Transition.....

Transition...

So, I've been blogging a lot more about tailgating on the Football blog lately, so I'm "retiring" this blog - my ultimate plan is to consolidate -

So go check out http://2thelionfootball.blogspot.com/ for all your Penn State football and tailgating needs (and/or wants)!

I love the nightlife...

Game times have been announced for three key home football games.

PENN STATE v notre dame - September 8th @ 6:00pm
PENN STATE v wisconsin - October 13th @ 3:30pm
PENN STATE v tosu - October 27th @ 8:00pm

The nd & tosu games are going to be crazy - absolutely crazy.

All three games are "bigguns" and should be colossal tailgates - Wisconsin is Homecoming and a Diesel Tailgate; tosu is a Diesel Tailgate; and, well, and notre dame is notre dame.

Outdoor dance floors for everyone!

To the Lion!

Happy Birthday Pop.

Tentative Tailgating Themes

Strictly ignoring the news out of Centre County... LA LA LA LA LA LA LA - I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Let's talk tailgating.

Very enthused by the awesomeness of the Blue White Tailgate - we did some brainstorming on the trip home regarding the fall festivities.

There are 8 tailgates this year (DON'T FORGET TEMPLE). Seven home and one away.

September 1st - Florida International - We're thinking - Seafood. Last time we tried this there was a freakin' hurricane - so there's no telling what mother nature will throw at us this year.

September 8th - notre dame - still under consideraton

September 15th - Buffalo - leaning toward a retro theme. Martinis for everyone.

October 6th - Iowa - Oktoberfest, of course. The last weekend of the festival - we'll do it up right with brats, sauerkraut und beer.

October 13th - Wisconsin - Homecoming - the preliminary choice is Fiesta - with the legendary nacho bar.

October 27th - Ohio State - Still thinking

November 3rd - Purdue - French - you read that right - FRENCH! oooh la la. With onion soup, beef burgundy, and other yummalicious items.

November 10th - Temple - at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA - What else? Italian, prego.

More Blue White Tailgate Pictures

I took a lot of pictures at the game, understandably (megalomaniac), most of them were of the cake. We had a whole bunch of other great food! There were the standby burgers, brisket, chili and deep fried goodies (from cheese wontons to whole turkey) - along with a great variety of snacks and desserts. Some favorites of the day were: marinated cheese (2 kinds!); homemade biscotti ("they're like cookies...but harder"); tarts (lemon, blackberry and me!); grilled

marinated vegetables; insalata caprese bites; shrimps on the barbie; navy blue jello shots. Bestest "keeper" original recipe of the event? Chocolate covered pretzel tart (chocolate & nutella pie with pretzel crust and topped with pirouline cookies - yes, it was that good). The big surprise of the day?? Duck's beercan chickens - you kidder you! Favorite quote of the day? "I thought artichokes were vegetables." Items lost to the abyss of

the MaxCooler? Pizza Steak bread; pepperoni pinwheels (treason!); chicken bites; kielbasa (say it ain't so!!!!!). More Blue White pix and commentary at FOOTBALL.

mmm, cake

I had already planned to make the stadium cake for the Blue White game - but after the events of April 16th, I altered my design plan, a bit. I had read in the Daily Collegian that some kids were organizing a color block "VT" in support of Virginia Tech, and that they needed 800 volunteers - apparently the PSU administration also heard about the effort, because they (PSU) donated the 800 t-shirts on a "first come" basis. The outpouring of

support and solidarity was amazing and reassuring. So, I wanted to make sure that "our" stadium was as spirited as the real one... a few pictures...

Blue White 2007

Getting ready for the Blue White game - things are crazy with the team right now - but we're soldiering on with our preparations.

The game is Saturday, April 21st, at 2pm. Parking lots open at 8am - and we'll be there when they do. We'll be parking in the lots outside the West stands.




Click Here for directions/info

The "theme" is, as always "Practice" - but we're adding an Italian flair this year (in honor of coach Paterno).

Currently, the forecast has no rain...

Hope to see you there!

The baking has begun

Finally - although I can not take any credit for it. Suzanne championed the inaugural culinary confections. I was there, however, to taste-test 2 new recipes (courtesy of America's Test Kitchen) - Delicious. It was, a bit of a sacrifice too - as I am not a fan of berry/fruit filled desserts - I took one for the team and sampled the new berry bar - I thought it was fantastic - so those of you who actually like the flavor(s) are sure to love it!

I, for my part, placed an order with Genuardi's supermarket to deliver some groceries - many of which are tailgate related items. So that's a start. I clicked on a bunch of stuff, and tomorrow after work I will sit in the house and wait for the delivery guy to bring the groceries to me and carry them into the kitchen.

let's get it started

ha!

It's time to start planning/preparing for the Penn State Blue White scrimmage (and practice tailgate) - I'm not sure when the kids are allowed to officially start training - but it's time for us to get baking!

The Blue White tailgate, much like the game, is a practice tailgate - a time to try out new equipment, recipes, clothing - everything.

This year the game is scheduled for April 21st - at 2pm. We'll be arriving at the parking lots, when they open, so to get a good spot. Parking (and admission into the game) are free - so it's a great opportunity to see the Lions without much stress.

New to our equipment cache are a propane fueled coffee maker, a fondue pot (specifically purchased for Chuck's Cheese sauce) as well as an assortment of new cookbooks and decorations.

The "theme" for Blue White is Italian - looking forward to that.

Blue White date announced

April 21, 2007.

Time to start planning - We have some new "gadgets" that need to be tested - and some new recipes!

Per the Tailgating Coordinator

All,
Thanks to all of you who voted. Your votes have been counted and our 2007 tailgate schedule has been posted at:

http://www.carter.myvnc.com/vote/vote.html

****For those who can't wait to know... The tailgates are Notre Dame; Wisconsin (HC); and, Temple (Away).

As happens every January, hotel reservations need to be made for the regular season. Chris and I will be making reservations at IMI and Sleep Inn respectively.

Due to problems in 2006 and the fact that I'm married (and thus own nothing ;-) ), I will only be making reservations for eople who pay me in full ($85/weekend) before Jan 19th.

Please contact Chris (cfluck@gdeb.com) or me (Rob@psualum.com) if you want a spot with us. Generally, all hotels in the area will be completely booked by the end of this month and then you'll be SOL.

More info http://www.dieseltailgate.no-ip.org/lodging.html

Reservations for Blue/White Weekend will be made after the date is officially announced.

For the Glory,
-Rob

Stadium Cake

Where do I begin? Well, it all started when I went to Williams Sonoma to buy their train cake pan (which I did get) and Suz saw the Stadium Cake Pan I was, understandably, a little excited about the prospects of making a PSU inspired stadium cake. The Outback Bowl was just 2 days away and we were having a football party - how perfect! We had the absolute best time buying blue candy at in Wegmans' bulk candy section - $.64 worth of blue runts (awesome!). Suz made the cake and I decorated it Monday morning. The decorating took about 2 hours (give or take) - first I glazed the cake with a heated mixture of sugar, milk, lemon juice and lemon curd (brilliant idea of suz'). The "field" is a rectangle of graham crackers covered with green sprinkles and icing details. I used buttercream frosting for the icing - it worked really well. making navy blue is a pain in the bum, but it worked out well. I just used ziplock bags for the piping - I didn't really have the time or inclination for anything more involved (the game started at 11am!) - I used candies to embellish. My favorite parts (apart from the whole) are the "S block," the "team" with their striped helmets, and the back of the one scoreboard which reads "No ReEntry" - fantastic!