Tailgating Tuesday: Bourbon Balls

Wahoo! My first REAL Tailgating Tuesday post that people will care about!  It's time for my FAMOUS Bourbon Ball Recipe.  I'm forced to bring these to every single football game, and really, I don't mind.  It's an easy recipe, and all of our friends love them.

1 c. crumbled vanilla wafers

1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1 c. confectioners sugar

2 tbsps. cocoa

1 1/2 tbsps. light Karo syrup

1/4 c. bourbon (We use Maker's Mark.)

extra confectioners sugar

 

Start by chopping your pecans and crumbling the vanilla wafers.  Wafers should be uniform in size, and a sandy texture.

 

Mix pecans, vanilla wafers, confectioners sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. Whisk bourbon and Karo syrup in a separate bowl. After that, add the wet mixture to the dry.

 

If it isn't wet enough, add a little more bourbon, I almost always have to.  At this point, you start rolling them into little balls about the size of a gumball.  

After rolling each ball, coat it in more confectioners sugar.  I lay them out on a cookie sheet before storing in a plastic bag. 

 

 

 

 

5 Things

Amanda (my Bloggers Helping Bloggers Buddy) tagged me in a 5 things post and I just couldn't say no.

Five things I have a passion for:

Baking

MSU Football

Cavalier Puppies

My husband's mad grill skills

Pottery Barn

Five things I’d like to do before I die:

Write a cookbook
Have an academic building named after us
Go on our honeymoon trip again (it was amazing)
Trace our family tree back to Europe
Live somewhere exotic

 

Five Reads I love

My Life in France By Julia Child 

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Five Six Favorite Movies

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Gone With the Wind

Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth)

Animal House

Monty Python and the Holy Grail or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Five Places I’d Like to Travel to

London

St Maarten

Rome (again)

Costa Rica (again)

Paris

I think this has been passed around my group of friends a bit, so I'll stop here, 

but did any of these surprise you?

Wordless Wednesday

Tailgating Tuesday: Planning

 

For the next few weeks, I'm going to share the best part of a fall to me: TAILGATING!  It's the perfect way to get ready for the big event of the day (or night) and crucial to our social circle.

 

Want to tell me about how you tailgate? Email me here if you'd like to guest post!

 

The first and probably most important is proper planning.

 

What exactly do you need and how can you work with your group to make sure

no one person is doing too much?

 

 

We've been doing this for a few years, so our group takes up a "fee" at the beginning of the year to pay for any group purchases, like generators, satellite, or televisions.  We also determine where everything will be stored, like tents, chairs, and grill equipment. With about 20 people on a small weekend, we need four tents, three 8 foot tables, and a grill.  Most people bring their own chair.

 

For each game, we send an email about a week beforehand so that people can sign up for different needs.  I normally take a dessert, while my in-laws that make a longer drive bring chips and dip.  This way everyone is in the know and we don't end up with tons of baked beans, but no burgers.

 

Next week, I'll share some of my favorite recipes for tailgate desserts!

 

 

What do you do to plan your tailgate?

 



Friday Five

It's finally Friday! Although, much less satisfying when you plan on working on Saturday too. I'm linking up with  Joy from the Sowell Life.

1. Target finds: I had a couple of hours to waste while getting my tire fixed a few weeks ago and found some of the best stuff. Needed shorts because I work outside a good bit and couldn't remember the last time I bought a pair.  For $13, SOLD! We also wanted a good outdoor rug to put outside the front door...super cute, but for a fraction of the cost elsewhere.  I really want two more now.

2. Football season is coming up in 15 days! We can't wait to sport the maroon and white in Starkville.  Time to tailgate...and share some good recipes!

3. Speaking of football season, these guys need some Maroon and White.  Can't decide what else to add to them.  Any suggestions?

4.  On the home front, I added this to my office. It needs to be framed out, but I need someone to come help me out with it (cough, Dad, cough).

5. On a not so happy note, migraines are zero fun.  I had one Monday, and it got so bad, so quickly that I needed a shot and prescription.  They've been under control for a while, so I'm pretty concerned that this one popped up. So say a little prayer for no headache days for a while!

Foodie Friday-Banana Bread

I've been craving something homemade this week since I'm normally a grab a breakfast bar as I'm running out the door. This week, banana bread muffins made the menu....Patrick is always super supportive of this plan!

Bread:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¼ cup of walnuts (optional)

3 ripe bananas, smashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 15 muffin tins. 

Combine flour (2 C), baking soda (1 tsp), and baking powder (½ tsp) in a small bowl, whisk.

Beat sugar (1 C) and oil (½ C) on medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the bananas and vanilla extract (2 tsp); beat to combine. Begin adding the flour mixture and milk, alternating. Finally, add chopped walnuts (¼ C)Beat just until the flour is incorporated and finish mixing with a spatula.

Spread batter into the loaf pan or muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, about 55 minutes for a loaf or 20 minutes for muffins. 

New (easy!) recipe: Creamy Sausage Penne

Last week, we lived off of junk food. One of my friends even said that our diet appealed to her inner toddler, yikes! Unfortunately, anytime I'm sick, that's what happens at our house. Patrick doesn't cook. At all.

I decided that to combat this next time, I'd prep some freezer meals that he can just throw in the oven and set the timer. My plan is to not do the crazy hundreds of meals prep, but make a double batch of dinner. Here's the first delicious dish I've tried...hopefully it will be good in a few weeks too. 

Creamy Sausage Penne

Adapted from What's Cooking Chicago

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon  chopped garlic
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 (10.5-ounce) cans tomato puree

1 (14-ounce) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound penne
3 cups ricotta 
1 bag shredded Mozzerella

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 15-30 seconds. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and sugar, . Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Reserve half of the meat sauce. Transfer the remaining sauce to the pot with the pasta. Toss to combine.

Spoon the pasta into a 8x8-inch baking dish. Pour the reserved meat sauce over the pasta and dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top. Gently fold some of the ricotta into the pasta; don't over mix.  Scatter the mozzarella on top.

Bake the pasta in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

*Make Ahead/Freezer Meal: Prepare the recipe above but spoon the pasta into a freezer- and oven-safe container. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the pasta and dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top. Gently fold some of the ricotta into the pasta; don't overmix—you should have pockets of ricotta. Scatter the mozzarella on top. Cover and freeze. When ready to serve, defrost and bake the pasta in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving.