This Guy I Know had a Birthday

This Guy I Know turned 27 this past weekend and to celebrate he requested that we attend the Widespread Panic/Allman Brothers concert. Of course, I began dreaming of what tailgate treats I would serve up for such a special celebration. My goal was to bring food that would be easy to prepare before hand and then easy to cook and serve once we were tailgating. Like everyone else, I was sick of the standard hamburgers and hot dogs, so I decided to mix it up a bit.

Here is the final menu:

Veggie Platter with Garlic Spinach Dip

Sausage Dip (this recipe deserves it's own post)

Taco Dip

I love tacos, especially after drinking a few cold ones, but I hate the way they make me feel, fat and greasy. Taco dip is a perfect way to get all the great flavors of tacos, without all the guilt!

Mix together a bar of cream cheese with a packet of taco seasoning, spread this on the bottom of your serving dish. Then layer all your favorite taco toppings to your preference! I layered salsa, shredded cheese, peppers, onions, jalapenos, green onions and diced tomato's. You could add sour cream, olives, your favorite taco meat or tofu! Every dug into this dish with Frito's Scoops which make an easy finger food.

Grilled Pizzas

I purchased the pre-made pizza crust (I personally love Boboli) in the small personal size and started thinking of all my favorite toppings. I made 6 mini pizzas, Classic Cheese and Pepperoni, Greek Chicken, Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo.

Classic Cheese and Pepperoni

I used store bought pizza sauce, topped with a six cheese Italian mix of shredded cheese and then added the most adorable mini pepperonis. I think anything in a mini size is cute and I will instantly buy it.

Greek Chicken

I took a pepperonichini spread that I had found at Super Wal-Mart, it has a great tang that I love about Greek cooking. I spread this and then topped it with red onions, green peppers, crumbled feta and grilled chicken. I cheated and purchased the pre-cooked chicken strips from Purdue and no one noticed!

Buffalo Chicken

I spread the pizza crust with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (please see my blog entry about my love for Ranch and it's many uses), this may seem like an odd base sauce, but trust me. I took the pre-cooked chicken strips and let them soak up Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce. I topped the ranch dressing with shredded mozzarella cheese and then sprinkled the buffalo chicken and crumbled goat cheese. This pizza ended up being my favorite of them all!

Broccoli Alfredo

I started out with a canned Alfredo sauce and then topped it with a six Italian shredded cheese. I then sprinkled fresh cut broccoli, red onions and oregano. This was my vegetarian offering, which I learned you must always have from Melissa D'Arabian, of Next Food Network Star.

I prepared all of these ahead of time that morning, wrapped them in Saran Wrap and then threw them on the grill, the crust gets crispy and with the top closed, the cheese melts perfectly! Such an easy treat to make and something different that you wouldn't expect on the grill.

Grilled Cheese Sammies

Who doesn't love a grilled cheese sandwich? I prepared a loaf worth of sandwiches by buttering each side of the bread and layering cheese and bacon inside for a nostalgic treat. Some sandwiches were the classic cheddar, some had a pepper jack twist and I even snuck in goat cheese in a few (I couldn't resist!). I wrapped the pre-made sandwiches in Saran Wrap and then threw them on the grill, cutting each sandwich into four's before they were gobbled up by everyone.

Burger Sliders

Once again, if you make it mini, I will fall in love with it, so the latest trend for sliders caught my eye and made it's way into my menu. These couldn't have been easier, I took 1 pound and a half of ground beef and mixed in Paula Deen's House Seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic) and Worcheshire sauce. I made small burger patties, about 2-3 inches each. These grilled quickly and luckily, the bun makers have caught on to this trend and make slider buns now as well.

Purple Gatorade Shots

This is a local favorite in Charlotte, if you come visit, I will most certainly order you one

1 Bottle Grape Vodka

1/2 Bottle of Sour Mix

1/2 Bottle of Triple Sec

Sprite to taste

Mix all ingredients and enjoy!