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The Gate

Well the Big Ten season kicks off on the couch this week.  With the Badgers on the road, the tailgate moves to the friendly confines of your living room, or better yet, a buddies so you don't have to clean up the mess.  

Nothing beats a tailgate in Madison, however watching the game from home does allow for a few perks you can't find in a parking lot.  

Product of the Week:  No need to pack and drag a cooler to your living room, not when you have the single greatest addition to any home tailgate, the Kegerator.  Beverage systems have made some great advances in recent years.  You can really spend a fortune if you want to, but Danby makes a great, single tap, entry level kegerator that fits 1/4 barrel as well as 1/2 barrels.  This kegerator can be purchased for under $500 and worth every penny.

Recipe of the Week:  Take advantage of the oven this week with this easy and enjoyable in game snack....Ham and Cheese Rolls

Ingredients - 8oz finely shredded cheese (your choice), 1.5 cups chopped cooked ham, 2 TBSP honey mustard, 2 12oz cans of Pillsbury Golden Layer refrigerated Buttermilk or Flaky Biscuits, 1 egg beaten, 1 TBSP sesame or poppy seed (optional).

Directions - Heat oven to 375 degrees, spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  In a large bowl combine cheese, ham and mustard, mixing well.  Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits, and further separate each biscuit into 2 layers.  Press each biscuit layer to for a 3.5 inch round.  Place 1 rounded TBSP cheese mixture on each dough round.  Wrap dough around cheese mixture pinching edges to seal.  Repeat with remaining can of dough and cheese mixture.  

Arrange balls seem side down and sides almost touching to form a W or football.  Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seed.  Bake at 375 for 18-25 minutes or golden brown.  

Enjoy this week's game everyone.

The Gate

Despite my reservations on the weather, last week sure turned out to be a great day for tailgating.  The rain was heavy on the drive in to town, however once I arrived in Madison, the rest of the day was dry.  In fact, the weather was very tailgate friendly.  Not too hot as many September games tend to be, and not too cold either. I was surprised at the number of ASU fans in town for the weekend.  They all seemed very friendly and excited to see what Madison had to offer.   

It will be hard to get excited for the tailgate this week.  We are facing an 11am kick off, bush league opponent and the pure exhaustion 3 straight weeks of professional tailgating brings.  Even with the deck stacked against us this week, it is our duty to get out there and tailgate like the premier fan base we are.  

Product of the Week: One of the best ways to jump start a tailgate is with music.  This weeks product caught my eye from across the lot last week.  The DeWalt DC012 Radio really produces a strong sound.  It is built for the construction site so it will easily handle the beating it may take from tailgate to tailgate.  It runs on rechargeable batteries and you can plug your ipod in.  So just create your tailgate playlist and you will be ready to go.  Retails for $170.

Recipe of the Week:  Now that you've set the tone, it's time to spice up the grill.  Burgers, brats and dogs are good, but sometimes it can be fun to get out of the box.  This week try Jerk Chicken Drummies.

Ingredients - Jerk Marinade

3 scallions, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4 to 5 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, stemmed and seeded

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp ground allspice

3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

30 chicken drumsticks

Blend all marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Divide chicken pieces and marinade between 2 sealable plastic bags.  Seal bags, pressing out excess air, then turn bags over several time to distribute marinade.  Put bags of chicken in a shallow pan and marinate for 24 hours, chilled, turning once or twice.  Let chicken stand at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.  Heat grill to moderate temperature and sear until well browned on all sides, about 15 minutes, then adjust heat to low and cook, covered on grill, until cooked through, about 25 more minutes.  The jerk marinade can burn easily so the chicken requires slow cooking, which also helps keep the meat moist. Ya Man!

Enjoy this weeks 'gate everyone and remember, if you see kickoff, your tailgate sucked! 

The Gate

I trust everyone had a successful opening tailgate last week.  The atmosphere in Madison was a little tame to start the season as the weather was not cooperating early.  But once the rain let up, the city started to wake up and the scene really came alive.  It was a good week to shake off the rust the first tailgate of the season sometimes brings.

I am very excited for this weeks 'gate.  This week we have one of the most important ingredients of any great tailgate, TIME.  The 2:30 kickoff allows us to really bring out the full arsenal.  No need to change your arrival time, just use that extra time to get another round of the grill going.  

Mother Nature....don't ruin this for me woman! Currently the weather is looking similar to last week.  Might have to put up with rain a little longer as it appears to be a 40% chance of showers during most of the prime tailgate hours.  But this should not really be an excuse.  You found your rain gear last week, so throw on a pancho and let's take advantage of coveted 2:30 kick off.  

