Fanfare: Tailgating Recipes

Get ready for NASCAR, football or even an afternoon at the Little League field with our tailgating recipes! Finger-licking ribs, spicy macaroni salad and checkered flag cookies are all surefire winners.

By Julie Miltenberger

1 of 13

Grilled Seven-Layer Dip

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2 of 13

Cheddar-Onion Dip

Prep 10 m

Cook 5 m

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3 of 13

Spinach-Bean Dip

Prep 5 m

Chill 120 m

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4 of 13

Chunky Salsa

Prep 10 m

Stand 30 m

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5 of 13

Macaroni Salad

Makes 8

Prep 15 m

Cook 8 m

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6 of 13

Steak and Pepper Hoagies

Makes 6

Prep 10 m

Marinate 240 m

Grill 10 m

Marinate to overnight

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7 of 13

Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

Prep 15 m

Grill 90 m

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8 of 13

Checkered Flag Cookies

Prep 10 m

Chill 120 m

Bake 12 m

Decorate 60 m

Chill or overnight

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9 of 13

Tailgating-Worthy Recipes

Makes 6

Prep 15 m

Grill 8 m

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10 of 13

Fan Family

Makes 8

Prep 4 m

Cook 25 m

Grill 8 m

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11 of 13

Pocono International Raceway

Makes 8

Prep 20 m

Cook 30 m

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12 of 13

Tire Change

Prep 15 m

Bake 8 - 11 m

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13 of 13

Q&A with Jeff Burton

Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 car for Richard Childress Racing, is also the father of a daughter, 13, and a son, 8. He took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk to us.

Q. How to you keep meals running smoothly when you're at the track each weekend?

A. "We love to use the slow cooker because it's an easy, no-fuss meal. Often, we'll mix up a batch of pasta sauce on a Friday morning, and enjoy it that night after practice and qualifying."

Q. Is it hard to juggle your family and the long racing season?

A. "We try to balance the kids' activities with race weekends; my wife, Kim, works really hard to arrange time together."

Q. What's your favorite thing to eat?

A. "We love grilled chicken — especially because it's easy."

Originally published in the September 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine.