I’ll be making an appearance Monday January 26th on Fox 13 in Tampa for a little tailgating party. The Super Bowl buzz is really cranking up here so it should be fun. I’ll be on a few times between 7:00am and 9:00am and here are the recipes I’ll be cooking. They’re all from The NFL Game Day Cookbook.

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Garlic Lovers Cheese Dip

Lots of good roasted garlic in this dip.

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup beer (Whatever you’re drinking)

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

6 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Cholula hot sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon cayenne

2 green onions, sliced

Put the 2 cheeses in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Add the beer and mix well. Heat for about another 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Mix until well blended. Add the bacon, garlic, hot sauce, dry mustard, and cayenne. Mix until well blended. Microwave for 1 more minute. Stir well and transfer to a serving bowl or crock. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with the green onions and serve with crackers.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Bloody Mary Chicken Wings

I had this idea in the middle of the night. It’s a hit with the game-day crowd.

15 whole, fresh chicken wings

Bloody Mary Rub:

2 tablespoons celery salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon granulated onion

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon cayenne

Bloody Mary Sauce:

1 1/2 cups V-8 juice

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons Tabasco Garlic Sauce

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon salt

Prepared horseradish (optional)

Russian vodka

Celery sticks

With a sharp knife, cut the tips off the chicken wings and save the tips for stock. Slash the inside of the wing joint to help them cook more evenly, but don’t cut them all the way through.

In a small bowl, mix together the rub ingredients. Sprinkle over the chicken wings, coating them evenly.

Prepare the grill for cooking over direct medium heat. Grill the wings, turning often, for 30 minutes, or until the wings are crispy and golden.

Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Put the vodka in the freezer.

Transfer the wings to an aluminum-foil pan. Pour the sauce over the wings, tossing to coat. Put the pan on the grill. Cover the grill and cook for another 30 minutes, tossing the wings after 15 minutes to coat. If the pan goes dry, add a small amount of beer to keep it from burning. Remove the wings to a plate, and drizzle with the sauce if there is any left. Serve with celery sticks and shots of ice-cold vodka.

Makes 15 servings

Peachy Baby Back Ribs

Everybody loves sweet, sticky barbecued ribs. These are a little different and served without barbecue sauce, but feel free to add some if you like.

½ cup of your favorite barbecue rub

1/4 cup turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

3 full slabs (about 2 pounds each) baby back ribs, back membrane removed

1 ½ cups peach preserves

6 tablespoons packed brown sugar

¾ cup apple juice

Mix the rub and sugar together and sprinkle it on the ribs. Use about 2/3 on the meaty side and 1/3 on the boney side.

Prepare the grill for cooking over indirect low heat(300°F), using peach wood or a combination of cherry and hickory for flavor.

Cook the ribs until they are nicely caramelized and looking great. This should take about 2 hours. Remove the ribs to a platter or sheet pan. Lay out 3 double-thick layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, each big enough to wrap a whole slab. Transfer each slab of ribs to a piece of foil. Top each slab with ½ cup of the preserves. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over each slab. As you fold each foil into a packet, pour ¼ cup of the juice in under the ribs. Seal the packets snugly, being careful not to puncture the foil with the rib bones. Return them to the grill for 45 minutes.

At this point, you could let the ribs cool down to finish later. This is a great way to take the ribs to a game-day party at a friend’s house or at the game. To finish, transfer the cooked ribs to a direct medium-hot grill. Cook and flip them for a just a few minutes, until they are warm and caramelized. Cut each slab into 3 pieces and serve.

Makes 9 servings

Snickers-Stuffed Baked Apples

I needed a special recipe for a competition among grill companies in 2006, so I came up with these. I cooked them on the Big Green Egg and won the contest that day. I think those judges are still talking about them.

8 large Jonagold or other cooking apples

1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, at room temperature

¼ cup packed brown sugar

8 mini Snickers bars

8 large marshmallows

8 pecan halves

Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350°F or prepare a grill for cooking over indirect medium heat.

With the large end of a melon baller, remove the stem and core of the apples, leaving the bottoms intact. Hollow the apples out so a Snickers bar and a marshmallow will fit inside each one. With a razor knife, score the skin of the apple from top to bottom every 1/2 inch. Now score a ring around the bottom of the apple to connect all of the top to bottom cuts. Rub the outsides of the apples with the butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar.

Place the apples in a greased pan. Place a Snickers bar in the cavity of each apple. Bake for 25 minutes. Add a marshmallow to the cavity of each apple. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Remove from the oven and top each apple with a pecan half and a little of the lemon zest.

Makes 8 servings