Bears vs Bills: Tailgating or Cookout Menu for Week 1

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Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

We are bringing a new weekly post about tailgating or general food stuffs for watching your Chicago Bears. So sit back and relax while our guest blogger Kim introduces you to her weekly suggestions for stuffing your face while watching your favorite football team.

With the dawn of the new season for the Chicago Bears…with the hopes for a NFC North Championship….with the prayers for Super Bowl XLIX…with football season comes food. So for the 2014-2015 Chicago Bears season, it is my job to give you ideas of what to make to celebrate these games. Keep in mind, I am not a professional chef, but an experienced home-cook who has made this hobby of cooking one I truly enjoy. I have hosted a variety of parties, holidays and everyday get-togethers serving any party from four to 80, while making all of the dishes from scratch. My education includes watching countless hours of Food Network, PBS and the Cooking Channel, reading cookbooks like I would a text of fiction and even trying out new recipes along with creating some of my own. Here are some new ideas to help you pull off a game day feast that will please a few guests to a house full.

No first game of the season would be complete without honoring our beloved city’s well-known Bears cuisine de jour, otherwise known as the Polish sausage.

Now here’s a word from the Super Fan:

Since he won Food Network Star in 2011, Jeff Mauro has become one of my favorite go-to-guys for great food. With his funny, even down right-at-times obnoxious sense of humor, what can I say I adore a man who can make me laugh, he manages to bring together easy prep and big flavor.

I officially met him at a Food Network event back in May of 2013. To read more about my experience, check-out my blog.

Mauro managed to create two sandwiches that use sausage: one uses Kielbasa and one uses bratwurst. Both can be made ahead of time, wrapped up tightly in foil and kept warm until the tailgate or they can be grilled at the game or even in a backyard right before kick-off.

The Kielsbasa recipe is Mauro’s Maxwell St. Style Polish Sausage Sandwich. This one calls for the sausage to be grilled using a cast-iron skillet, but I don’t see why one couldn’t use a grill. The onions could easy be wrapped in foil and thrown on the grill as well, but I would recommend adding a sprinkling of sugar in to foil to ensure that caramelization occurs. Please keep in mind, one must be patient to achieve the sacred grilled, caramelized onions, but the wait is worth all the effort, trust me. All of this beefy goodness is assembled within the folds of a poppy seed hot dog bun and dressed up with yellow mustard. How simple and delicious can a classic Chicago dish get?

As for the bratwurst, Mauro’s Bears Brat, he actually starts the cooking process by braising the sausage in a lager beer, a few Granny Smith apples and some onions for 10 minutes, then he grills them to give them a crunchy, crisp exterior any Bears’ fan wants to bite into. No one wants to eat a soft brat! Once the brat is done, this too is nestled into a toasted hot dog bun and topped with sauerkraut, mustard and beer cheese sauce. I would think even the Super Fans would be willing to take a heart attack or two just to eat one of these. If you want additional heat for another kick, add a few chopped, pickled jalapenos on the very top.

Now for something on the side…I’m thinking of a dish that is simple to prepare and gets better the longer it chills. One dish I have used often is Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill’s Southwestern Potato Salad. This recipe can be adjusted for little to no heat, to rather spicy depending on how much chipotle pepper puree or adding a chipotle pepper itself or two (remove the seeds if you want less heat) and cayenne pepper.

Naturally, there has to be a finishing touch. So with summer still lingering on, officially for a few more weeks, but know Chicago probably for a while longer, continue to use that grill to make banana splits.

If ice cream is what everyone loves, why not make some homemade cookies, if one is feeling ambitious and make sandwiches with these turtle cookies. These can be made ahead and individually wrapped in parchment paper, wax paper tends to stick to frozen food, so all one has to do is pull out how ever many sandwiches desired.

I did not forget to include a beverage; this week’s case calls for beer. I am thinking of an Ale – like a Blonde or Brown Ale. I suppose one could drink the same lager used to braise the brats in, similar to how one cooks and drinks with wine, but it would not be necessary.

If wine is the preferred drink, a medium red, like a Sangiovese or a big read, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Zinfandel, my favorite, would work too.

Keep mind, these are simply suggestions. Even though they are rules, they can be broken depending on the palate of those eating the food. If someone loves one type of beer or wine, then drink that. Remember, this event is all about celebrating the new season. Enjoy the trip back to football.

Let us know in the comments below if there are any grilling or food items you would like to know about and while you are here, you can wish Kim a Happy Birthday!

Go Bears!