Fabulous Maple Syrup Fountain

Heyy Smarties! Back when I was at Mizzou (and occasionally to this day), I associated with some amazing people. They loved tailgating! These guys were out at the crack of dawn, regardless of the weather, in the designated parking spot, ready to go. They were always prepared with various foods for every hour of the day, including the appropriate breakfast items because let's face it. When you have an 11 o'clock kick-off, you have to get creative and optimum tailgating hours.

For those unfamiliar with tailgating, it is a party completed with alcohol, barbecue, and other grilled food. The specialty of these parties is that they are hosted primarily on parking lots and arenas. A tailgating party is hosted after a match or concert. When we talk about all the delicious food: hamburgers, steak, hot dogs, pizza, tortillas, and guacamole are famous. Oh! And potato salad too. Donuts? Yess. Since I said alcoholic beverages are a part, too, can you stick with Bloody Mary? Okay, but if you want to be original, start your morning with a Sunny Creek (Knob Creek whiskey and Sun Drop).

It Has Bewitched Me, Body and Soul

I thought of sharing something inspired by those good old days with you all today. This maple syrup fountain was half inspired by those early mornings spent with the gang in Lot X. The other half was an article I happened to catch on BuzzFeed not long ago called 5 Ways to Hack a Chocolate Fountain. In this video, someone had the brilliant idea to use maple syrup instead of chocolate. What a perfect idea for a mid-morning brunch or an upscale tailgate party, right? I thought the same.

Shall we talk about the maple syrup fountain then? You might wonder what temperature the maple syrup should be. Can you use cold maple syrup? For the maple syrup fountain, we found that it worked much better to preheat the maple syrup before pouring it into the fountain. And preheating the fountain makes a difference too. So, yes, we suggest you preheat the maple syrup and the fountain.

What can you serve sling with the maple syrup pancake? Well, for the last tailgating party I went to, we had a variety of pancakes, waffles, and French toast sticks. We could choose and dip it in the maple syrup fountain. I remember the warm maple syrup with the French toast sticks tasting heavenly. How did we manage to drizzle the syrup on, though? And were the pancakes handmade? We used store-bought mini pancakes, mini waffles on lollipop sticks, and French toast sticks on skewers to make it easy to drizzle syrup on. There's one food item I regret not having that day. Want to know what it is? It is BACON. I know this sounds weird. After all, Bacon with maple syrup is not very common. But that combination is something you should definitely try!

Everything Is Possible. You Just Gotta Try!

Since the maple syrup fountain was such a hit, we thought to test some other sauces and syrups. And what a thought it was indeed! So, smartie, here are some other potential ideas for chocolate fountains we came up with. It might be Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, marinara sauce, or even gravy! Ours did work wonderfully.

Why don't you give it a shot with your chocolate fountains?

He Wants Some Food. Bring Some Food.

You have started to love the idea of tailgating, haven't you? So here are some food ideas for your next Tailgate party. We might share some of the recipes, too; you never know!

Hands down, we all love Nachos, right? So, take your love for nachos to your next tailgate party. You can try baked nachos, chicken nachos, and Bacon grilled nachos. Chicken wings are a crowd favorite too. And yes, if you are trying out the ranch fountain, it will be perfect. Tailgate parties are a must-go if you are a fan of hand pies. You can taste some of the best cheesesteak and Reuben hand pies here.

All-time yummy bread is a famous food too. Tailgaters love their pull-apart bread and bread bowls, after all! Cheesy garlic bread, pizza bread, and buffalo wing bread are some pull-apart bread you will find at a tailgate party. Wonder what a bread bowl is? Simply put, it is hollowed-out bread filled with stuffing.

Here's how you can make your own bread bowl. First, take a loaf of bread. Preferably a round one. Then cut off the top. And then hollow out the bread. We want the bread walls to not be too thin or too thick. And then fill the insides of the bread loaf. You can use sausages, salami, beef, chicken, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, and chilies. The stuffing can be made to your liking! Finally, top it off with more cheese and bake at 350 Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes. And enjoy the yummy goodness!

Empanadas and Quesadillas are also a hit at tailgate parties. But, of course, anything to do with chicken is a crowd favorite too. I loved the Thai chicken skewers I had at a tailgate party, and I still search for the perfect recipe. My friend I met at a tailgate party, Sarah, loves to bring stuffed peppers. And I kid you not, they hit just right.

Some Came For the Food and Stayed For the Games!

Although I am a die-hard fan of the food served at tailgate parties, tailgate parties are not just the food. While half of the fun comes from food, the other half comes with playing lawn games. Washer toss, darts, and Kan Jam are some famous games played at tailgate parties. Since alcoholic beverages are a part of tailgate parties, drinking games are a part of these parties. Beer pong is one game I love to participate in at a tailgate party.

If you're loving this idea and looking for a recipe to go with it, check out the one we did for mini pancake skewers. Party on, Smarties!