Success comes to those who tailgate

The CU Buffs will take on the CSU Rams this weekend, which can only mean one thing: It’s finally time to tailgate.

(Courtesy: Ripboard.com)

Nobody wants to eat store bought food with no flavor, but tailgating seems like a lot of work. Preparing tailgating food however, is easier then you might think. There are many simple and easy snacks to make before leaving for this weekend’s college-rivalry showdown.

DIPS

With a beer in one hand and chips in the other, the last missing ingredient is dip. For the traditional potato chip, you need French onion dip. Not only tasty, French onion dip is one of the simplest dips to make. All you need is one 16 oz. container of sour cream, a half-cup of mayonnaise and one package of French onion soup mix. Mix everything together and you have yourself homemade onion dip.

If you are a corn chip lover, salsa and guacamole are great dips. They require more ingredients, but are just as easy to make.

Salsa

Instead of traditional salsa, it is nice to embrace the little amount of summer we have left and introduce mangoes into the mix. Mango salsa has that extra island flavor and goes well with the salt from the corn chips.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped pitted peeled mango
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons olive oil

Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and there you have it.

Guacamole

Not only does guacamole pair well with corn chips, but it is has bright and exotic flavors, similar to salsa. It even has that same quick preparation time that our stomachs love.

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados
1 tomato
1/8 cup of finely diced onion
Salt 
Pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

Procedure:

Like the salsa, mix all the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and your guacamole is complete. Don’t forget to save the pit and place in center of bowl. It keeps the guacamole fresh and stops it from turning brown.

DESSERT 

With your dips completed, we can now move on to the best part. As college students, many of us don’t have grills to bring to the game. If you do, hotdogs and hamburgers should satisfy the needs of any tailgating college student.

For those who don’t, skipping right over to something sweet is a great alternative. A dessert that never fails to satisfy taste buds and lasts throughout the day is Puppy Chow. It requires only five ingredients and takes 10 minutes to make.

Puppy Chow 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
12 oz. chocolate chips
14 oz. Chex cereal

Directions:

1. Melt the butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter together in a pan until smooth.
2. Pour the cereal into the mixture and mix it around so it coats the Chex
3. Put it all into a Ziploc bag, pour in the powdered sugar, seal tightly and shake until you can’t shake any more.

With these great recipes in hand, you will surely impress your friends and have a great morning of tailgating. Don’t forget to eat everything up. You will need your energy to cheer the Buffs to victory!

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kate Burr at Kate.burr@colorado.edu