existed.

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Labor Day Spectacular (Season 3 Opener)

9/7/2015

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Summer is coming to a close, the air is becoming brisk, and people across the country are getting ready for the return of their favorite pass time. While teams wrap up their pre-season training, the fans are checking to make sure they have enough propane and charcoal to get them through five months of tremendous tailgating.

And so we officially open our third season of Sunday Afternoon Tailgate, the weekly blog series that reimagines what tailgating can be through creative (and sometimes off-the-uprights) recipes that men and women can enjoy on the couch, in the parking lot, in the backyard--wherever they gather to eat and to cheer their favorite team to victory.

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Sunday Afternoon Failgate: The Making of Draft Spectacular 2015

5/24/2015

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You've seen the Draft Spectacular, now take an unprecedented behind the scenes look at the making of this annual tradition with never-before-seen pics, an inside look at the selection of our characters, and extra special blooper reel!


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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: NFL Draft Showdown! (2015)

5/9/2015

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It's finally here! The moment Sunday Afternoon Tailgate fans have been waiting for: The 2015 Tailgate Draft Showdown, an intense rematch between bitter rivals Dominique "The Gerbil" Bruno and "Big Game" Jason Kapcala. Last season, Kapcala edged out Bruno by a mere two points, and now The Gerbil has stuffed her pouches full with thoughts of revenge. Two will enter our kitchen coliseum, but only one will emerge victorious!

Of course, no draft special is complete without top-to-bottom coverage. Fortunately, we've got the best color commentary crew available on short notice--Mark Maxwell and "The Coach" Brolin Schutlouszki, along with gameday "meat-eorologist" Tanya Pastafagioli and sideline reporter Courtney Bromein. . . .

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Mina & Kap's Whatever-Day Afternoon Tailgate: April Fools' Day Edition!

3/31/2015

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Welcome to this special edition of Sunday Afternoon Tailgate celebrating the non-holiday of all non-holidays: April Fools' Day!

And what's better for April Fools' Day than some foolish recipes brought to you by some very foolish people . . . ?

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Season Recap

2/8/2015

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We made it to the end of the season, and a great season it was--we laughed, we cried, we ate lots of crazy tailgate food, and we saw some incredible plays (including the most boneheaded decision ever made in a Super Bowl).

What's left to do now but reflect on the season's menus awards-show style? Kap's picks run down the left side, while Mina's winners occupy the column on the right. . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Super Bowl XLIX

2/1/2015

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The big game is finally here! That moment we've been working up to all season long, and of course that means that we'll be turning our attention toward team-themed recipes for the final blowout party of the tailgating season! 

With help from my mother, the ultimate MVP of the kitchen, we are going to put on a feast worthy of a champion. And we'll gear up to watch rising star Russell Wilson and Seattle's banged up Legion of Boom defense take on veteran quarterback Tom Brady, ornery coach Bill Belichick, and a New England team that has somehow found a way to inject a little controversy into their season yet again (this time, literally).

Kap will also interview Mina on her experience this year being promoted to tailgating co-host/executive chef, as well as her incredible preseason prediction that came true. So don't miss it!

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Pro Bowl

1/25/2015

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We have a tradition here at the tailgate, we make breakfast for dinner and then barely watch the game. Why? Because it's the Pro Bowl, and no matter what the NFL does to try and spice it up, it always turns out to be a dud of a game--especially in recent history. It's an all-star game, but one problem is that, by the time they get done eliminating the players who will be resting for the Super Bowl, as well as those who are injured, it's like watching a bunch of 4th-stringers out there (barely) competing. 

Still, we're featuring some interesting recipes, and this week Mina and I will be making our Super Bowl picks, so this should still be worth reading . . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Conference Championships

1/18/2015

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It's Conference Championship time, the games that will decide who makes it into the Super Bowl. For us, this is an exciting day because it puts an end to all the speculation and allows us to start planning our team-themed Super Bowl menu. (This year, Mina is taking the NFC, while Kap takes the AFC!)

To celebrate, we're doing a unique take on an old classic. You know, some things just go together--like peanut butter & jelly, like hamburgers & french fries, like Kap & Mina & tailgating! Today, it's every carnivore's favorite: Surf & Turf. But we're not going with the tired old steak with lobster tail. We're aiming for combos that are inventive, off-beat, personally relevant. This is one you don't want to miss!

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Divisional Round

1/11/2015

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The first round of the 2015 playoffs has come and gone, and now only four teams are left standing in each conference. There was some controversy, a few upsets, and a whole lot of excitement, as can be expected when January rolls around.

To celebrate Mina's return to the tailgate, we are going with the most decadent theme we could possibly imagine . . . . 

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Wildcard Weekend

1/3/2015

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It's wildcard weekend, which means that things are really going to start getting interesting now. With four great match ups on the schedule, we start moving closer and closer to our #1 national holiday: The Super Bowl!

Next week, Mina will be back. Until then, it's on me to come up with one more killer tailgating menu. Rather than embrace the theme of "wildcard," I've decided to go with a classic that is my Ace in the Hole . . . .

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Happy New Year's

1/1/2015

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Happy New Year, everyone! New Years is a big tradition in my family because it coincides with my Dad's birthday. Here are some pics of the delicious dishes from our New Year's Eve Party and our New Year's Day brunch. (No recipes this time--sorry!) You may recognize a few dishes from earlier tailgates.

If your New Year's resolution is to watch your weight, you may want to avert your eyes!
- Kap

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 17

12/28/2014

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We made it! It's the final week of the NFL regular season. Mina's still enjoying her vacation for a few more weeks here (though not as much as she was, following a heartbreaking BC loss in yesterday's Pinstripe Bowl!).

That's okay--I'm holding down the Tailgate here with some help from my wonderful mother. In fact, this week's theme is "Mother's Kitchen." What does that mean? Comfort food, for one thing, and a couple of the best homemade recipes my mom has to offer. These are the dishes I grew up with, and they are sure to please even the most discriminating tailgater. . . .

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Pinstripe Bowl Update from Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate

12/23/2014

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Saturday, December 27 @ 4:30 PM EST (ESPN)
Well, it happened . . . .

Those of you who have been following our tailgating this year know that we have been repping our alma maters pretty hard all season. First, we held a Penn State tailgate at the midway point of the season. Then we hosted a Boston College-themed tailgate a few weeks later.

As fate would have it, our two teams will now be meeting head-to-head in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in New York on Saturday, December 27. And, in case you're wondering, the trash talk has already started.


Penn State and Boston College have faced off 22 times in their collective history, with PSU holding a decisive edge with an overall record of 19-4. That has Kap feeling pretty confident. But, as Mina will be quick to remind you, BC has won the last three match ups and they are a slight favorite heading into the game.

Who will win? What lingering effects will this have on our friendship? Only time will tell. 


In order to make things interesting, we've instituted a friendly little wager that will have a big impact on our end of the year Draft Special. To find out more, read on . . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 16

12/20/2014

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Two weeks left in the regular season, and while some teams have locked up a spot in the playoffs, there are still many important match-ups looming and a number of teams in each conference fighting for a shot at the post-season. 

My cooking buddy and partner in culinary crime, Mina, is going on a much-earned vacation, so I'll be managing The Tailgate alone for the next few weeks, and I'll be subbing in my mother to help keep the standards and the creativity around here high until Mina's return in January.

Whether you hail from New York, Minnesota, Chicago, Green Bay, or any other football city, there's one dish that remains a popular favorite among fans: the sausage. But it doesn't just have to your typical bratwurst link on a bun with mustard. This week, my mother and I will be making a trio of dishes that offer fun and unique ways to use this tailgate staple.

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 15

12/14/2014

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This is an exciting week for the NFC East as Philly and Dallas meet again for a rematch that might decide which of them enters the playoffs. At 8:30 PM, it's also our first real cold-weather game of the season, and so no tailgate food is better for braving the elements than a hearty, steamy pot of soup. . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 14 (Creative Writing Edition!)

12/8/2014

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Coming up the gravel drive, with the horse barn at his back, Cort saw the boy with the oar. He was a skinny kid but tall, loose-limbed and gangly, the way teenage boys often are, and he walked with the oar slung over his shoulder like a hobo’s knapsack or a fishing rod. The boy followed the dirt lane, skirting Cort’s property, heading south toward the wood line, and Cort’s mind automatically went to The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry and Opie and all that countrified crapola, though they probably didn’t show that program on television anymore, he suspected. The oar bobbed up and down on the kid’s shoulder with each step. Where the other oar was, Cort didn’t know. It might as well have been strung between the boy’s shoulders like a curtain rod, that’s how lanky and broad-shouldered he looked in the slanted light of the Ohio morning.

Something bothered him about the boy—something not quite right, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. . . .  

                                                                                                                                                 -- from Under the Harvest Moon

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In a twist suited to the final quarter of the NFL season, this week's tailgate coincides with the potluck event I am hosting for this semester's Community Writing Workshops novel class. 

For the past 15 weeks, Mina and I, along with five other intrepid writers have been working hard to draft a complete novel, tentatively titled Under the Harvest Moon. 