Product of the Week:  My product endorsement this week is a product I have admired since my first game post graduation, when I moved from the house party to the parking lot.  We had arrived at the lot early to secure a prime spot.  As one of the first cars in to the lot, we had our choice of any spot.  Any spot except one.  One lone spot was reserved.  I wondered who was important enough to have a reserved spot.... And then he arrived.  As he pulled into his spot it quickly came apparent this guy deserved the premier spot in the lot.  This was no amateur.  This was the day I was introduced to the FREEDOM GRILL.

I certainly have matured as a tailgater since that fateful morning, and it takes more now to really excite me, but the first time I saw the Freedom Grill, I was in awe.  If you really want to take a step toward a serious tailgater, this product is a great start.  The base line model is the FG-50 and you can get into this one for $399.  The FG-100 is the next step up and it retails for $899. But if you really want to show off your chops and enter the professional ranks, have a look at the FG-900.  Six burners, 99,000 BTU (not sure what that means but I know it kicks ass).  Two insulated, stainless steal meat or beverage storage compartments.  This makes me feel like I'm playing with an easy bake oven when I show up with my little Weber Q. 

When your grill becomes too big to fit in your car, you have arrived.

Recipe of the Week:  Earlier I mentioned the extra grill time the 2:30 kick off allows.  This recipe is a great little treat to put together before or even after the lunch time grill session.  Unlike the product of the week, this has been badgerfans.com tested and tested and tested again.  My first experience with Buffalo Chicken Dip was as life changing as the Freedom Grill, but I'll spare you the details...

Ingredients - 1/2lb cooked, chopped chicken, 8oz cream cheese, 8oz Franks Red Hot Sauce, 4oz ranch dressing, 8oz shredded cheddar....serve with chips, celery, and carrots.  I think pita chips work best.

Preparation - Combine all ingredients in a pot over medium heat, until well combined.  Pour into 8x8 casserole dish and sprinkle cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  

To bring to the tailgate, combine all ingredients in a pot over medium heat until well combined, then let cool.  Throw it in a zip lock bag and pack a foil pan.  At your tailgate, fire up the grill and pour the dip in the pan and place on grill.  Stir occasionally.  Once it is warm, announce it to your group and then stand back.  It will go fast.  

Enjoy this weeks 'gate everyone and remember, if you see kickoff, your tailgate sucked!  

The Gate

Welcome to the first weekly column of The Gate, dedicated to what really matters on Saturday...the Tailgate. This site does a great job getting you ready for the weeks game and this blog is intended to give you that extra edge on Saturday morning.

Product of the Week:  I may not be able to top this week's product all season, but I just don't want to withhold this type of information from the good readers of Badgerfans.com a moment longer.  Most would agree the worst part of the tailgate is the line for the bathrooms.  Well friends our prayers may have been answered.  I just found THE TAILGATER, a personal portable urinal.  It retails for $99 and holds up to 3 gallons.  The Tailgater even comes with a cardboard cabana for those that desire privacy.  If this purchase becomes a tough sell in your household, have no fear, it is designed to also accommodate women.  You can even personalize it with the Badger logo.

This product has not yet been tested by Badgerfans.com, however I have been cursed with the bladder of a 12 year old girl so it surely will be showing up at my tailgates in the near future.   

Recipe of the Week:  Now that your bathroom concerns are a thing of a past, have another drink. Perhaps a Spicy Southwestern Bloody Mary (serving 4).  

Ingredients - 1 quart good quality tomato juice, 1/2 lime cut into 4 wedges, 4 ribs of celery for garnish, 1 medium canned chipotle chile in adobe sauce plus 1 tsp. to 1 Tbs. adobo sauce, 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, 4 to 6 fl oz of vodka (8 to 10 oz isn't going to hurt anything).

Preparation - Put tomato juice and juice from lime wedges in pitcher.  Discard the seeds of the chile and finely chop until ground into a paste.  Whisk the chile paste and adobo sauce in with tomato juice.  Season juice with worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Taste and add more adobo sauce if desired.  Add vodka, then add a little more.  Pour into ice filled glasses garnished with celery and lime wedges.  At this point, don't be afraid to add another splash of vodka.  

Students - Just make some red Kool Aid and add Barton's Charcoal Filtered Vodka until you start making a face when you drink it. 

Enjoy this weeks game everyone and remember, if you see kick off, your tailgate sucked!