Tailgate Feasts

It's that time of year when stadium arking lots have tantalizing aromas.It's tailgate season and that means delicious bites .They're always fun to make and just loaded with taste. Yet what's the best? There's is a list.

Regular contributors Ranya Sichynsky and Margaux Laskey compiled two pages of delicious recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Many of their fellow New York Times contributors, like Ali Slagle gave some neat recipes that can be made all year round.Lidey Heuck contributed her turkey Reuben sliders which are also perfect for a wintry weekend. It starts with those honey sweet Hawaiian rolls and they're filled with deli bought turkey  slices,sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. There;s Russian dressing for dipping.Ali Slagle gives chicken wings but baked ones, rich with  a buffalo style hot sauce and a cooling Blue cheese dipping sauce. She also has a Buffalo chicken dip made with two cups shredded cooked chicken(think rotisserie here)To give it creaminess she blends cream and cheddar cheese together. I t can be served with veggies and both potato and tortilla dips.Every meals needs veggies so J-Jaye Shackelford Hurley has her crunchy veggie slaw. What akes it different is the addition of crunchy ramen noodles that will soften thanks to the soy sauce,apple cider and sugar dressing.

What's a tailgating party without nachos? The great chef Pati Jinich gives her bricklayer nachos which are also perfect for any holiday party this is rich in bacon and chorizo along with all sorts of spicy chilis.It's topped with a variety of gooey cheeses like Montery Jack and Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca and Asadero. Sue Li gives a nother fun nibbles dish.Her Taiwanese popcorn chicken with fried basil has the bite of Chinese five star spice powder which has clove and Chinese cinnamon mixed with Szechuan pepper. More Szechuan peppercorns are added to tapioca flour.This is used to give the chicken a crispy layer of batter. There is more chicken in Millie Pear Tree;s sweet and savory chicken meatballs what makes these so unusual is the addition of Jamaican jerk seasoning such as Grace or Walker wood.To container act this si the glaze, a blend of pineapple juice dark brown sugar, Worcester sauce and ketchupGarlic is added for more zing as is a pinch of red pepper flakes and onion powder. Yes there is dessert. Lidey Heuck gives the basic brownie recipe, made with rich cocoa powder and semi sweet chocolate chip cookies. She recommends adding sprinkles  on top in your teams favorite colors for a more festive look.

It;s tailgating season.Have a good party with these yummy recipes..They;re perfect for the stadium parking lot but also perfect for any party at any time of the year.

An EAsy Spring Party

 What works for a Spring party? Light dishes that are still tasty and filling.They could be seafood or a salad? It could lead off withh chicken.Any would make a memorable presentation.

First time contributor  and cookbook author Kidey Heuck gave three interesting dishes in wednesday's New York Times Food section. To start off the season you could easily make her littlemech clams with cherry tomatoes.They're served over peark couscous for a light take on the upcoming seafood season, She recommends chopping the tomatoes ahead of time. The littlemeck clams are first soaked as the tomatoes are cooked with dry white wine and red Chiles. This makes for a spicy sauce that would go well with crusty bread for dipping. It should be served with a simple green salad as Ms Heuck suggests. You could also experiment with grape tomatoes too for a sweetr taste.If your guest prefer chicken then try her whole milk yogurt with sharma spices such as ginger, turmeric and allspice along with cinnamon, coridandr and cumin. Roast veggies work great here.

The third dish is a taverna salad. This sia perfect dish for vegan and vegetarian guests. CHickpeas provide the protein . Tomatoes, yellow peppers, and English cucumber give it color and flavor while Kalamara olives and chopped red onion provide the taverna flavor.Parsley and shallots are chopped and added too. It's topped with toasted pita and halloumi cheese. This is a Cypriot based cheese often used in many Greek dishes. THese are slightly toasted and then cut into  two to three inch cubes and tiossed into the salad. A variation on this is serving it with stuffed grape leaves or subbing in feta cheese for the halloumi. Remember to get good Greek olive oil for this. It has a much  richer flavor than Italian olive oiil. Ouzo would work with this as well. Serve with more pita and tahini dip if you want. This is also a good salad to make ahead , especially for Spring barbecues.

These three dishes are perfect for Spting dinners. Make them and enjoy their rich flavor. They're full of spices and herbs, which bring a warm weather freshness to them