I was going to wait until tomorrow to share this recipe and pictures of Jason in his new FSU jersey that TK bought him…but I need to give you time to go to the store to get the stuff for the dip.  I’ve been making this recipe for years in Tallahassee on game day. I religiously tailgated while in Tallahassee, scoping out parking early in the morning and eating and drinking with friends all day. When it came time for game time, I was usually ready to call a cab (850-580-8080 for you locals) and take a nap. I very rarely actually went to the game.  When I got pregnant, I switched from tailgating on campus to partying at the house…when Jason was born we started up again but not quite so religiously…its nice to let baby take a nap in his own bed. Above is Jason’s last tailgate.

Here are some tips for sucessful tailgating:

1. Park at the end of a row or find a grassy area to maxamize your party space
2. Fly a flag or some ballons so friends can easily find you
3. Convert an old tool box or tackle box into a carryall for utensils, can/bottle openers, matches, first aid, bug spray, etc.
4. Go Green! Provide a recycle bin next to the trash
5. Dont forget a football!
6. Bring some cards
7. Hook up a TV to a portable battery incase were missing valuable pregame footage
8. Heat up the grill after the game and enjoy leftovers while traffic clears

MUST HAVES: Water, sunscreen, matches, trashbags, toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, rain gear & jumper cables.

Heres the best spinach dip ever…

I hollow out a bread bowl and use that as my baking dish, then serve with the torn up pieces of bread that were pulled out,  and some Tostitos.

Spinach Artichoke Dip from Food Network’s Juan-Carlos Cruz

• 1 box frozen chopped spinach thawed
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese softened
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained ( I chop them up a bit)
• Carrot sticks,celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach, place in a food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce.

Process until just blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture. Place in a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips.