Alabama "Indoor Tailgate" Feast

On Monday, January 11, 2016 Alabama is playing Clemson for this year's National Title in college football.  I am supporting Alabama in this contest.  I  did not go to school there and I never have lived in Alabama, but I like this team for two main reasons:

• My favorite animal is the elephant and Alabama's mascot is an elephant named Big Al.
• My Uncle Joe was the biggest fan of Coach Bear Bryant, the legendary leader of the Tide from 1958 to 1982.  

If you plan on watching the game and would like to support the Tide, it will be pretty easy to put together a party to mark the occasion.  In my part of the world it will be much too cold to celebrate outdoors on Monday.  So I am going for an "indoor tailgate" theme.  Decorations and party products will be very straightforward - I will mix together crimson/red, white with accents of black and add a few elephant items.  The official third color of Alabama is actually a black and white houndstooth - a nod to the signature Houndstooth Fedora worn by Bear Bryant.  If I can find some houndstooth, all the better.

Monday is a work day for me.  For my menu I am thinking about the items listed below for their ease of preparation:

• Check Snack Mix (recipe below) (a variety of Check Mix Snacks can also be purchased)
• Art's Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches (recipe below)
• Crunchy Cole Slaw (recipe below)
• Potato Chips - Cape Cod Sea Salt Waffle Cut Chips are my absolute favorite
• Carrot and celery sticks with ranch dip
• Banana Pudding (recipe below) or
• Dr. Pepper Cake (recipe below)

For drinks I am considering Bud Light (Alabama's most popular beer), Coca Cola (diet versions and regular) and Arnold Palmers (an equal combination of tea and lemonade).  There are several Arnold Palmer signature golf courses in the state, so I thought it would be an appropriate beverage for the occasion.

Southern Living magazine references a drink called the Alabama Yella Hamma.  This is a mixture of orange juice, pineapple juice, light rum, dark rum, amaretto and Marashino cherries.  Southern Living detailed a recipe for a Nada version for one drink - muddle 1/4 cup pineapple juice, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, and two tablespoons of turbinado sugar in a 10-ounce glass.  Fill the glass with crushed ice and top with seltzer water or club soda.  Stir gently.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a pineapple chunk.  If you want to add some rum and amaretto to the mix, that will be our secret!

Crimson Tide Snack Mix

Ingredients - to make on batch:

• 1 (12 ounce) package of Crispy corn and rice cereal
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup white corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup salted peanuts
• 1/2 cup tiny twisted pretzels
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup red, white and black candy-coated chocolate pieces - aka M&Ms

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a large roasting pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  
2. In a medium-size microwave safe bowl, mix butter, vanilla, white corn syrup, cinnamon and brown sugar.  Place the mixture in the microwave and cook it in 30 second intervals until the butter melts - stir mixture in-between.
3. Place the cereal, nuts and pretzels into the prepared roasting pan.  Pour the melted butter mixture over the cereal, nuts and pretzels and mix gently until well coated.  
4. Bake for one hour at 275 F, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. As the snack mix is cooling, continue to stir, so that the mix will not harden in one big lump.  
6. When completely cooled, add the candy-coated chocolate pieces.
7. Store in an air tight container.  

Art's Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches - recipe contributed by my co-worker Art C.  

Ingredients:  For eight sandwiches - 

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle of root beer
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
• 8 hamburger buns

Preparation:

1. Place the pork in a slow cooker, pour the root beer over the meat.
2. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours.  Drain well.  Stir in barbecue sauce to coat meat.  Serve over your favorite hamburger buns.  

Easy Cleaning Tip:

• Use a liner in your slow cooker for easier clean-up.  

Curtis's Crunchy Coleslaw - recipe contributed by my co-worker Curtis S.

Ingredients:  For six servings - 

• 1 (16 ounce) package coleslaw mix (grated cabbage with carrots combo)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 package ramen noodles (beef flavor)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Preparation:

1. Toss together cole slaw and green onions. 
2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar and ramen seasoning packet.
3. Pour over slaw mix and toss together. 
4. Just before serving, add ramen noodles (broken into small pieces), almonds and sunflower seeds and toss together.  (Some prefer to use 1 cup of chow mien noodles in lieu of the ramen noodle pieces.)

Easy Alabama Banana Pudding

Ingredients:  For 14 servings, about 2/3 cup each -

• 3 cups cold milk
• 2 packages (3.4 ounces each0 vanilla instant pudding
• 30 vanilla wafers or 20 Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies
• 3 bananas, slices
• 1 tub Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed

Preparation: 

1. Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk two minutes.  Let stand five minutes.
2. Arrange half of the wafers/cookies in the bottom and up the sides of a two-quart serving bowl.  Top with layers of half each of the banana slices and pudding.  
3. Repeat layers of cookies, banana slices and pudding.
4. Cover top with Cool Whip.
5. Refrigerate three hours.  

Two Ingredient Dr. Pepper Cake

Ingredients:

• Super Moist Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 can (12 ounce) of Dr. Pepper

Preparation:

1. Swap all but the cake mix for a 12 ounce can of soda.
2. Empty contents of cake mix into a large mixing bowl.  Stir 12 ounces of Dr. Pepper into the package of cake mix, pour the mixture into a prepared pan. 
3. Bake it in the oven as directed on the box.  
4. When baked, let cake cool per directions of the box.  
5. Frost cake with your favorite chocolate frosting. Or ...
6. Mix  a quick glaze whisked together from one cup of confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk or water and drizzle glaze over the cake.