We headed down to VirginiaTech to see Heather and Nick, and to have tailgate Thanksgiving. The initial plan was to have an actual Thanksgiving dinner before the VT/UVA game while tailgating. Unfortunately, the game was scheduled at noon, so we decided we’d tailgate before the game, go to the game, and have Thanksgiving at Johnny’s house afterward.
Our plans for tailgating were pretty loose. We had spent a lot of time planning, preparing and cooking for Thanksgiving, and also preparing for our marathon house-hunting day at Smith Mountain Lake, which took place on Friday. Therefore, tailgating had not gotten too much attention. I had asked about a tailgate menu earlier in the week. What did they usually have before noon games? The answer: mimosas.
Heather realized that Jess and Chris were coming, and bringing eggs from their pastured flock of heirloom and interesting breeds of chickens. She knew there was bacon and cheese in her refrigerator, so she sent Johnny to the store on Friday for biscuits and hash brown patties. Our menu was planned: bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit with hash browns (Please don’t ask what I do for a living). Liquid refreshment included hot cider, hot chocolate, oj, cold cider, amaretto, Bailey’s, bourbon, champagne…I’m not sure who planned the beverages-but that’s what appeared.
Getting organized to go to the game was interesting. We got home from Smith Mountain Lake (which included an EPIC-which stands for Enjoy Positively Irresistible Cuisine!-dinner at the Chateau Morrisette Winery) at about 10:30 Friday night. Heather and Nick stayed up until almost 1 AM rolling out pie crust and baking pies for our after-game Thanksgiving on Saturday. Although the crust and fillings were already mixed, it still took time to get the pies together and bake them. So Saturday morning was a little crazy-I guess. It really didn’t seem that way. Since Randy and I are inexperienced at tailgating, and our previous attempts have been pretty pathetic, I sat back and let the kids pack the car. I think Randy carried items to the car and helped load it.
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| Jess & Heather having fun |
We left Johnny’s house at about 9 AM-only ½ hour behind schedule. We drove to campus and parked in the kids’ favorite lot. The guys got busy setting everything up. It was COLD and WINDY, but sunny. I started thinking about the cooking, and really, I needed to just stay out of it. I think I know what I’m doing, but really I don’t, but I tend to get a little bossy and come off as a know-it-all. So I suggested doing the eggs last as we didn’t want eggs sitting around waiting for bacon to cook. And people went for my suggestion, er, directive.
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| Robin & Heather |
We forgot the griddle pan that goes on the grill. We had a frying pan and a saucepan. We started cooking bacon in the frying pan and the hash browns directly on the grill. BTW, a little char on the hash browns makes them extra delicious.
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| Hash browns and bacon |
Jess and I worked on cracking the eggs. Randy and Chris joined in. All we had to crack them into were Styrofoam cups. They kept blowing away in the wind. We cracked 2 dozen eggs-I’m not sure why, there were only 8 of us.
We put all 2 dozen eggs in the saucepan and put them over the heat. Now, in my family, there is a certain way you make scrambled eggs. They should be creamy and moist, not dried out and hard. You achieve this by constantly stirring them and using a moderate, not high, heat. So I stirred and stirred, and the eggs got hot, and steamy, but they WOULD NOT coagulate and actually scramble. Time was passing, I mean, lots of time was passing. And we wanted to leave for the stadium by 10:45.
Plan B (or is it C by now? I’m not sure). We put the bacon directly on the grill and finished cooking it. Johnny went and asked some other tailgaters for some foil. We wrapped up the bacon and hash browns to keep them warm. We put half of the eggs into the frying pan and had the eggs going on two burners. I kept stirring. A little scrambling occurred, but not much. Randy suggested the propane was running out, but the flame looked strong. So I kept stirring. Finally we decided to change the propane tank. Then, we formed a circle around the grill to block the wind. Ah! Finally the eggs were coming together and turning into scrambled eggs, not just hot egg gravy.
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| scrambled eggs! |
Of course, while all this is going on, the guys were drinking bourbon and apple cider. Heather and Jess had hot chocolate and Bailey’s. And also mimosas. I started with plain hot chocolate. (I take my cooking duties seriously!) The guys were enjoying their “wassail”. I thought, “hot cider sounds good”. What would it taste like with amaretto in it? Delicious! A new creation! All the girls had to try it! Johnny named it “Whistle” to go with the “Wassail”. And the hot apple cider was gone…
Finally the eggs were done. It was 10:45. We quickly assembled our biscuits. Where were the plates? Silverware? Good thing we could eat this meal with our hands! So good! I sat in the car to change my shoes and put in toe warmers for the game, and when I got out, everything was cleaned up. I wonder what happened to all the eggs?
The food and drink were delicious. Yes, it was a little hectic. It is a challenge to tailgate, and tailgate well, before a noon game. But we did it. And we made it to the game full and feeling fine and in time for “Enter Sandman”.
