Today began with a 5:20 a.m. alarm and a trip to Gainesville to claim our favorite tailgate spot for the big game...Florida/Tennessee. After we unloaded and set up the tent, Mike and I settled in for the several hour wait until game time. Hunger and boredom set in, so I paid a visit to Starbucks for muffins and coffee. The pumpkin cream cheese muffin was delicious and the hot coffee hit the spot even on this sweltering day. With my hunger satisfied, it was time to take care of the boredom. I pulled out the latest edition of Bon Appetit, my favorite food magazine, and began reading. I fell in love with the writing style of Molly Wizenberg. She writes a column called Cooking Life and this one was titled "How I Learned To Love Kale". Her description of the kale hitting the hot pan made me want to go out and buy a bunch on the spot. I noticed she writes the award-winning blog Orangette and is the author of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. I need to make a point to check out both. This October edition of the magazine is filled with wonderful recipes featuring the flavors of fall, my favorite time of year. One recipe and photo in particular caught my eye...Fuji Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. My mom's birthday in this Wednesday and I thought it would be the perfect birthday cake for me to make. The recipe mimics a carrot cake, one of my mom's favorites, but with apples instead of carrots. I called my mom for approval and she gave me a thumbs up, so Fuji Apple Birthday Cake it will be!
The rest of our family and friends arrived around noon and the grilling and drinking began. Kevina unveiled her new toy...the Margarator, or something like that. It is a huge blender/slush machine that plugs into your car. Kevina made delicious, slushy pina coladas. Aaaah, life is good! Happy dance.
Then she tackled the grill with cheese quesadillas served with sour cream and fresh salsa. Yum! Kevina passed the spatula to me to grill the balance of our tailgate feast...fresh brats, grilled onions, cheeseburger sliders, all served with sides of broccoli salad, potato salad and blue corn chips.
It was a sizzling feast to prep us for what we hoped would be a sizzling game. The week was filled with much media hype and high expectations. Florida was supposed to win by...30...50...100. They were supposed to shut up the Tennessee coach, Lane Kiffin, with their far superior coach and players.
Tennessee's defense had other plans. Most of the game was a battle of two good defenses and less than sizzling offenses. The Gators ultimately won the game 23-13 and are still undefeated and still number one in the country. But somehow, the Gator nation left the stadium like spoiled little brats where greed dominates and nothing is ever enough. I unfortunately was one of those spoiled little brats and need a good talking to. No happy dance.
Many hugs and Gator wins,
Kathy
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