The best tailgating parties are the ones where you have guests rooting for both teams. We love football. Both Mike and I grew up in  New England and so although we now call North Carolina home, we are still die hard Patriot fans. Naturally our boys have grown up  rooting for the Pats. I’m sure it’s no surprise that we also think Tom Brady is best quarterback that ever walked onto the field.

Spicy Wings with Cilantro Lime Yogurt

THE SAUCE

3 lb chicken wings
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Slap Ya Mama hot sauce to taste

For Cilantro Lime Yogurt

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 lime, the zest and the juice
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove of minced garlic

For Wings

Combine your raw honey, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, vinegar, dry mustard, ginger, salt, pepper and Slap. Add wings; toss to coat well. Refrigerate over night.

In a bowl combine the Greek yogurt with the zest and juice of one lime, 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro and 1 clove of minced garlic. Stir well and place in your refrigerator for one hour before serving.

GAME DAY: Place wings on a barbecue grill; grill over medium high heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning often and basting with reserved marinade, until wings are cooked.

For super saucy wings, reserve or make extra marinade and reduce on low heat on stove top. Toss your wings again once they are off the grill.

Chipotle Dip and Crudites

I make a chipotle mayonnaise with the same ingredients, but add sour cream to make this wonderful dip!

2 scallions, chopped fine
2 chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1/4 teaspoon adobo sauce (found in a can)
1 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Serve with fresh vegetables like celery, carrots, zucchini and squash.

Pierogies

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 1/2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted (very important to aerate the flour)
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon water

Beat together first 5 ingredients; fold in flour, adding more if needed to form a soft dough; cover with a dishtowel and let stand for 5 minutes in a warm place.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces; cover with a moist towel.
Roll out each dough section to about 1/8″ thick; cut out 3 1/2″ circles using a cookie cutter, cup, can or glass.

Beat together egg white and water; set aside.

Place 1 Tbsp. of the potato cheese filling in the center of each circle; fold circle in half over filling; brush with egg wash, and seal edges by pressing the tines of a fork; place finished pierogies on waxed paper until all are complete.

Either freeze pierogies in a single layer, then store frozen pierogies in a sealable plastic zipper bag or boil filled pierogis in water for 5 minutes, or until they float. To cook frozen pierogies, boil for 10-12 minutes.

Potato & Cheese Filling

4 peeled, cubed potatoes – boiled until tender
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 slices bacon – fried, crumbled, optional

Cheddar Beer Fondue

The perfect appetizer during any Green Bay Packers game is this Cheesy Beer Fondue! Serve with apples, celery, pretzel sticks and cubes of crusty bread, your guests will come back for more!

1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon King Arthur’s unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
A dash of cayenne pepper or a little Slap Ya Mama hot sauce once the cheese has melted
3/4 cup of your favorite beer
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a bowl, combine cheese, flour, mustard and ground cayenne; mix to blend well. In fondue pot, combine beer and Worcestershire sauce. Set temperature at 375° and heat until bubbling. Gradually add cheese mixture and stir constantly until cheese melts and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200° and serve with crusty bread cubes or other dippers.

You can also make this in a small crock pot by heating up your beer and Worcestershire sauce in a pot adn then melting your cheese a little at a time in the pot. Once melted, pour into a small crock pot and keep warm on low.