So, it's only fitting that we should create some dishes around this theme to celebrate the product of our hard work . . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 13 (Thanksgiving Edition!)

11/27/2014

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Happy Turkey Day, everyone! It's Kap's favorite holiday, made sweeter this year by the fact that the Eagles will be playing their arch-rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. That may be exciting enough to fight off the tryptophan slumber. We aren't giving away any recipes today (sorry, folks!), but we will share photos of our Thanksgiving tables, and in typical Thanksgiving fashion, we'll each share one thing we are thankful for this year.

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 12 (College Football Edition!)

11/22/2014

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Baldwin the Eagle says, "Let's Go, BC!"
Earlier this season, we did a special college football edition of the tailgate, and we rooted for Kap's alma mater, the Penn State Nittany Lions. (Sadly, the lions lost in double overtime after some very questionable refereeing.) This week, we reprise our college edition by taking a closer look at the lovely Mina's alma mater, the Boston College Screaming Eagles, as they take on #2 Florida State.
Doug Flutie -- "The Pass"
Mina's animal friends repping our favorite programs
(pictured left to right) Thomas Jefferson rocking Penn State gear, Bear being a BC Superfan, and Hermione clad in WVU apparel
Alumni Stadium
Like Penn State, BC has had an up-and-down season, beating USC and Virginia Tech at their high point and losing a heartbreaker to Clemson. This game will be their biggest challenge yet!

Fortunately, they've got a lot of Superfan support here at The Tailgate, and we'll be making some authentic Boston dishes in order to support their efforts!

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 11

11/20/2014

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This week's theme comes by special request from Mina. She's been dying to make tailgate tacos all season, and now she's got her chance. Tacos are the perfect tailgate food--they're made to travel, easily customized, and universally loved.

What better week to do it than when the Eagles face the Packers? (Wisconsin being a state with a great football culture but a decidedly weak taco heritage.)

So say olé as the Eagles face Green Bay!


(Ed.: I want to apologize. That was really corny. Even by my standards, which as we all know are notoriously low. It's a combination of spending too much time around Mina and all the tequila from this week's recommended drink--I swear!)

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 10

11/9/2014

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Our vegetarian tailgate last week may have been the highlight of the season so far, but it puts us on a short schedule. Fortunately, we aren't the Saints, so we aren't going to whine about it. Instead, we are going to dig deep and put up another great performance here at The Tailgate with a nice, mobile game day food . . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 9

11/6/2014

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It's a busy time of year here in Morgantown, and so a little flex scheduling is in order for this week. We've moved our tailgate back to the following Thursday, and will pick up again on our regular schedule on Sunday. So tailgating fanatics should get a double-dose of recipes and fun!

When we think of tailgating, we often think of chips and beer, burgers and hotdogs--but tailgating foods don't have to be unhealthy on principle. This week, we'll be looking at a few dishes that come from the garden (or at least the produce section!) . . .

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Happy Halloween from Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate!

10/31/2014

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Kap's spending his Halloween eating leftover candy and watching The Crow, while Mina will be spending her Halloween on a bus to D.C. Wherever you are, have a safe Halloween and watch out for the kiddies!
Sloth-face Pumpkin!
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Kap & Mina's Saturday Night Tailgate: Week 8 (College Football Edition)

10/25/2014

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We've made it to the halfway point of the season, which means it's time for our annual college football edition! Last month, we made a pilgrimage to Kap's alma mater for homecoming and Mina's first trip to Happy Valley! Sadly, the Nittany Lions didn't fare so well against Northwestern, and they've been struggling to figure out their offense ever since. Tonight's game is the biggest rivalry on their schedule. The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming to town, and like most games between these two teams, it promises to be four quarters of bitter, hard-fought competition. Beaver Stadium will be in whiteout conditions--that means 110,000 screaming fans all dressed in white. And though the Lions have been struggling, when there's a whiteout, anything can happen.

To honor this week's game (and the fact that USA Today recently named Penn State's Blue Band the number one marching band in the country), we've decided to team up and make one spectacular Penn State-themed meal. . . .

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Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 7

10/19/2014

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We're back after our bye week, which means that we are hungry for some good tailgating food. (Kap's been suffering withdrawal symptoms all week.)

This week, as the weather gets colder, we turn to a classic make-ahead staple--one that would actually go better with the Eagles-Cardinals match-up that will be taking place next week in the desert: chili.

However, being from the east coast, we plan on putting our own Yankee spin on this tried-and-true cowboy dish. So, don't expect beef and beans this week. . . .

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    Jason Kapcala

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