What Do We Want? Tailgate Bread!

The air is growing crisp and I actually had to wear pants to work today. It's officially fall, y'all. Football season is here. The weather is changing and the aroma of pumpkin and spice wafts on the air. It's the perfect time for my favorite recipe, Tailgate Bread.

There's nothing better during fall than Tailgate Bread at a tailgate partay and watching a football game from the stands.  But you don't have to actually be at the game to enjoy this delicious meal in a loaf. It's just as good made and eaten at home before a big screen t.v. and your favorite college football team televised on the air.

So without any further ado, here's myTailgate Bread!!!

Tailgate Bread

1 loaf frozen bread dough (or one loaf of french bread dough rising in a bread machine)
1/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, sliced or shredded
6 slices cooked bacon (opt)
1/2 lb. thinly sliced turkey breast, chicken, or ham
1 beaten egg

Spray cookie sheet with grease, then place forzen dough in center and brush with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and mold to dough.  Let rise.

Or if using a French Bread recipe in the bread machine, let dough rise, then remove from bread machine and place on greased cookie sheet.

Spread risen dough over cookie sheet, up to 2-3" from edge of pan. Make 10 slices along each side of rectangle about 2" long. Be sure to leave center whole. Place lunch meat in center, add cheese, and bacon (opt) on top. Overlap strips of dough one after the other over stuffing, securing ends carefully underneathe.  Once sealed pinch holes closed. Brush 1 beaten egg over dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (opt).

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with mustard. Can make ahead and reheat for 30 minutes. To transport, wrap in foil, newspaper, and a towel to stay warm.

You'll love the smell of this fresh bread sandwich cooking!!!  One loaf slices up to make about 22 small sandwich portions. 12 if sliced thick.


You can also switch things up by making an Italian loaf with meatballs or spaghetti inside.  Or a Mexican loaf with taco meat and fixings inside. It's all up to your imagination and taste buds!!!

What do you love most about tailgating?

Katherine Bone
www.katherinebone.com
Duke By Day, Rogue By Night 10/29 Crimson Romance

The Editing Cave

Whew! I've had a very busy week. My edits for DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT came in and I've been working hard on getting them done on time. They're due September 7th.

 Funny, isn't it, how you can read through your book again and again and still find mistakes? LOL! Well, the easy part is accepting your editor's suggestions. The hard part is making sure things are how you envisioned them in your head and that the point comes across the right way on the page.

 

Then add in simple flourishes like historical detail that could be tweaked just so, dialogue that can be improved, etc... Well, you get the idea.

 

I've been stuck in my cave for over a week. What's going on in the world?

 

College football started this past weekend and though I had plans to begin knitting a baby blanket for my newest grandson, that never happened because I was doing edits. And the plans I had of watching football went by the wayside too. Le sigh. Though I did get to see the end of the Auburn game. Double le sigh. That game didn't end as I'd hoped. Triple that. Of course, there's always next weekend.

 

And while we're at it, the US Open is going full blast. I did get a chance to peek at Roger Federer playing Tennis. I LOVE to watch Roger play. He resembles my oldest son and I've adopted him. Yes, he's mine!!!

 

Baseball is still going strong. This poses a problem. Why, you ask? Well, this time of year there are so many conflicting sports on t.v. And because of the variance, stuff I want to see doesn't get shown. Gah! But then again, I'm in my editing cave. Why should I care, right? LOL!

 

I LOVE sports! Always have, always will. There's something about men and women using their bodies to achieve their ultimate goals... winning. It's not about whether you win or lose, is it? It's how you play the game.

 

And so what I'd like everyone to take with them today is that you can win at whatever you're doing. All it takes is a positive outlook and a drive to succeed.

 

I'm extremely thankful I'm deep in my editing cave doing edits on my October 29th book. Very soon, I'll be receiving my cover and will happily reveal it here on the blog. Though it's taken me a long time to get where I am, like an athlete who's trained for years at a time, I've finally found success.

 

Do something today that you've been yearning to do. Run that mile. Lift that heavy weight. Walk around the neighborhood. Knit a blanket. The choice is yours. And the benefits outweigh any disappointments that might come your way.

 

What's on your agenda for the week?

 

Katherine Bone

DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT Coming October 29 from Crimson Romance

www.katherinebone.com

 



Recipe Friday--Football Stuffed Mushrooms

Here's what I like about summer: watermelon, flip flops and . . . well, mostly just watermelon and flip flops and you can even get decent watermelon in the winter at Publix now. I'm sick of summer. My linen clothes feel wilted—like me. My Yellow Box flip flops feel shabby, though they really aren't. Sick, sick, sick to death of being hot. Sick, sick, sick to death of my summer clothes, shoes, and television shows. Here's what I like about fall: football, cooler weather, Halloween, sweatshirts, school supply displays, flannel pajamas, football, turning leaves, chili, Thanksgiving, gourds, Indian corn, football, school wrapping paper fundraisers, homecoming at the high school, new seasons of Castle, Bones, The Big Bang Theory, et. al. football, football, football.

