Monday Night Tailgate: Week 3

This week's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate is going to coincide with Monday Night Football, as I was traveling all weekend. On my way back to Morgantown, I stopped by my alma mater and took a tour of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, second largest stadium in North America and the fourth largest in the world with an official seating capacity over 107, 000.


Given all the travel, I'll be taking it easy this week and ordering some food, but I did manage to prepare one die-hard, tried and true gameday favorite, and I've included the recipe below.

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo wings are, perhaps, America's best and most famous bar food. They taste just as good converted into a dip. I've been making this dish for years, and despite the fact that it takes on a strange orange hue that's reminiscent of a baby throwing up a Creamsicle, this dish is a real crowd pleaser!  There are many recipes for this dip (most of them very similar) but this is how I prefer to cook it. I use fresh rotisserie chicken to give it added flavor, and (as usual) I opt for onion-chive cream cheese instead of the regular variety.

• 1 Rotisserie chicken (store cooked)
• 1 8 oz. Container of chive and onion cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
• 1/2 c. Peppercorn Ranch dressing
• 1/4 + 1/8 c. Hot Sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot for this recipe)
• 1 Bag of shredded cheddar (sharp or mild)
• 2-3 Scallions, chopped

It's a simple recipe. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first four ingredients, plus half the bag of cheese, in an 8 x 8 baking dish. Cover the top with the remaining cheese and the chopped scallions. Bake for 20 min. This dip tastes great with crackers or Fritos scoops chips. Like all buffalo wings, it also goes well with celery!

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Drink Recommendation

Beer: Zeno's Hoppy Rye Ale (from Otto's Brewery, State College, PA)

As I mentioned before, I stopped by my old stomping grounds at Penn State this past weekend. And while I was there, I picked up this handcrafted Ale made at one of my favorite restaurant/microbreweries in State College, PA. For a relatively dark beer, this ale is smooth and hoppy. It also has a nice citrus note that compliments most gameday foods.

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EAGLES PREDICTION: Loss. -- The Eagles game was played on Thursday, so you are going to have to take my word on this one when I say that I called the Chiefs beating the Eagles. (Who would lie about betting against their own team anyway, right?) Anyway, after losing a win-able game against the underwhelming Chargers, I had a feeling the Eagles would drop two in a row as a resurgent Chiefs team came to town. It was Andy Reid's return to Philly, which meant he'd be digging hard for a win against his old team. And, just as Donovan McNabb found a way to beat the Eagles when he made his first return with the Redskins (despite the Skins being a bad team that year), Reid found a way to win during his emotional return, as well. Sadly, my record is now better than the Birds' record. I suspect it's only going to get worse as the Eagles travel to Mile-High Stadium to take on Peyton Manning and the Bronco's. A team I predict we'll be seeing at The Super Bowl this February. 


MY RECORD: 2-1

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All recipes listed above come from my own imagination unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell me how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.