Fall is the time of year for cooler weather, which  we are long overdue for, those wonderful fall aromas that waft from the kitchen, and football. Yes, here in the south, we take our football and tailgating very seriously. In my house, we take it so seriously that on Saturday afternoon or evenings in the fall, you will find us tailgating in our own way. Sadly, we don’t often find ourselves actually attending a live game either at UCF (Go Knights!) or at UF (Go Gators!), so we do our own version of tailgating – we do indoor tailgate parties. Based on the same principle as traditional tailgate parties, they revolve around fun, food, drinks, family, friends, and did I mention FUN? 

On the tailgate menu this weekend for the Florida Gators vs. Miami Hurricanes game, we have ribs, green bean casserole, chips and homemade dip, and chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, and since we’re watching a game with Miami, we are drinking (in moderation, of course) pineapple cocktails. Sadly, no coconut is involved since my hubby doesn’t like it, but since I love pineapples, I’m still happy! For the recipes, please click on the documents below.

Our entire family loves college football games. It has been a Saturday tradition since Randy & I were married almost 33 years ago that we spend every fall Saturday watching the Gators play football (sorry Knights fans, but Randy is an Alum of UF and they have had a football team for a lot longer than UCF has!).

We raised our children with Saturday Gator games, dressed our son in football clothes when he was little, and our girls in Gator cheerleader outfits, complete with pom-poms and orange & blue ribbons for their hair! Our little grandson’s have all learned the Gator Chomp and the signal for a TD at a very young age and their favorite colors in the fall are orange & blue or black & gold, since we now include UCF in our football traditions.

                                         
It’s September, so that means that fall is almost here! I don’t know about you, but I am definitely ready for the crispness in the air that fall will bring. Ok, I know this could be a while around here…it is Central Florida after all. We typically don’t herald in our fall-like weather until mid- to late October, but if we’re very lucky, we could begin to feel a slight coolness on our breezes before too long. But, hey, at least we still have a lot of warm weather left to enjoy going to our beautiful beaches, gardening, and watching our children or grandchildren romp and play outside.

Speaking of which, my little grandson, Connor (19 months) enjoys playing in the backyard and helping his granddaddy and me work in our yard! Sometimes I think he ends up wearing more of the soil from the garden than there is in it, though!

Fall also brings the promise of wonderful food that, whether it is available year round or not, sometimes just should only be eaten and enjoyed in the fall. Butternut Squash Soup comes to mind, as does Shepherd’s Pie. I did cheat a little recently and baked a Shepherd’s Pie, though. At least no one complained that it was too early in the year! Well, I’m sorry there was no time for a recipe in this post, but perhaps next time.

                                               Cheers and Bon Appétit!      
                                                                    – Sharon