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Recipes: Kim Southern's budget-friendly tailgating treats

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  December 1, 2023 10:07am EST
Good Day Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

Crowd-pleasing tailgate food on a budget

Kim Southern is used to feeding appetites on a not-so-big budget, and she shared some of her recipes for tailgating favorites with Alyse Eady.

ATLANTA - Need some tasty food for tailgating but don't want to break the bank? UGA fan Kim Southern is here to help.

Hot Diggity Dawg Vidalia Onion Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Diced Vidalia Onions
  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese (or any kind of cheese – I’ve even made with Parmesan Cheese).

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Mix onions, mayo and cheese in a bowl.
  • Pour mixture into a casserole or oven-safe dish.
  • Bake at 400 for approximately 30 minutes (until the cheese is bubbly).

To spice things up a bit – drizzle with a little hot honey after you take out of the oven, before serving.

Serve with:

  • Toasted baguette bread slices
  • Veggies – I like to use sweet peppers.
  • Tortilla Chips

Trick Play - Georgia Pecan Cheese Log

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces – or 2 blocks – cream cheese (softened)
  • 8 ounces crushed pineapple (drained)
  • ½ cup bell pepper (chopped)
  • ½ cup green onion (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1 cup pecans (chopped)

Directions:

  • Mix cheese, pineapple, bell pepper, green onion and seasoning salt and form into a ball. You may need to wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
  • Once shaped into a ball (or football) coat with chopped pecans and serve.

Serve with:

· Toasted baguette bread slices

· Crackers

2nd Down Dawg Bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 package dinner rolls (any kind)
  • 8 – 10 slices of cheese (I like to use Swiss cheese for this recipe)
  • 8 – 10 slices of deli style ham
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (melted)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon Worchester sauce
  • 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning (optional)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Slice dinner rolls in half (horizontally) and place the bottom of the rolls in a prepared casserole dish
  • Place a layer of cheese and ham on the sliced rolls and then place the top portion of the rolls over the cheese and ham (like a sandwich)
  • Mix the melted butter, mustard and Worchester sauce and pour over the sandwiches.
  • Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning – cover dish with aluminum foil
  • Place dish into the oven at 350 degrees about 15-20 minutes for the cheese to melt, uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

SUGAr Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract (or vanilla will work too).
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • Royal Icing – recipe provided below.

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix the butter and sugar until creamy. While still mixing, add in one egg and mix until completely blended.
  • Add in the extract.
  • In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt, and slowly incorporate into the mixing bowl with your wet ingredients.
  • Roll out your cookies – into your desired cookie cutter shapes.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.
  • Once cooled – decorate with your favorite icing.

Icing:

You can really use any icing recipe you choose. We use a standard royal icing recipe (6 tablespoons of meringue powder; ¾ cup lukewarm water; 2-pound bag of confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons of corn syrup and a pinch of salt). Blend in a mixer until wispy peaks form – no more than 3 minutes.