Football Food

For those of you who don’t quite understand the South’s obsession with college football, let me tell you, I used to be the same way. Until they hooked me, that is. It sneaks up on you at first, you go to a friend’s house to watch the big game, you decide to cheer for the team with the best uniforms, that team happens to win big that year, and before you know it you’re hooked.

Ok so it doesn’t exactly work like that, but you get the idea. I chose my football allegiance based on the closest SEC (Southeastern Conference, for the confused northern women who might be reading this) connection I had, my mom’s alma mater Auburn University. My dad is a Tennessee fan, but there are few Tennessee natives who don’t claim the Volunteers. There are a few Georgia Bulldogs in my family too, but we just don’t talk to them on Saturday’s during football season.

Lucky for me, my best friend and (most of) her family are big Auburn fans too.

Lucky for her, the Auburn homecoming game fell right on her birthday this year!

Lucky for Eric, we went to the game and he got to experience his first REAL college football game! (Samford has a very good football team for their conference, but nothing can really compare to an SEC game)

Birmingham is only about a two-hour drive from Auburn, so we were able to drive down and tailgate with our friends before the game and enjoy the full game day experience. This included a visit to one of the bookstores to browse Auburn apparel, watching the traditional flight of Nova, the eagle, at the beginning of the game, following the herd to Toomer’s Corner for the customary rolling of the trees with toilet paper after the win (some crazy Alabama fan poisoned the school’s trees a few years ago, so there are only a few to roll at the moment), and walking past Toomer’s Drugstore to see the mass of people getting lemonade (we decided it was too crowded to go in). All in all, it was a great trip and I was so glad Eric finally got to see what all the fuss was about. I think he secretly loved it, but as a stubborn NFL fan, it’s hard for him to admit it.

See, he loves it

Going to the game this weekend made me think about how much I love the food you eat at football games. It’s always good, simple food that everyone loves, and can easily be made for a weeknight dinner as well as a football tailgate. So for this blog I picked two recipes that are easy, quick, and great for tailgating or sofa-gating!

This first is a great egg salad recipe that I picked up on one of my favorite blogs, Eat Live Run. It looks like your typical egg salad recipe, eggsept a few notable differences (see what I did there?) that make it absolutely delicious.

Easy Egg Salad

Ingredients:

-       4 eggs, hardboiled

-       2 Tbsp mayonnaise

-       2 tsp Dijon mustard

-       1 tsp red wine vinegar

-       ½ tsp of salt

-       ½ tsp of pepper

How to:

Simply mash up the boiled eggs, either with a fork or an egg slicer, and mix in remaining ingredients. There you have it, Easy Egg Salad! This makes about 2 sandwiches, so for more just double or triple the ingredients!

The second recipe I have is one that has been circulating around Pinterest. It is the epitome of quick and easy…and delicious!

Mini French Dip Croissants with Au Jus

Ingredients:

-       One roll of refrigerated crescent rolls

-       Half a pound of thinly sliced deli roast beef

-       Provolone cheese slices

-       14oz can of beef broth

-       ½ tsp pepper

-       ½ tsp garlic powder

-       1 tsp corn starch

How to:

Preheat your oven to 375. Then begin by unrolling the crescent rolls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Then take a second to pet the puppy that is begging for attention....

...oh wait, that's just my puppy

Now place half a slice of cheese and a slice of roast beef on each piece of dough.

Roll up your crescent rolls and pop them in the oven for 13 minutes.

While your mini French dips are baking, you can whip up the Au Jus! All you need to do is pour the beef broth into a small saucepan and stir in the remaining three ingredients on medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil and set aside.

Once your croissants are done, serve them with a small bowl of au jus for dipping and enjoy!

These recipes aren’t just great for a tailgate, but perfect for a casual lunch or dinner home as well!