(NAPSA)—With temperatures dropping and football season in full swing, fans are looking for heartier foods to warm up their tailgating parties. For Hall of Fame athlete Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer, this is the best time of the season. Now that Joe isn’t playing quarterback, his new position is at the grill, cooking up delicious foods fit for even the hungriest tailgater. Whether cooking for friends, family or his former teammates, Joe knows the gameplan is to serve food hot and to fire up the flavor. Home game or road trip? Cooking for either is not a ‘ problem. Begin prep at home and travel with a slow cooker or heavy-duty foil pans. Finish cooking on-site and rely on pre-blended seasonings and sauces, such as McCormick Grill Mates, for big, bold flavor. Here is a sneak peek at some of the foods in Joe and Jennifer’s favorite weekend spread: *Tailgater’s Barbecue Beef This pick should be a hit on your home turf. Brown 2 pounds of stirring once. Serve on a bun or with your favorite coleslaw or potato salad. *Sweet Hickory BBQ Baked Beans—This tailgating staple is simply flavored with sweet brown sugar and smoky hickory barbecue sauce. Saut % cup diced onion in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil for three minutes. Add two cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans, % eup McCormick Grill Mates Hickory BBQ Grilling Sauce and 4 cup brown sugar, stir and heat to boil. Stirring occasionally, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes. For Joe and Jennifer, nothing says football like grilled bratwurst. Tasty and simple to prepare, the sausages are tossed with a sweet and smoky mixtureof bell peppers and onions. Served on toasted hoagie buns, this dish can score extra points with your team. ground beef in a skillet. Add 1% eups ketchup, 4%cup chopped onion, % cup finely chopped celery, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1% teaspoons ground mustard, % teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons McCormick Grill Mates Barbecue Seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes, Grilled Bratwurst with Saucy Mesquite Peppers and Onions Ingredients: 2 packages (20 ounces each) bratwurst sausage (10 links) 2 tablespoonsvegetableoil 7 cups sliced onions (about 2 extra large onions) 4 cupsthin greenbell pepperstrips (about 2 large bell peppers) 1 bottle (14.6 ounces) McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite Grilling Sauce 1% cups (12 oz.) beer or apple cider 10 hoagie rolls Directions: 1.Grill sausages over medium-high heat 10-12 minutes or until done. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm. 2.Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saut 5 minutes. Add bell pepper. Saut 10 minutes. Reduceheat. 3.Add mesquite sauce and beer or cider to onion and peppers; stir well. Add sausage to skillet and toss with onions and peppers; simmer 3 minutes. Serve on hoagie rolls. Tailgating Tip: Prepare sauce and onion/pepper mixture in advance; place in heavy duty, disposable 13 x 9-inch foil pan, cover and refrigerate. To reheat, remove cover and place foil pan directly on grill, stirring occasionally. Add sausages to pan after grilling. For additional game day goodies and tailgating tips from the Montanas, visit the Web site www.mecormick.com.
