Labor Day Weekend and Tailgating!

       Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! Things have been busy and classes just started again, so I have even less time to cook/blog.  This weekend was Labor Day weekend and although everyone else I know has 3 or 4 day weekends, mine was a regular 2 day-er. But, on the upside, it was the first weekend of the college football season! I had to include a picture of Darcy, he got a new haircut on Friday. 

Darcy got a haircut!

     On Saturday, I went to the NCSU football game and tailgated with my family and lots of our friends.  Everyone brought something and we had so much food! I didn't even get a chance to try all of the things that we had out on the tables.  Some highlights:  smoked pork shoulder for BBQ sandwiches, grilled rock lobster (!), chicken salad wraps, black bean dip, buffalo chicken dip, broccoli salad, asian coleslaw, barbecue and hot wings, veggies and fruit, brownies, and cupcakes.  There was actually even more, but that's all I can remember!  The game was great (we won, 48-7!) and we even tailgated for a while after the game to continue the celebration.

Tailgating!

View of the Stadium

Lots and lots of food!

Grilled lobster = delish! 

       I brought Asian Coleslaw, Buffalo Chicken (Crack) Dip, and Grill Cupcakes and I'm including the recipes below.  I cheated on the Grill Cupcakes though... I just used a box of cake mix because I didn't have a lot of time to bake them from scratch, but you could use your favorite chocolate cake/frosting recipes. 

Grill Cupcakes

Grill Cupcakes

      These cupcakes are perfect to take along to a cookout/BBQ or tailgate. 

- chocolate cupcakes

- chocolate frosting

- white icing

- red sprinkles

- black food coloring

- assorted candies for decoration

- toothpicks

       Frost each of the chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing. Add red sprinkles to the center of each cupcake. Mix black food coloring in with small amount of white icing to create silver/gray icing.  Decorate each cupcake with lines of gray icing to mimic a grill grate.  Add pieces of candy which look like food items for a final touch.  I used Dots on toothpicks for shish kebabs, Hot Tamales for hot dogs, and I  made hamburgers out of pieces of Snickers. Use toothpicks dipped in black food coloring to add grill marks to the candy.  

Asian Coleslaw

Asian Coleslaw
       This is such an easy recipe, but make sure to serve it immediately so it stays crunchy!  
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbs rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper

- 1 bag coleslaw mix

- 10 green onions, chopped

- 1/4 sesame seeds, toasted
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1 package ramen noodles, crushed
       Whisk together the vegetable oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to create the dressing.  In a large bowl, add the coleslaw mix and chopped green onions.  Top with dressing and stir.  Add sesame seeds, sliced almonds, and crushed ramen noodles.  Stir and serve immediately.


Buffalo Chicken Dip
       I've seen this dip made by a lot of people with a little bit of variation. You might know it by the name of Chicken Crack Dip, at least that's what my family's been calling it for a while, lol.  Here's how I made mine... although beware, this recipe is not low fat! You could substitute low fat cream cheese/ranch if you wanted. 
- 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 cans chunk chicken (~1 lb cooked chicken, shredded) 

- 1 cup ranch dressing

- 3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot®

- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

- bag pita chips

       Preheat oven to 350.  Mix the cream cheese, ranch and hot sauce together until combined.  Add the shredded chicken and stir.  Then, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.  Add this to a casserole or pyrex dish.

       Some recipes call for added cheese on top, but we've found that if you do this, it forms a thick layer of cheese that is really hard to get your chip through. So it's best to just mix the cheese throughout, and (maybe) sprinkle a very light amount on top.  Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbling.