{Recipe} ~ Football Friday

I'm constantly trying new recipes so I can post them to the blog and it just now occured to me to combine two of my favorite things for a fun Friday post: football and food!

In honor of Clemson's last four home games (tomorrow and three weeks in a row in November), I'll be posting a tailgate recipe I've tried this football season.

When I was a student and lived within walking distance of the football stadium, it was so easy to prep for tailgates because I knew I wouldn't have to travel far with my goodies. The past two years have been quite different, seeing as Greenville is a solid 40-minute drive from Clemson, without traffic. That makes it difficult for me to transport items that need to be warm when we arrive. I need to invest in a heavy duty insulated tote! This definitely becomes part of the decision making process when prepping for a tailgate. If anyone has any tips for transporting food, please share with me!

It also depends on what time kickoff is. If it's a noon game, I'll try to make a breakfast dish to serve with mimosas. If it's a 3:30 game, a combination of chips and dip needs to last throughout the day (and has to taste delicious both hot and cold). A night game needs to be something hearty, because a day of drinking requires a decent amount of food to go along with it. Tailgating is hard work, people!

I might also note that in Clemson, we take our tailgating very seriously, evident by Southern Living's most recent poll: "Clemson Wins the South's Best Tailgate"!!!! How cool is that? I'm so proud of my alma mater!

Our tailgate is still a work in progress, as guys seem to care less about how it looks than whether or not they have enough space to throw the football and play cornhole. Strange.

But without further ado:

Mississippi Sin Dip
from Plain Chicken

Ingredients

• 16oz sour cream
• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt
• pepper
• 16 oz French bread loaf

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except French bread; stirring until well blended.

Cut a thin slice from top of bread loaf; set slice aside. Using a gentle sawing motion, cut vertically to, but not through, bottom of the loaf, 1/2 inch from the edge, to cut out center of bread. Lift out center of loaf. Fill hollowed bread loaf with the dip. Wrap loaf with foil. 

Bake dip at 350° degrees for 20 minutes or until warm. Serve with reserved bread cubes, crackers, or potato chips.

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Ps. I asked my friend from Mississippi why this was called "Mississippi Sin" and he laughed and said he had never heard of it! So feel free to name it whatever kind of "sin" you'd like! I must say, the folks at our tailgate sure loved it!