by Alyssa Wernham

Now that school is back in session, it can only mean one thing: tailgate parties! Make yours the best with these helpful hints and recipes for the perfect parking lot soiree!

The Basics:

1. Wear your team colors! An inexperienced tailgater might not think of this, but it is important to be a true blue fan—or green, or crimson…
2. Arrive 3-4 hours early, and stay 1-2 hours after. In order to get maximum tailgating time, 3-4 hours early gives you time to set up games, stoke up your grill, and get cooking!  Staying 1-2 hours after gives you enough time to pack up, and beats the traffic jam out of the parking lot!
3. Seek out an optimal parking spot, preferably near a grassy area. This allows your tailgate party to have a wider space for sitting, playing games, and just hanging out.
4. Have a banner (or two!) that everyone can see from a distance. This way, your group can see where you are, and others can see you. Pretty soon, your tailgate will be the happening spot in the parking lot!

Must Haves:

1. Jumper cables. You never know when your car battery might die, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
2. Extra ice. You can NEVER have too much ice! Remember you can count on some of it melting quickly.
3. Rain gear. Another just in case—because you won’t want to stop tailgating because of weather.
4. A portable grill! How else are you going to cook delicious food for your tailgate?  tailgating.com offers the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill, which easily attaches to your tailgate, and comes with small, but helpful features.
5. A cooler. This is an absolute must have!  How else are you going to keep your drinks cool?  And in addition, amazon.com offers a bottle opener that easily attached to your cooler with a catch to collect the caps. What could be a more perfect combination?

Now that you have a grill, you’re ready for perfect tailgating food. And what’s better or easier than chicken wings? Here is an easy recipe for those hot, spicy wings:

Suzie’s Hot Wings
Chicken wings, tips discarded, any amount
1 Bottle of Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
1 Bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce

Soak wings in zesty Italian dressing overnight or several hours the morning of. Grill over medium coals slowly about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the grill and soak with Louisiana Hot Sauce. Place back on grill for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Maybe wings just aren’t your favorite meal. Try this recipe for a hot, vegetarian chili. Just make it up the night before, and warm up in a pot with your tailgating grill!

LisKat’s Vegetarian Chili
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can light red beans
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

Mix tomatoes, beans, pepper and onion in a large pot over medium to high heat. Use food processor to make chili thicker. Process 3-4 cups of chili at a time until preferred thickness. Once blended and thickened, add cumin, garlic, and red pepper flakes to taste.  Also, try adding  any of the following to completed dish: cheese, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

So where in the Valley can you tailgate?  Here are some of the Valley’s biggest games to check out:

1. Lehigh vs Lafayette:  This college football rivalry has been the nation’s most played, and it calls the Valley it’s home. The Lehigh versus Lafayette game draws in not only the college alumni, but Valley residents as well. Add this game to your tailgating list!  Watch their 146^th meeting on November 20, 2010 at noon at Lafayette’s Fisher Stadium in Easton.
2. Easton vs Phillipsburg: Although they are high school teams, this rivalry has been Valley favorite. Easton and Philipsburg have rivaled each other since 1916, making it the Valley’s longest high school football rivalry.  See this awesome high school rivalry’s 103^rd meeting Thanksgiving Day at Fisher Stadium at Lafayette College at 10:30 a.m.

For more tips about tailgating, check out tailgating.com.