Recipes: Kim Southern's budget-friendly tailgating treats

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.