It’s Airshow Tailgating Time: Ideas for savory and sweet eats to enjoy while watching the show
Published 4:16 am Thursday, May 18, 2023
Spinach and Turkey Pinwheels
Lake Charles Caviar
Pimento Cheese Spread
Mini Muffalettas
Mini Muffalettas
Seven-Layer Cookie Bars
Special to the American Press
The Chennault International Airshow is this weekend, so it’s time to create a high-flying menu of good things to eat for you and your friends to enjoy in your tailgate space.
The airshow is Friday through Sunday, May 19-21, at Chennault International Airport. Last-chance tickets, while they last, are available at chennaultairshow.com.
You can’t cook at the airshow, but you can bring prepared food and a cooler of drinks as you wish.
That means there are plenty of options for delicious eats that everyone will enjoy that don’t require heat or extensive prep time.
(Or: You can visit some of the 20 food trucks exclusive to various tailgate zones in the show. They can round out your selection of things to eat — or supply everything.)
With these recipes, you can just unpack and snack. Here’s a suggested tailgate menu to prepare:
• Mini Muffalettas.
• Spinach and Turkey Pinwheels.
• Pimiento Cheese Spread.
• Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips.
• Lake Charles Caviar.
• Seven-Layer Cookie Bars.
Mini Muffalettas
From Southern Living
2 (16-oz.) jars mixed pickled vegetables
(Giardiniera mix)
3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, chopped
2 tablespoons bottled olive oil-and-vinegar salad dressing
12 small dinner rolls, cut in half
6 Swiss cheese slices, cut in half
12 thin deli ham slices
12 Genoa salami slices
6 provolone cheese slices, cut in half
Directions: Pulse pickled vegetables in food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely chopped. Stir in olives and dressing.
Spread 1 heaping tablespoonful pickled vegetable mixture over cut side of each roll bottom. Top each with 1 Swiss cheese slice half, 1 ham slice, 1 salami slice, 1 provolone cheese slice half and roll tops. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.
Spinach and Turkey Pinwheels
from Taste of Home
1 carton (8 ounces spreadable garden vegetable cream cheese
8 flour tortillas
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 pound sliced deli turkey
Directions: Spread cream cheese over tortillas. Layer with spinach and turkey. Roll up tightly. Cover and refrigerate. To serve, cut each roll crosswise into 6 pieces.
Pimiento Cheese Spread
From Southern Living
Note: Buy your cheese in a block and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese will not give the texture you need and it just won’t taste as good.
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated onion
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (8-oz.) block sharp
Cheddar cheese
Celery sticks and assorted crackers
Directions: In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, diced pimiento, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, and ground red pepper until blended.
Toast the pecans. (Don’t skip this step: toasting brings out the rich flavor of the nuts.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. (Stirring helps to ensure even browning.)
Shred the cheese. Using the small side of a box grater, finely shred extra-sharp Cheddar cheese. Then use the large side of the grater to coarsely shred sharp Cheddar cheese. Fresh cheese makes a difference.
Stir and enjoy. Add pecans and shredded cheeses to mayo mixture, stirring until blended. You can store it in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Serve with celery sticks and assorted crackers.
Fruit Salsa
From HGTV
1 pound strawberries, diced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
1 medium Bosc pear, cored and diced
1 cup blueberries
1 lime, juiced
2-3 tablespoons fresh mint, cut into ribbons
Directions: Combine one cup diced strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Let sit on the counter at roomw temperature for about 2 hours until the juices start to come out. Puree until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the diced apples, pear, remaining strawberries and blueberries. Add lime juice and strawberry puree, coating all ingredients. Stir in fresh mint and keep cool until serving. Serve with cinnamon pita chips. You can make your own by brushing flour tortillas with melted butter and sprinkling with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Cut each tortilla into eight sections and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Lake Charles Caviar
From allrecipes.com
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing
1 green bell pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground
coriander
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
Directions: Mix together tomatoes, black-eyed peas, black beans, Italian dressing, bell pepper, onion, green onions, jalapeño peppers, garlic, and coriander in a large bowl. Cover and chill salad in the refrigerator for about two hours before serving with corn chips for dipping.
Seven-Layer Cookie Bars
From Midwest Living
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers
1 cup peanut-butter-flavored pieces, butterscotch-flavored pieces or white baking pieces
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate pieces
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts, macadamia nuts, or pecans
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1-1/4 cups)
Directions: In a 13x9x2-inch baking pan, melt the butter or margarine. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers evenly over the bottom of the pan. Top with the peanut-butter-flavored pieces, the butterscotch-flavored pieces or white baking pieces. Top with the chocolate pieces. Sprinkle with the flaked coconut and chopped walnuts, macadamia nuts, or pecans. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over top.
Bake the cookies in a 325-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges of the bar cookies are a golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Cut into bars. When completely cool, store in a covered plastic container at room temperature.
