What’s Your Tailgating Style?

Daaaa da daaa da!!  It’s that time of year again.  Tiger flags are fluttering and even cell phones ring with those familiar notes that stir the blood of LSU fans everywhere. Football season is underway and here in Louisiana, Game day is as much a food event as an athletic one. Don’t believe me? As evidence, I give you, and please feel free to cheer with me, "HOT BOUDIN......COLD COUS-COUS, COME ON TIGERS, PUSH PUSH PUSH!!!"
It’s my favorite cheer.

For foodies, the best part of Game Day has to be the food. Years of hanging out on campus or gathering with friends to watch the game on television have conditioned me like a Pavlovian dog.  Say LSU football, my stomach growls. Say LSU home game and I may even salivate. Can’t help it. I’ve been conditioned. LSU Football equals food, good food, and lots of it. For some it’s just happy go lucky. Tailgating is almost a last minute affair. You make a few sandwiches, grab the lawn chairs, throw it all in the car and go find a spot.

For others, a home game means getting to campus at least a day in advance to assure your family’s traditional spot is properly staked out,  just as dad and the uncles or even grandpa did for games past.  The menu is planned and coordinated days in advance and the cooking starts early. Game day traditions include special menus and favorite recipes. Pots, burners, grills, ice chests, all set up and ready to go. Some may argue you don’t need all that stuff. But some of us can’t imagine doing it any other way. Whatever your style, we thought we’d share with you where we’ve been getting our tailgating supplies.

Krazy Kajun Cookware

If you are a diehard traditionalist, you may have an ingrained need to prepare ridiculous amounts of savory jambalaya in a pot the size of a small swimming pool. You are determined no one enter Death Valley with an empty stomach. You don’t even mind feeding the opposing fans. It’s the hospitable thing to do and fortifies them for the sadness that lies ahead. And a huge, properly seasoned cast iron pot makes you the envy of all the less fortunate fans around you.

Worried about seasoning such a large pot? I’ve got a friend who swears you need the fat off a cow’s kidney to properly season an iron pot. I have subsequently learned this is not true. Krazy Kajun has the proper instructions on their website and I assure you, it can be done without bovine kidney fat.

They also sell propane fish fryers in black or camouflage, great for the stadium or the hunting camp, dutch ovens and frying pans. Accessories include, regulators, paddles, roux spoons, ladles, stainless bowls, sausage stuffers…. and the list goes on. I’m a real devotee of cast iron cooking and have personally toured the Krazy Kajun warehouse in St. Amant, Louisiana. I wanted one of everything. I found the owner to be friendly and helpful in selecting just the right pot and full of good advice on how to properly maintain it.

You may have noticed, as I have, the number of cheap, low quality cast iron pots now locally sold. Don't be fooled. It's more important than ever to know who you are buying from. Krazy Kajun pots are manufactured to a higher standard and with exceptional quality control. They stand behind every product they sell. Available online and through a number of local retailers, just follow the link to explore the possibilities at krazykajun.com

Delicious Heritage
Louisiana Recipes Collected By Nippy Carville

What good is the perfect iron pot without the perfect recipe? I’m forever exploring new cookbooks for fresh ideas. For tailgating, I just keep going back to my Louisiana favorites. Nippy Carville, mother of James Carville, first published her “Delicious Heritage” cookbook in1988. Filled with over 450 authentic Louisiana recipes, it’s the perfect culinary guidebook for pleasing Tiger fan palates. A collection of local favorites, it’s as if every recipe from every family reunion in the entire state of Louisiana has been bound into one book. I especially like the Jalapeno Dip recipe by Joan Carville Ervin and Nippy’s own Dirty Rice Mix. Both are simple, inexpensive and great for tailgating. Dilly Allen's Oyster Jambalaya is another winner.

Now in it’s 15th edition, Delicious Heritage is in limited circulation. I’ve recently seen it listed on Amazon for $33 or more for used copies. You can get your new copy for half that price just by clicking here to download the direct order form . It’s an essential cooking reference for Louisiana natives or for anyone who wants to eat like one. And who wouldn’t?

