Salty, Smokey, Crunchy, Spicy, and Bacon!  Those are the flavors that add up to a tasty tailgate:

Make your own snack mix. Serve in small “Chinese Food Take-Out Containers” from your local party supply store.  Mix Pistachios and Dried Cranberries or Mixed Nuts, Yogurt Covered Pretzels, Wasabi Peas and  M&M’s.

Create a candy mix featuring your favorite teams colors ~ blue and orange M&M’s for University of Virginia Wahoos (Cavaliers) or boston baked beans candy (maroon) and  orange jelly beans for Virginia Tech Hokies. (These candies are available in bulk on-line.)

Homemade Cracker Jack in clear plastic bags tied with ribbon in your favorite team colors.

Don’t forget the Nachos, Wings, Ribs, Sliders, Grilled Bratwurst with Spicy Mustard, 

“Throwback Snacks” ~ some traditional tailgate favorites:

Charles Potato Chips With Lipton Onion Soup Sour Cream Dip

Olive Poppers (delicious served hot or cold) – olives wrapped in flaky cheddar cheese pastry.  Here’s a link to the recipe: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/sesame-cheddar-olive-poppers-109957

Deviled Eggs…Traditional, Spicy Jalapeno or Bacon Balsamic ~ here’s the link to my favorite recipe for Bacon Balsamic Deviled Eggs: https://bubblybee.net/2016/03/24/bacon-and-balsamic-deviled-eggs

Beer Candied Bacon…here’s a link to the recipe:  http://tideandthyme.com/beer-candied-bacon/

Small bottles of Coca Cola on ice (along with other libations of course!)

Chef Roger Light prepares this fabulous tailgating treat at the Shenandoah Club in Roanoke, Virginia… Chili and  Cornbread Mason Jars ~ I made these treats with Chicken Chili Verde…cornbread layered with chicken chili verde, sour cream, finely shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onion.  Pre-made cornbread from the grocery can be rather sweet so I prefer to make my own cornbread for this tailgating treat. Serve each guest a chilled mason jar of layered chili.

My favorite Green Chili mix ~ Cookwell and Company Green Chile Stew ~ just add cannellini beans and ground chicken.

Enough with the food…let’s talk BEER!

Football and beer always compliment each other, so this being football season we decided to pop by a couple of new Craft Beer Tasting Rooms in Roanoke, Virginia.

The first tasting room I visited was Starr Hill Pilot Brewery at the Bridges adjacent to Dr. Pepper Park. The Starr Hill Brewery Tap Room is in Crozet, Virginia.  This pilot brewery in Roanoke will allow the  brewery to experiment with unique, small-batch beers for research, development, and limited releases. The stage located in this facility will highlight local bands and musical talent.

http://theroanokestar.com/2017/10/04/starr-hill-brings-first-satellite-brewery-to-roanoke

Kale or Ale?!!!

We enjoyed a craft beer flight ~ 5 (5 oz. pours) for $10. Visit http://starrhill.com for food pairings and delicious recipes to pair with your favorite Starr Hill craft beer.  I found all of the Starr Hill brews to be delicious, especially the citrusy IPA’s.

Nothern Lights ~ India Pale Ale ~ Caramel color, creamy, hoppy, balanced bitterness with refreshing citrus. Serve with Chicken Tikka Masala, Gorgonzola and Cheddar cheeses.

Basketcase Lager ~ Golden color, American Helles Lager, full-bodied lager with bready malt flavor. Serve with crabcakes and Butterkäse cheese.

Grateful Pale Ale ~ Light gold, a bit flowery, full citrusy body. Serve with Thai Green Curry and Camembert cheese.

Reviver Red India Pale Ale ~Ruby red color, refreshing citrus, medium hoppiness. Serve with Thai Drunken Noodles and Cambozola cheese.

Crozet Gold ~ Golden color, golden ale. Light and refreshing, the perfect balance of honey malt and Cascade hops. Serve with Grilled Calamari Salad and Monterey Jack cheese.

Next stop Deschutes Tasting Room in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Craft beer flight 6 (4 ounce pours) $12.

Fresh Squeezed IPA ~  this mouthwatering delicious IPA gets its flavor from a heavy helping of citra and mosaic hops.  (The IPA’s were my favorites, love the citrus hoppiness!)

Cultivateur Provision Saison ~ Rustic notes of pear and apricot blend into this bright oak-aged Saison. (The more I sipped, the better I liked it.  The pear and apricot added pleasant bright fruit flavor to this brew.)

Pacific Wonderland ~ Citrusy Tettnang Mandarina hops combine with the crisp, bright character of a traditional lager to deliver a beer that is truly refreshing and undoubtedly worth sharing. 

American Wheat ~ Tempting citrus aroma and light wheat character. 

Mirror Pond Pale Ale ~ Cascade hops and more Cascade hops give this tawny colored ale delicious hop-forward aroma and flavor. Pale malt allows the hops to linger, not overpower. 

Our two biggest football fans…Ginger Rogers and Ziggy Elman…but sometimes the TV gets a little too loud for Ziggy!

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