USC vs Utah Football: What to Eat? (3) Jello shots

Jello is an unofficial state food of Utah. Mormons (many of whom live in Utah) do not drink alcohol per their religious beliefs.  What better way to combine Utah with the Utah/Mormon-opposite than Jello shots? So this weekend, I made these for the tailgate… however, I toned down the alcohol after I read how people tend to not be cognizant of the amount of alcohol they are consuming with jello shots and get themselves in trouble.

My friend, Donna, from Northern California, shared a very easy recipe (we had Blue Jello with Rum jello shots this summer while on vacation with Donna and family in Lake Tahoe)…

ANY FLAVOR JELLO SHOTS (taken from Cooks.com)

• 3 oz box Jell-O (any flavor)
• l cup boiling water
• l cup liquor of choice

Dissolve the Jello in boiling water.  Add liquor in
place of cold water.  Pour into small plastic cups.  Place in
refrigerator until set.

Some flavor combos:

• Cherry Jello and vodka
• Lime jello and tequila
• Strawberry jello and tequila (add strawberry slice)
• Orange jello and vodka
• Peach jello and Peach schnapps
• Watermelon jello and Vodka
• Grape Jello and Rum

I decided to make Lemon/Citrus Vodka and Cherry/Rum jello shots (red and gold!)… Basically you need two cups of liquid…so I decreased the alcohol to 3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup cold water…. for the 1 cup cold liquid. See my photo below.

Another item on this vein is mixing jello with coffee (no caffeine for Mormons either)…. click here for a coffee jello dessert that my friend Steve found on the internet (photo is from this site too)– a dessert to be served with whipped cream — including Kahlua is optional.  I wish I had time to make this as well!

Fight On!

Beat the Utes!

USC vs Minnesota football game — Red and Golden Corn Salad

continuing the food theme for the USC vs Minnesota game on Sept 3…. this salad, with its red and gold color would work for either team tailgate (as they have basically the same school colors).

This corn salad is easily put together in separate ziplock bags and assembled at the tailgate event.  There are no measurements, free-form kind of thing, though guidelines for amounts are given. Here is the basic recipe for about 6 people (as a sidedish), that be increased as you wish.

• Frozen bag of corn (say 16 oz bag) — Bring the corn in its bag, it can thaw on the way to the event… you want to add it cold, but not frozen to the salad

• Mix the following and place in another ziplock bag in your ice chest:
• Cherry tomatoes (cut in half and seasoned with a little salt/pepper) — probably 8 oz
• Some sliced black olives (say an 8 oz can)
• 4 green onions or 1/4 red onion chopped for some extra flavor
•  Some chopped red pepper can be added, as well.
• 4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled, stored in a separate bag or container
• Italian dressing — bring a bottle of dressing, or put together your own basic vinaigrette …olive oil and red wine vinegar, some dried herbs, salt and pepper.

Once at the tailgate, mix the corn, the tomato mixture, bacon, and the dressing (just pour in enough dressing to moisten the corn/tomato mixture) in a bowl.  (I use a disposable foil pan to save clean-up.)  Let it sit 10  minutes or so to mingle the flavors and serve cold.

I am serving this salad post-game… it works for both schools, is quick, easy and delicious.

Fight on!