So, I am done with summer even if the calendar and everybody else in the country says it isn't true. Even if summer may not be done with me. This Recipe Friday is the:

First in a Series of Ever-How-Many-I-Decide Football Food Recipes.

I would call it Tailgait Food but I don't actually tailgate. First, I don't have a tailgate. Second, I've never seen a game in person that I had not rather see on a big TV. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know all about "the experience". I don't care about "the experience". I care about the game.

Anyway. When Mr. and Mrs. Cutest Girl In The World are not actually at the game, those who are lucky to be loved by them gather in their media room to watch, drink, eat, and cheer. Cutie Pie loves these stuffed mushrooms and I love to make her happy. To be honest, I just make them by flying by the seat of my pants, but I am going to try to give you actual amounts. Take some liberty. I do. And, before we start this, I might as well go ahead and tell you there are a couple of things I do that would get me excommunicated from Le Cordon Bleu and thrown off the set of any Food Network show, which works out since I have zero desire to be either place. But you do what you've got to do. First, I do not wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel. I put them in a colander and rinse them until I am satisfied they are clean. Second, though I do not buy the stuff in the green can, I do not grate Parmesan cheese. I buy it in the pouch or tub ready to go. Sorry, Julia. I've got a game to watch.

Over and out. Roll Tide.

Stuffed Mushrooms

• 2 pounds of white mushrooms, cleaned
  
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• One large onion, chopped fine
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 pound roll of sausage (hot or not)
• 2-3 cups Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix
• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½-1 cup chicken broth, give or take

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Clean mushrooms, remove stems, and chop the stems fine. Sauté onion in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems. Cook until the stems shed their liquid and it evaporates. Remove to a bowl. In the same skillet, crumble the sausage and brown. Mix with veggies. Add stuffing mix. The amount you use will depend on how meaty you want them. Add cheese. Add enough broth so that the mixture will hold together in little balls when you compress it. You don't want it to be soupy. Put a little ball of stuffing in each mushroom cap. Place on greased sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked and stuffing is a little crispy.

I usually have stuffing left. Just freeze what's left because next week is coming. Thaw it and stuff a new batch of mushrooms. I don't have any advice about what to do with the new stems.

What's your favorite football food?

Boys of Fall

Okay, I have resisted as long as I can; I find that now I will burst if I don't blog about football season starting!  I am going to see Precious Angel in the first real game of the season tomorrow night!  I am soooooo excited to be heading back to the Friday night lights!  

 I have new sassy hair for football season.  I have gotten my team colors flip flops out and fluffed them.  They are made of 100s of little strips of fabric that dance and wave every time something good happens on the field or when the wind hits them--whichever comes first!  I have an outfit already laying out ready to put on Friday. I am considering going to get my toenails painted red and black which are the school colors.

These are the rituals that I have done for decades to welcome one of the best parts of fall. Wow, that makes me sound really old! I have always loved going to football games.  Unlike Pantster, I don't have a lot of memories of when I was very young but one of my very first memories is of going to see a high school football game on Friday night with my daddy.  We went with his best friend and his daughter who was my age. I got new shoes and a new shirt in the school colors.  It was a GREAT time, especially since my mama wasn't there so I got to eat lots of stuff from the concession stand and  run wild with other kids that we didn't even know!

Do you have any rituals that you do to bring in the fantastic season of fall?

Goodbye, Mr. McElroy: It's Been a Pleasure

Good morning, college football fans—and the rest of you too.

It's nearly over and I am sorry. By the time the BCS Bowl has been played on January 10, there will have been thirty-five bowl games played this year. It wasn't always that way. In the sixties there were eight. By 1970, there were eleven and it has grown from there. Some people think there are too many bowls these days. Not for me. The more the better.

I cut my teeth on Crimson Tide football and I can't remember a year when I've been prouder. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love a National Championship and an undefeated season. Who doesn't? Last year was fabulous. The next one (number 14) will be fabulous.

But the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day was pretty sweet. My team, who lost with grace three times this season, won their bowl game like gentlemen, with class and humility.

Greg McElroy, who just quarterbacked his last college game, always gave his team credit for successes and took personal blame for mistakes. He made blocks when he needed to and when no one would have expected it of him. I'll miss him. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, two of the best running backs in college football, never displayed one iota of personal competition but supported and cheered each other on. These things spell winner.

My favorite moment of the season did not occur on the field but on the bench. Greg McElroy had just suffered a concussion and didn't seem to have a lot of information about his identity and location. He sat on the bench beside star wideout Julio Jones, who had also been injured. Julio sat quietly with his arm draped around Greg's shoulders. I don't know if he was giving or seeking comfort or if he was just trying to stop his quarterback from hunting his helmet and attempting to head back on the field.

But I thought, "There sits a couple of champions and that is why I love this game."

As writers, we've all taken a sack or two and we aren't always able to get up again without help. I am thankful that when I have needed the help, it's always been there for me.

And that is why I love what I do—and all of you.

Happy New Year.