What better way to kick start the football season than to have a tailgate party? Tailgate parties can range from the pack-the-sandwiches-and-chips event to an exotic barbecue. Whatever may be your style, the key to having the successful tailgate party is to plan ahead.

Plan the menu, stock up on supplies, especially of disposable wares. Use separate coolers for hot and cold food, and use disposable items and Ziploc bags for easy cleanup. Here are some menu ideas for you to take along.

If you are going the whole hog and are intent on making this a party to remember, begin at the beginning: with the appetizers. Apart from chips and nachos, you could have jalapeno rollups, ham pinwheels, kebabs, and even Texas caviar.

For main courses, try the hamburgers and rolls routine. You could vary it the hot dogs and rolls, if you like. Call them “Hip Hip Hooray Hot Dogs” in keeping with the game theme. Remember the tailgate is at a location far from your backyard and it’s about the game as well, so keep it simple. Alternatively, you could use the spicy hot chilli or the grilled sausage for the main dish. The condiments you will need to pack with any of these are mustard, ketchup, mayo, pickles, relish, barbecue sauce, and olives.

The more intrepid could try barbecue beef, bourbon barbecued steaks, turkey picnic loaf or a creamy chicken and pasta salad. Accompaniments could be the time-honored three bean salad, Greek salad, or a broccoli and cauliflower salad. Rustle up your own “Tailgate Salad” with corn, green beans, celery, onions, and pimentos. Dress it up with a dressing of your choice.

You could also do an entirely cold main course, with a chicken wings platter, a classic deli platter, or sub sandwiches. Your side dishes could vary from the favorite nacho dip with cheese, or just chips with a dip to a fresh vegetable combination to sliced pepperoni and cheese.

Beverages would depend almost entirely on the weather. If the weather is warm, take beer (remember to chill it beforehand) or sodas. If it’s cool, hot chocolate or hot coffee would do wonders. Desserts can be chocolates or cookies, if you are staying with the simple theme. Other options are lemon bars, brownies, and butter tart bars. If you are baking cookies yourself, try your hand at football cookies to pep up the game theme.

Your tailgate menu will depend on how elaborate or simple you want to keep it. If you are just planning to throw out a rug or perch on the tailgate of your truck, keep it simple. Bring sandwiches, drinks, chips, and other food ready from home. Don’t forget though, that the barbecue is the soul of the tailgate. You can have a potluck, or you can pre-cook the food and just re-heat at the tailgate. The all time tailgate accompaniments are potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni, and deviled eggs. Some foods spoil easily, so keep in the cooler till serving time.

Whether you are going for the game or the tailgate, the idea is to have fun, so enjoy the cookout and the cheer!

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