 It's that time again! Every season, we do a special college football edition of the tailgate. We've done Kap's alma mater (a few times, in fact!). And we've done Mina's alma mater. But we've never done the one school we have in common, the school where we work: our home among the hills, West Virginia University. Until now. . . This week we're going to make a few tried-and-true West Virginia recipes in preparation for WVU's game against Big 12 Rivals, Texas Tech. So don your Old Gold and Blue, grab your buckskins, and help us cheer the Mountaineers to victory! With any luck, we'll all be singing "Country Roads" at the end of the day. "LET'S GO, MOUNTAINEERS!" |
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When it comes to West Virginia foods, one dish stands out about the rest: the venerable West Virginia Pepperoni Roll. Originally created in Fairmont, WV, by Italian immigrants as a portable, non-perishable food for taking down into the coal mines, the pepperoni roll has become something of a state icon. Different areas of the state have slightly different thoughts about what should go into a pepperoni roll, so we're going to do a trio of different varieties (two traditional and one not-so-traditional, but still delicious!). We'll start by giving you the recipe we used to make the roll itself, and the follow up with our filling instructions.
- Kap & Mina
Heat the milk and add the brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Combine in a bowl with the flour, yeast, and salt, and mix on low until a soft dough forms. (Add more flour, a little bit at a time, if needed.) Cover dough and let stand for 10 min. |  |
| Pepperoni Roll Glaze
Combine the butter, sugar, and egg and brush over the rolls before baking. Once the rolls are glazed, bake until golden brown, about 15-18 min. |  |
| Traditional Pepperoni It seems simple: just fill them with pepperoni! But there's actually a lot of debate about this. Do you use sliced pepperoni or stick? (We prefer sliced). Do you create multiple little pockets/cavities or just one big one? (We prefer one big one filled with lots of pepperoni.) Do you eat them hot or cold? (We prefer them cold.) Do you serve them with marinara sauce or without? You decide what is best for you! | Pepper & Cheese In Parkersburg and some parts of Clarksburg, the preferred fillings for a pepperoni roll include pepperoni, Pepper-Jack cheese, and some sort of pepper (often banana peppers). We used Oliverio's Italian Style Peppers in sauce, produced and bottled right here in Clarksburg, WV.   | Buffalo Chicken Nothing traditional about this, but we wanted to invent something new. This variety uses canned chicken, homemade Anchor Bar Buffalo Sauce (click for recipe), cheddar cheese, and (of course!) pepperoni. We served these with ranch dressing and some bleu cheese dressing that we doctored up with a tsp. of Kirkwood Winery's Sweet Ramp Wine.  |
Another classic West Virginia ingredient is the wild ramp--an incredibly pungent wild onion with a strong garlic-onion flavor. These babies will have you stinking for the rest of the day, but they do lend a unique and authentic flavor to plenty of dishes like cornbread, fried potatoes, even muffins. There are festivals all over West Virginia each year, celebrating this little vegetable, and one amusing story even involves the staff of a small Richwood newspaper mixing ramp juice into the ink as a practical joke, earning them a reprimand from the U.S. Postmaster General. In our case, we mixed a little ramp wine from Kirkwood Winery into a traditional vinaigrette and tossed it with a chop salad made of seasonal WV vegetables.
- Kap & Mina
Mix well and toss with dressing. | Ramp Dressing:
Mix well and serve.  WVU's famed PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) |
As our Readers can confirm, we've been known to enjoy a cocktail or two around here, but we recognize that alcoholism is a serious problem across college campuses--one that is too often dismissed as "kids sowing wild oats." We need a serious culture change when it comes to college drinking and underage drinking.
We hope that you'll join us by adopting our simple philosophy about alcohol consumption: It's more fun when it's done safely.
It's not fun to have regrets--to throw up or pass out or make yourself ill; to see your friends get hurt.
It's not fun to be scared--to forget where you were, what you did, or how you got home.
It's not fun to be embarrassed--to behave in ways that undermine the capable person you are.
And it's not fun to pound cheap, foul-tasting booze when you can enjoy a drink that actually tastes good.
When we drink, we pace ourselves carefully. Kap is more than twice Mina's size--we keep that in mind. Kap drinks slowly so that Mina won't subconsciously try to match his pace. When he gets up for a refill, he makes sure that he's not topping off Mina's glasses too full or too often as the afternoon wears on. In return, Mina always makes sure that Kap is stone-cold sober before asking him to drive her home. Together, we look out for each other, and the end result is that we have a great time.
Choose quality over quantity in all things--your drinks, your friends, and your experiences. And, if you're of legal drinking age, please enjoy our West Virginia-inspired cocktails responsibly.
- Kap & Mina
 This drink is loosely based off a cocktail available at a local roadhouse here in Morgantown, Schmitt's Saloon, which is owned by my favorite WVU football player of all time, "The Runaway Beer Truck" Owen Schmitt. The big difference in this recipe is that I used Moonshine and Honey Syrup (made from 100% West Virginia Honey), and I garnished it with some mint from my garden. DOWN THE HOLLER
In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine Moonshine, Chambord, Lemon Juice, and Simple Syrup. Shake well and strain into a mason jar filled with ice. Top off with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Note: Honey Syrup is made the same way as simple syrup (1 part honey to 1 part water). Bring it to a boil and stir until dissolved, then store after cooling. |  Loyal readers might remember that our favorite drink last season was unanimous: The Lemon Drop! Here we tried to remake it here with a special West Virginia flare by using a spirit that this great state is known for: moonshine. Instead of wandering through the mountains looking for an unguarded still, we used Heston Farms/Pinchgut Hollow's legal, pasteurized version. I have grown to love moonshine in my five-plus years here in West Virginia, and so this drink could easily become a favorite for me, combining two of my favorite mixed drinks and spirits. MOONSHINE LEMON DROP
In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine moonshine, lemon juice, triple sec, and honey syrup. Shake well and strain into a small mason jar or rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and marinated cherries. Moonshine Marinated Cherries
Soak the cherries in a 50/50 mixture of maraschino liquor and moonshine for at least 24 hours. |
Cincinnati Bengals  |  Arizona Cardinals |
 Kansas City Chiefs | Baltimore Ravens   |
The Chris Johnson Shooting | FanDual/Draft Kings Commercials   Can the Eagles crawl out of the basement (and off Kap's list of biggest disappointments) in the second half of the season? Time will tell. . . . |
Josh Norman, CB  |   Rob Gronkowski, TE |
Green Bay Packers (6-1) | Seattle Seahawks (4-4) |
| Win vs. Cowboys! Normally, at this point in the season, this would be a tough call. But with Tony Romo still sidelined and the team slowly imploding from the inside, I think the Eagles have the upper hand going into Dallas. You've got Joseph Randle ditching the team and getting cut after being demoted from starting running back (because he was arrested for allegedly shoplifting cologne and underwear . . . wait, what?). You've got out-of-control scumbag James Hardy fighting with coaches on the sideline (which is better than his former pass-time as a convicted woman beater, I guess). You've got perpetual headcase Dez Bryant flipping out on reporters. And coach Jason Garrett is impotent to do anything about it because team owner/Crypt Keeper body double/botox enthusiast Jerry Jones continues to publicly endorse these players and their idiotic behavior. It's a circus in Dallas, and the $1.15 billion dollar house that Jerry built is rapidly falling down around them. They may win this week or not--either way, it doesn't change the fact that the organization is in shambles. Kap's Season Record: 3-4 |  Team owner Jerry Jones watching last year's game in Big D. |
 | All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc. |
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