Introducing my latest edition of Tailgating Fabulous, Bacon babe reporting….

These might be illegal in 11 states.  We’re talking pieces of kielbasa wrapped in bacon and then stuffed with a mixture of cream and Mexican cheeses, sprinkled with a little brown sugar and BBQ rub.  OH yeah, baby.

When you wrap the bacon around the kielbasa pieces, the bottom of the bacon is flush against the sausage so there’s room to pipe the cheese and green chili mixture in.  You can secure them with toothpicks or put them on a skewer.

If you don’t have access to a grill, just put these bad boys in the oven at 300 for 45 minutes to slow cook that bacon– then crank it up to 450 for about 10 minutes to crisp up the bacon.  

Here’s the magic, y’all…

Ingredients:

2 (8oz) packages of full fat cream cheese

1 package thick cut bacon

1 package of kielbasa sausage (cut into 1/2 inch slices)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

1/2 cup mild green chilies drained

BBQ rub, brown sugar & cayenne to sprinkle

Directions:

Preheat grill (or oven to 300 degrees)

Cut up kielbasa and wrap with bacon.  Secure with a wooden toothpick.

Mix the cream cheese with the Mexican cheese with green chilies.  Put in a Ziploc bag or a Pastry bag.  Fill cheese mixture to the top of the bacon.

Sprinkle with your favorite BBQ rub, some brown sugar and a little cayenne.

Grill until bacon is done to your favorite level of crispy!

Beer Pairing with Baconlicious Sausage Bites:

A classic American Lager with malty sweetness is going to highlight the flavor and texture of the bacon and the creamy cheese while balancing the spice of the sausage.

Asian Meatball Sliders with Hoisin Glaze

My tailgating strategy involves small bites of utter delish.  You don’t want to stuff yourself with something too rich, so why not take the decadence of an Asian meal and turn it into a bite-size portion?  You’re welcome!

 You want to pair this yummy slider with an Amber Ale, like Palmetto Ale from Palmetto Brewing Company.  An amber ale has a roasted caramel sweetness that’s going to bring together the exotic spices of these Asian sliders, like ginger,  jalapeno and sesame.  The spicy hops have a dry finish, making your palate crave that next bite!

The Ultimate Fan Dip

This remains my all-time favorite dip for parties and it’s a total winner for tailgating.  My original recipe is here— and it’s only 3 ingredients:  Spicy sausage, cream cheese and Rotel tomatoes.  Bam! The Ultimate Fan Dip needs a light lager with zesty and fruity flavors to bring out the creamy, spicy, bite of this dip.

Mango Salsa

Before I really had any interest in cooking, this was one of the only dishes I laid any claim to— I made mango salsa and topped it on blackened salmon, served it with guacamole and even mixed it into omelets.  There’s just nothing like the sweet, tropical flavor of mangos– they’re pretty much the perfect fruit.  You can even add roasted red pepper for a little smokiness, or black beans for a heartier meal.  

Ingredients:

3 mangos diced

2 avocados diced

1/4 red onion chopped

handful of fresh cilantro chopped

1 jalapeno diced (no seeds)

1 cup cherry tomatoes diced

1 red bell pepper diced (optional)

juice from one lime

Directions:

Combine ingredients and serve immediately.

An IPA is going to have a juicy malty backbone that will accentuate the sweetness of the mango and spicy kick of the jalapeno.  There’s a distinct dryness in an IPA that really accentuates this dish.

Speaking of dishes, let’s talk about the PERFECT PLATE for tailgating. It’s appropriately called, THE GREAT PLATE.

At first glance, you might think, “Oh yeah, a chip/dip plate.”  Well, you can do that, but The Great Plate is sooooo much more!  You know that annoying party foul that happens when you’re holding your drink in one hand and flimsy paper plate filled with food in the other and you keep on having to put one thing down to shake a hand, or pull out your phone, or grab your kid by the collar!  You can single handedly manage your food and beverage….And, it’s made right here in the USA.  Use it indoors, outdoors or even in the pool!  

The Great Plate is the brain child of Rick Kellow and Beth Kuehl, a Wisconsin couple who debuted their idea on Food Network’s Food Fortunes.  3 investors got on board and with an investment of 250K, The Great Plate is now sold all over the country at CVS, on their website and coming soon to some major retailers.

The inspiration for the idea?  Between them, Beth and Rick have six kiddos who would make a big mess when they are snacking or eating…this solved that and so much more.  This is seriously the Cadillac of plates– it’s made out of FDA virgin resin polypropylene so the plates are safe to eat off of, are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, 100% recyclable and even BPA free!

You know how much I hate cleaning up after parties– I’m not exactly Queen of Clean when it comes to entertaining, so I love that the plates unique design allows them to stack compactly, go right into the dishwasher (and come out dry!) You can stack them on the buffet table and separate them just as easily when it’s time to pass around plates to your guests.  

And, bonus….Flatten the plate and throw it like a frisbee!  Talk about a party favor!

You’ll be seeing a lot more of Parker’s Plate using The Great Plate, so stay tuned….

Check out my segment featuring these recipes on Low Country Live in Charleston!

 
WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 – Charleston News, Sports, Weather