| Gentlemen -- and Ladies -- Start Your Appetites (Recipes) |
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By Louise Durman
Scripps Howard News Service Watching the NASCAR season unfold on TV, or from the stands, is for many a family affair. Take, for example, Joe and Lou Tate and her 90-year old mother, Helen Staples, all of Knoxville, Tennessee. They take to the road to follow the circuit with the Tates' son-in-law and daughter, Tad and Jodie Geschickter of Charlotte, North Carolina. That is three generations' worth of racing fans. The Geschickters own a racing team, ST Motorsports, whose car No. 59 is driven by Stacy Compton in the Busch Grand National Series. The Winston Cup Series is the first level in NASCAR; Busch Grand National is the second level, explains Lou Tate. Staples mostly goes to the races closer to home: Charlotte, North Carolina; and Bristol and Nashville in Tennessee. "I look forward to the races every year," she says. "She loves it. She was watching races long before the family got into it," says her daughter. The Geschickters take their motor home to races. Both Tad and Jodie work with the race team. Jodie is in promotions, hospitality and working with sponsors. Tate kids her daughter that it's the "meal salutation car" because of the sponsors: Johnsville, Bratwurst, KC Masterpiece, Bush Baked Beans, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Bubba Burgers and the major sponsor, Kingsford Charcoal. Team members sometimes grill in the pit area -- using the charcoal, of course. Racing is the fastest-growing spectator sport in the United States, second only to the NFL in television viewership, according to General Mills, whose Cheerios cereal sponsors a car that is driven by John Andretti. Busch Grand National races are run on Saturdays and Winston Cup on Sundays, but there's never a race on Mother's Day. "NASCAR drivers love their mom, too," reports the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association. It is affiliated with the American Dairy Association, which sponsors a car driven by Terry Labonte. Pat Wallen of Knoxville, program director for the Southeast dairy group, provided recipes for nibbles to enjoy during races, including a Big Bowl Cheese Dip to serve with baked chips and veggie dippers. It's high in calcium plus eight essential nutrients and is "great fuel for your bones and body," she says. Wallin is actively involved in the American Dietetic Association and is a former president of the Tennessee Dietetic Association.
Big Bowl Cheese Dip Ingredients: 1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup regular beer or nonalcoholic beer
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Pepper Jack cheese
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 to 2 Tbs. chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 cup sour cream
Baked tortilla chips, for dipping
Fresh veggies for dipping (red, green and yellow peppers, mushroom caps, grape tomatoes) Preparation: Place onion and beer in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. In a large bowl, combine cheeses, flour and taco seasoning. Slowly add handfuls of cheese mix to hot beer until melted. Repeat until all the cheese is used. Stir in chipotle pepper and sour cream. Serve with baked tortilla chips and/or fresh veggies. Note: In testing the recipe, Wallin decided Michelob Amber Rock dark beer was best. If using lower-fat cheeses, use no lower than 50-percent reduced fat so it will melt well, and shred your own rather than using pre-shredded. Reduced-fat Breakstone brand works best if using low-fat sour cream. Serves: About 3 cups.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Party Sticks Recipe courtesy Southeast United Dairy Industry Association. Ingredients: One 11 oz. can refrigerated soft breadsticks
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese, such as mozzarella, provolone or smoked Gouda
1/2 tsp. dried basil or oregano
2 cups warmed ready-prepared marinara sauce Preparation: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove breadsticks from can and arrange in a single layer lengthwise on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not separate breadsticks. You should have a rectangle about 13 inches long and 6 inches wide. Sprinkle cheese and basil or oregano down center of dough, leaving a border of about half an inch. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a board or platter. Let cool 3 to 4 minutes. To serve, pull apart breadsticks. Serve with warm marinara sauce.
Smokin' Turkey and Salsa Pizzas Recipe courtesy General Mills. Ingredients: 1 can (16.3 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup salsa (any variety)
1/2 lb. smoked turkey breast (from deli), cut into 2-by-1-inch strips
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 2 cookie sheets. Separate dough into eight biscuits. Press or roll each to form a 5 1/2-inch round. Place on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Spread each biscuit with 2 tablespoons salsa. Top each with 1/4 cup turkey strips and 3 tablespoons cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until hot and cheese is melted. Notes: Recipe was made with Pillsbury Grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits and Old El Paso salsa. Use mild salsa and Monterey Jack cheese instead of Mexican blend if you don't want spicy pizzas. Can add chopped tomatoes and/or sliced black olives to each pizza.
(Contact Louise Durman of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at www.knoxnews.com.)
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