Daily Football Fix: Tailgating

After months of discussion between brothers Churchill and Montgomery, we have ultimately decided to go forward and share the recipes we love on gamedays. Involve your mothers and wives, because we all know they do it right. These recipes need to be either very tasty or unique, nothing half ass on the table. So, send recipes via email or post to the blog. From appetizers to tasty cocktail concotions, we will try to have a complete cookbook by football season. That way the 2007 season can pair the wonderful flavors of bourbon and freshly cut fall grass with the treats we all love to consume in a drunken stupor.


Very neutral tailgating pic.


It took me quite sometime to figure out what would be a good start to the tailgate recipes. Wilbur is currently checking out some BBQ sauces, so I figured I would stray away from BBQ, and I guess it would be entirely to typical if the Memphis guy started with BBQ. So, since I am currently under attack again by the glorious spicy taste of chicken wings, which happens once every two months, and I just can't eat enough hot wings, I will start with this recipe that was introduced to me at a tailgate this past season. This was brought to my attention by a few of the lovely ladies that took up alot of my time in Tuscaloosa. It seems they are steadily turning into quite the young homemakers. Keep up the good work ladies.

Chicken Wing Dip

1 Rotisserie Chicken [pick one of the larger ones]
1 bottle wing sauce [brand is your choice]
8 oz. cream cheese
1 small bottle of Ranch [Hidden Valley is the best, and you know it]
1 small package shredded cheddar cheese


Shred chicken and remove from bones. Set aside. Layer cream cheese in the bottom of a casserole dish, put chicken on top. Dump the bottle of wing sauce over the chicken and cream cheese. Ranch is next, poured evenly over the other three. Finally sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve the gooey goodness with tortilla chips and celery, or hell, any damn thing you want to dip in it will be tasty.

Beer accompaniment: For early season, Sam Adams Summer Ale
For late season, Yazoo Dos Perros

Liquor accompaniment: For some reason the thought of bourbon and hot wings
can turn a sober stomach sour, I suggest a lighter liquor
Gin or Vodka with a tonic or soda, your choice
If for some reason it is a tough morning, go with a Vodka and
Red Bull

Dr.'s A-Day Recap

I arrived into the Capstone around mid-afternoon Friday and realized that their was something quite different going on. As I drove down University Blvd., you could see RV's lined up in the usual spots. This time it was RV-ers in the middle of April, not the lunatic fans who stay from Wed. to Mon. during the fall. Restaurants and bars were packed with people at 3 p.m.

After a good meal and some drinks/shots at Catch-22, we decided to call it a night early to ease the hangover for Saturday and the game.

Saturday came with a slight headache and an amazing spread for breakfast (Thanks to Candice, the hostess) I was really surprised how many people my age had made the trek into town. Around 11:30 a.m., my mother called to say she was saving us seats and we probably needed to hurry because the stadium was already crowded and looking like it was filling up rather fast. I thought she was slightly exaggerating the conditions.

As soon as we left the condo, I realized she was right. Traffic was backed up on University from campus to McFarland and at a standstill. People were everywhere. We found a close parking spot and decided to walk across campus instead of fighting traffic. It looked like a gameday. Tents all over the quad with smoke rising from grills. People everywhere wearing red shirts and walking with solo cups.








When I personally got into the stadium the bottom bowl level was just about completely filled up. Shortly after the start of the scrimmage/practice they announced they were opening the East side upper deck. As you all know now, and after the fire marshal stopped allowing people to enter, the number was 92,138 people. Barner fans even have to admit it was something very impressive.

Now the game itself was very bland. No huge plays, No turnovers, two penalties. Saban did the running clock scrimmage to where the clock rarely stops. However, the energy from the crowd and the turnout is what sent the message this past Saturday.



Say what you want about Saban. Take guesses at how many games Bama will win this year, and then act like you personally know that Alabama fans will hate him or run him out of town next year, but the bottomline is things have changed in Tuscaloosa. There is a new postive feeling. The fans are behind the team again. The players believe, and the players see that the fans are still behind them. Can you imagine what went through the heads of the recruits Saturday afternoon? It might not happen immediately, but the wheels are in motion. Its coming.