Southern Fried Football: Tailgating Menu & Ole Miss Gameday Guide

Happy Tailgate Thursday, football fans! I get asked all the time, especially lately since I started this SEC Gameday series, what it is about football that drives such passion in the South. Certainly an obvious answer is the intense competition in our league. 5 National Championships in a row in addition to decades of dominance will bring out lots of fans. Another explanation is our loyalty to our alma maters. In the South, tradition is everything. We come back to our sacred schools year after year not only to see old friends, but to celebrate great memories & time honored customs. But it's still more than that. Fans in Dixie learn to love the game at an early age from all those Autumn Friday nights cheering on the neighborhood teens in helmets. Boys grow up dreaming of being a gridiron hero and girls dream of wearing that cute cheerleader uniform. We long for the brass sounds & booming drumlines putting on world-class halftime shows. We understand there's nothing more exciting than being among 90,000 of your closest friends all wearing the team's colors, united in wishing, hoping, praying for a big win. You see, Southerners learned early on to turn the greatest game ever played into an all day party. And yankees think we're not smart ;) So as y'all head out to gather with your team's people this Saturday, here's a little inspiration for your tailgate party:

Spicy Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Stadium Sandwiches

Endzone Egg Rolls with Sour Cream Salsa Verde

Devils On Horseback

Goat Cheese & Artichoke Dip

Cream Cheese & Olive Pecan Bites

Panzanella Salad

Tomato Basil Squares

Fruit Kabobs with Honey Yogurt Dip

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding Trifle

Firefly Spiked Arnold Palmer

This Saturday as Jeff & I are at the marquis SEC game of the week, Arkansas at Bama, my Georgia Bulldawgs will be in Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels Bears. So it should come as no surprise that this week's SEC feature on Southern Fried Football is the University of Mississippi! Now I was born & raised a Georgia girl, then married a Bama Man, but I've always had a lot of love for Ole Miss. You can't grow up in Dixie and not have a deep appreciation for the quintessential southern town and the University that gave us William Faulkner. It only took 1 trip to Ole Miss, including a stroll through the legendary Grove on Gameday as a child, for me to see why it's widely considered the most charming place in all of the SEC. For Dawg fans and SEC fans this season that have the good fortune to play at Ole Miss, you're truly in for a tailgating treat! As Ole Miss fans have famously said for years: "We may not win every game, but we ain't never lost a party." Truer words were never spoken. So here are a few must see things to do in Oxford, MS on an Ole Miss Gameday weekend.

1. The Grove - The most famous tailgating spot in America. Under the canopy of 100 year old oak trees on 10 acres of beautiful green space are rows of red & blue tents filled with Rebel fans dressed in their Sunday best throwing the best party you'll ever attend. Bank on it.

2. Rowan Oak - Even if you're not as big a fan of one of America's greatest Writers as I am, you must take time to visit the historic home of William Faulkner.

3. Oxford's Square - The center of downtown Oxford, filled with historic antebellum architecture, shops, restaurants, bars and tons of students. 

4. Confederate Cemetery - Resting place for more than 700 Confederate Soldiers who all perished on the grounds of Ole Miss during the war of northern aggression. A must-see for Civil War history buffs!

5. Restaurants - Oxford, MS has become a highly acclaimed destination for Food Critics and consequently is home to some spectacular fare from eateries like City Grocery, 208, The Downtown Grill, and Ravine.

6. Gameday at Ole Miss - Ole Miss has a few different regulations you likely won't see on other SEC campuses. For instance, there is no open flame while tailgating on The Grove. There's also no alcohol, although it's famously known you can indulge in a libation as long as it's in a red solo cup. So rather than insulting the fine folks of Ole Miss, click the link of their Gameday A-Z guide which lists in great detail everything you need to know about Gamedays in Oxford.

Just as there are a host of things to do on Ole Miss Gamedays, there's a lot to see as well. And at the top of the list are Men in bow ties and Mississippi Belles dressed in their finest Fall Saturday outfits. There are so many red & blue dresses out for this Fall, but I absolutely love this darling red striped frock from Adabelle's Boutique.

Whether you're in beautiful Oxford, Mississippi or at any other SEC venue this weekend branch out and enjoy the sights of what makes SEC football so much fun. Be sure to let me know who y'all are cheering for this weekend. Like always I'm picking my UGA and Hubby's Bama. Regardless, I hope your team wins, just not while they're playing mine ;) Go Dawgs & Roll Tide!!