Kentucky is definitely a basketball state but we’re not immune to some football madness either. By virtue of marrying a football fan, I’ve become accustomed to the NFL being the backdrop to our Sundays. The first year that we were married we bought season tickets for Eastern Kentucky University’s football games. I’m an EKU alum twice over and we both work here so it seemed like a good social venture for two homebodies. EKU’s football program is pretty strong and has a storied history and the games are popular around here. For the first couple of seasons, we went to the games by ourselves occasionally meeting up with friends afterwards. Eventually, we gathered up a group of friends and talked them into buying season tickets and started tailgating. And let me tell you, we rocked at tailgating.
For several seasons, we hosted some amazing tailgating meals. Sure, sometimes we were a little low key and picked up pizza but we also did huge breakfast spreads for the early games, the traditional burgers and dogs and all the fixings on the grill, chili with grilled cheese made on a camp stove, deli bought chicken with homemade sides. Every Saturday was like a Thanksgiving feast.
We also made some great memories over the years. There was the time my friend Starr and I chased down the Taco Bell mascot which was a guy in a huge Hot Sauce packet. We had fierce games of corn hole. I was interviewed by our local radio station who was broadcasting live and looking for examples of huge tailgating spreads. We fed the campus police, the custodians, anyone who wandered by that we halfway knew was offered a plate. It was good times.
Life, as it tends to do, brought a lot of changes to our little tailgating group. A couple of couples became new parents like us. Several friends took other jobs and moved away. A couple of the couples are no longer together.
Our last big hurrah was Homecoming 2012. Although we tailgated at a couple of games after that in the 2012 season, we always went all out for Homecoming and it was our biggest tailgate party that year. The weather was absolutely perfect for October in Kentucky. We invited several friends who normally didn’t come to the games to eat and hang out with us. Some new friends to our group smoked a brisket and the rest of us brought sides and dessert. It was one of our most epic meals.
Something that stood out about that year was our friend Karen’s entrance to the tailgate party. Karen is one of those people who definitely does things her way. She had never tailgated with us before and no one was really certain that she would actually show up after we invited her. But she did, fashionably late, riding in on her bright orange scooter (nicknamed “Mango Tango”) with its tie dye seat covers. She took off her helmet, popped open the storage compartment of Mango Tango and produced Frito Salad.
Now, I had heard of Frito Salad but never actually eaten it before. It’s one of those recipes that makes the rounds at church dinners and baby showers. It didn’t take long for me to become a fan of it. In fact, I think we cleaned the bowl that day. Since then I’ve made it several times for potlucks and never had to worry about leftovers.
Karen is another friend who has moved away from us in life. In keeping with her renegade persona, she left abruptly and hasn’t kept in touch. But I think of her often and this is certainly one of my favorite memories of her. And a favorite recipe now. Try it for your next gathering; scooter arrival is optional.
Frito Salad
3 (14 oz) cans of whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I use Sargento Reduced Fat Cheddar Jack)
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s Light)
1 (9.25 oz) bag of Chili Cheese Fritos
Combine corn, peppers, onion, cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl.
Place in refrigerator until ready to serve. Just before serving, mix in Fritos. I saved a handful of chips to lay on top as garnishment. Serve immediately.
This salad is not great as a leftover. The chips get too soggy. And I say this as someone who thinks the best nachos are the ones on the very bottom of the plate! So, eat up!