Al Simon’s Cajun Microwaves

If your style of tailgating requires turning out lots of food but maybe with a little less energy, we have the solution for you. Al Simon of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana manufactures the finest Cajun microwave I’ve ever seen. Constructed entirely of stainless steel and cypress it is a beautiful piece of cooking equipment. It's built to last for generations and your family name or company logo can even be laser etched onto the cypress. Potential problem, your kids will fight over this when you're dead.
It is pleasing to see but the real beauty of the microwave is in how it works. You build a nice bed of coals up top on the coal bed. You place your meat and side dishes in the interior. You seal the interior with your coal bed which doubles as a regular grill. You go back to your refreshing beverage. That’s about it.    Available in several sizes, the largest is capable of cooking a 90 lb pig. The included stainless steel pots, sized and squared for your particular model, and the easy open bottom drain make cleanup quick and easy.
With Al’s Cajun Microwave, your game day schedule could look something like this. Wake up Saturday morning and start the fire in the coal bed. Add the griddle accessory and throw on the bacon or ham steaks. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast with good coffee.
About 9 or 10 am stoke the fire and load your pig into Al Simon’s specially designed fool-proof pig flipper accessory. You season the pig just right, and place pig and flipper into the main compartment of the microwave. The coal bed goes back on top. You prepare yourself a Bloody Mary. 
Lunch rolls around and you use the grill atop the coal bed for burgers or sausage and maybe baked beans. Then you go back to enjoying your company knowing that the pig is still cooking. After about three hours you remove the coal bed and enjoy how easy it is to flip the pig using Al’s pig flipper. You add a little more seasoning and score the skin to ensure bite size pieces of cracklings. Then it’s back into the microwave to finish.
After a total cooking time of 4-6 hours, out comes the pig. It  can be sliced and served hot and juicy right off the pig flipper positioned atop the microwave. C'est bon! Talk about drawing a crowd! I simply don’t know of any other way to cook that much delicious food with that little effort.
Follow the link  to www.cajunmicrowaves.com for more details.

The Dream Gourmet

Life gets busier every year. Time seems to be our most precious commodity. If you don’t think you have enough time  to cook for your football gathering, we offer another solution. The Dream Gourmet's Chef Andrea Flores offers her services as a personal chef year round with an array of five star dishes. Your next party could feature Ginger Pork Sweet Potato Stir Fry or maybe Salmon With Avocado-Mango Salsa. If you prefer more traditonal dishes, Jambalaya, White Beans, Cheese and Fruit Trays are available.

With a phone consultation, Chef Flores will assemble a menu to suit your tastes. One day prior to the game she will arrive at your home to fully prepare a spectacular meal for up to 15 people. All you have to do is decide whether to take it to a shady spot on campus or enjoy it with guests in the comfort of your own tiger lair .

For the month of September, she is offering a 20% discount from her usual rates. Having personally enjoyed a meal prepared by Chef Flores, I can attest to her skill. Follow the link to The Dream Gourmet and call for an obligation free consultation.

Purple And Gold Sports Shop

With the food all taken care of, you can turn your thoughts to other things like what you are going to wear and whether that twelve year old folding stadium seat is going to serve you for one more year. Mine seems to be getting smaller. So why take the chance?

I love to shop at the Purple and Gold Sports Shop. Everything you need to outfit yourself, your house, car, spouse, kidsand even the pooch can be found. They have a wide selection of LSU apparel for women and children. Ladies, that means no more wearing the unflattering man duds just to show your colors. They also have hats, jewelry, flags and game day essentials like the foam helmets and tiger ear headbands. Yea, you know you’d wear ‘em. You gotta be ready for that ESPN camera shot!                        

And of course they have a solid array of stadium gear, giving you a great opportunity to improve your comfort while enjoying the game.  You can leave that old stadium seat in the garage where it will drive your loved one a little crazy for a number of years because you just can't throw it away.   

Now with three locations, one in New Orleans and two in Baton Rouge, it’s easier than ever to shop. Try their online store and have your merchandise shipped directly to your door.        Follow the link to Purple And Gold Sports for more information and complete directions to all locations.

GO Tigers!!! 

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