I Said It's Great to Be a Georgia Bulldog

Twenty-two hours till kickoff. Go dawgs, sic em. Jeff and I used to go to every single home game Georgia played. We tailgated with his parents and friends. We always had THE best time, with the MOST food. Not store-bought junk either. Honey, when Georgia fans tailgate, they tailgate Bulldog style. That is to say that there is soooo much food and soooo much fun! Salads, wings, BBQ, Brunswick stew, pasta salads and fruit salads, brownies, cookies, you name it. We had it. One of my favorites was a little something my mother-in-law made. It was so simple, but yummy. It was just plain old M&M's and cocktail peanuts. The chocolate and salty nuts were to die for. So much better than regular peanut M&M's.

Since Jeff is a Georgia grad and comes from a Georgia-lovin' family, he's always gone to the games. I, on the other hand, had never experienced a Bulldog Saturday until we started dating. I'd buy a new outfit to wear to every game. I couldn't possibly wear the same one twice, don't ya know. When I first started going to the games with him, I was so thin I could use a red and black bandana as a belt! Boy, are those days long gone!!!!! And you ain't seen hot till you've sat in Sanford Stadium on a late August/early September afternoon screaming your heart out. Especially after eating all that food and having a pre-game drink or two.

Our tailgating area was at least a mile, if not more, from the stadium. Some of it was uphill. Or up steps. We'd get to the stadium, climb more steps because our seats were never that good. Who cares? We were there, baby, and it was awesome. All the people wearing red. UGA on the sidelines, Hairy Dawg parading around getting his picture made with the fans. Man, those Dawg Day Afternoons were some of my favorite.

Exhausted by the end of the game, we'd hike back to our cars and tailgate again. Yep. We'd drag out all the food and drink and do it again. We had to to let the traffic die down. Traffic in Athens on game day Saturday is horrible.

But even though we were exhausted from eating too much and sitting in the sun too long and screaming too much and just generally having TOO MUCH FUN, we still had to go to my mom and dad's and pick up our boys. They'd be energetic and ready to roll when we picked them up. We, on the other hand, were ready to hit the sack.

Those days are gone now. We stopped getting season tickets when the boys started playing sports. Nowadays a ticket can be hard to come by. The place where we made so many fun memories tailgating is now blocked and they don't allow you to tailgate there anymore. They've done that all over the campus. Parking spots are hard to come by, much less a place to spread out and tailgate like we did. It's just more enjoyable to watch from home.

Tomorrow we'll be watching our beloved Georgia Dawgs from the comfort of our living room. We're having a few people over and you can bet there will be plenty of food and fun. Just like the old days. Sort of.

Can you possibly watch football or tailgate without dip on the table? Uh, no, I don't think so. So if you're planning to watch your favorite team -- which I hope is an SEC team -- check out BooMama's blog. She's hosting Diptacular! You'll be able to get tons of dip recipes. You can make something to dazzle everyone at your tailgating party!

I don't make a dip that is Blogworthy, but my sister-in-law, Nan does! And she's bringing this tomorrow when watch the game. I call it Nan's Layered Mexican Dip. Here's the recipe.

Nan's Layered Mexican Dip

First layer: 1 can refried beans. Spread in dish.

Second layer: 1 small carton of sour cream mixed with taco seasoning. Spread on top of beans.

Third layer: 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes. Nan likes 'em hot! Drain and spread on top of second layer.

Fourth layer: Freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese -- none of the pre-shredded stuff. Go on and grate it yourself. You'll be glad you did. Maybe some Monterrey Jack too.

Fifth layer: sliced jalapenos.

Serve with Scoop tortilla chips.

It's as pretty as it it delicious! So go on and make it and share it with your favorite football friends.

Lastly, till tomorrow, GO DAWGS, SIC 'EM!