In The Kitchen

Tasty Tailgating

Fall is here, which means football games and tailgating are back! Here are some recipes to help make your tailgate feast as good as, if not better than, the team you cheer for.

Beer-Cheese Spread

Serve this spicy beer-cheese spreadwith crackers for a tasty game-day appetizer, or spread on buttered bread and cook in a nonstick skillet for a twist on the traditional grilled cheese sandwich.

Ingredients:

(Makes 5 cups) 1 (2-lb.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 1 small onion, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 (12-oz.) bottle amber beer, at room temperature Salt and pepper to taste Garnish: thyme sprig

Beat together fi rst 5 ingredients at low speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended. Gradually add beer, beating until blended after each addition. Beat at medium-high speed 1 minute or until blended and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill 2 hours. Garnish, if desired. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to one month (then thaw overnight).

Sweet Ham & Swiss Sliders

Ingredients:

(Makes 16 servings) 16 white dinner style rolls, cut in half 24 slices honey-roasted ham 16 slices swiss cheese 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise 1-1⁄2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 8 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon onion powder 1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon poppy seed 1⁄4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400°. On a rimmed baking sheet place bottom half of dinner rolls and top with 1 1/2 slices of ham and 1 slice of swiss cheese. Spread about 1 tsp of mayonnaise on each top-half of roll and place on top of ham and cheese.You want the rolls to be snug together, kissing just a bit so the sauce can soak up into all of the nooks and crannies.In a small bowl combine the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and brown sugar. Mix until combined and evenly pour over the assembled rolls.Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tops are browned, and cheese is good and melted.