Iowa State University Opens Stadium for a Movie Night

What a cool idea!  Families are allowed to watch a movie (Wreck-It Ralph) from the football field.  True family style tailgating!

The Ultimate Beer Shotgun Opener Keychain

Here is the ultimate beer shotgun opener keychain.  This 3 in 1 device is great for opening bottles, opening can tabs, and putting a nice shotgun hole into a beer can.

Click for larger viewOpening a bottle was not a problem, nor was opening a can.  The one concern I had was using the shotgun portion of it on harder cans, like Heineken, but that worked great too.  You can store this easily on your keychain.  

Check it out at: http://www.drinkinginnovations.com/

Avocado & Bacon Sammies

Lyell from www.RollBamaRoll.com shared a great recipe for Avodado & Bacon Sammies:
 

Ingredients:

• AppleGate organic bacon (or any other organic bacon). If you can't find organic bacon, regular bacon works just do your own research on the healthiest, least processed brand in your area.
• 4-6 Avocado's (You may need less or more depending on the amount of servings you need)
• Juice from one lime (may need more depending on serving size)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1-2 bags of Romaine Hearts

Steps:

1. Cook bacon as flat as possible. There are many ways to do this but using a heavy skillet or a bacon press is the best option. Set aside on paper towel to cool, making sure to keep bacon as straight as possible.
2. While the bacon is cooking, de-pit avocados and place avocado in a bowl. Add juice from lime and salt and pepper to taste, mix well.
3. Peel off strips of romaine hearts, rinse and set aside.

Assembly Required:

There's a couple of different ways to go about this:

1. Take 4 strips of bacon (2 for top, 2 for bottom), spread guacamole over the 2 bottom pieces of bacon and top with remaining 2 pieces of bacon. This can be a bit messy to eat, so you can use the romaine hearts as a wrap.
2. Take just 2 pieces of bacon (1 for top, 1 for bottom), repeat steps above and then use romaine hearts either as a wrap or a "taco".
3. Cut bacon strips into 2 inch pieces and make "mini" bite size sammies. (see picture above)

Either way you go, you have BACON and delicious avocado. I mean, how can you go wrong? Additional toppings could be: 

• Homemade pico de gallo
• Grilled chicken
• Jalapenos
• Sweet Peppers

Joe Goes Tailgating

Here's a funny video of the USC / UCLA tailgate, featuring Joe Hanson from Badge of Shame.

Monday Morning Wakeup Call: Notre Dame

May the luck of the Irish be with you!

City May OK Alcohol at Some Boise State Football Tailgating

People have been partying before Broncos games for years, and they're not going to stop. So city officials wonder if legalizing the activity in certain areas and keeping an eye on it is better than penalizing a few hundred people a year for what has become a Boise tradition.

"We know there's a lot of tailgate drinking that happens in these games and, you know, we think that's part of what makes Bronco football great," city spokesman Adam Park said.The proposal is still preliminary, so its details are subject to change.

The rough idea is to allow drinking in public places surrounding the stadium for about four hours before kickoff at the Broncos' 2013 games. Popular tailgating areas that could be in the legal zone include the eastern half of Julia Davis Park and parking lots south and east of the stadium.

Read More: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/05/15/2576480/city-may-ok-bronco-tailgating.html

Ryobi 2,200 Watt Digital Inverter Generator

Click for larger versionWhen it comes to having power in the tailgate lot, the reigning champion has been the Honda EU series. This was primarily due to there being no competitors. But a new player is in the game. The Ryobi 2200 is the same size, more power, and almost half the price of the Honda. But how does it stack up?

Here's a quick run-down between the two.

	Ryobi	Honda
Starting Watts	2200	2000
Running Watts	1800	1600
Rated Amperage	15A	13.3A
Starting	Recoil	Recoil
Fuel Tank	1 Gal	0.95 Gal
Weight	51 Pounds	47 Pounds
Parallel Capable	Yes	Yes

In running both side by side, a feature that both has is a smart idle. This means that unless the generator needs more power, it will turn the engine at a lower RPM to keep your neighbors happy.  Both units ramp up RPMs quickly, but the Ryobi gets back down to idle RPMs faster.  Both units are inverter style generators, which is good if you will be running any electronics.  The Ryobi was great at powering our typical gear, which includes a home AV receiver, two DirecTV receivers, a 42" LCD, a 32" LCD, two scrolling LED boards, 2 crock pots and a roasting pan.

As you can see, both units are similar in size. The Ryobi has dual handles for better handling, as well as a one hand operated extendible handle for rolling across the lot. This might not sound like a big deal, but if you are joining up with friends, and you have the generator, it is much more fun to pull a generator than to have to carry it.  Honda has an option for a cart, but it is another $99.

The one thing that both units lack is an hour meter. I've installed one on the Honda, and it will be very easy to install one on the Ryobi. This will help you know when to change the oil, as well as exactly how many hours you have been hitting it hard!

Having a generator at the tailgate allows an entire new level of enjoyment.  Crockpots in the winter, roasting pans to keep food warm, television and music, party lights, it goes on and on.

Will the Ryobi dethrone the Honda as the king of the Tailgate Lot? Only time will tell. As more tailgaters step up their game, the Ryobi is certainly a strong player in the market. No longer do you have to spend close to $1000 on quiet power. No longer do you have to get a 100 pound noise maker. The Ryobi comes in a small package, gives BIG power, and sips the fuel. That is a win in this Tailgating professionals opinion.  I look forward to getting more hours under it as the season progresses.

Currently, The Home Depot is selling this unit for $599.

Coozie Coolers - Keep Those Drinks Cool!

We've all had it happen...  We get a frosty cold beverage out of the cooler, and get side tracked, and the drink gets warm.  Nothing worse than a warm drink!

Enter the Coozie Cooler.  This brilliant device is a small ice pack the shape of the bottom of a can, and sits in the bottom of your Coozie, keeping things cold while you tend to tailgating games, the grill, or whatever else needs attention.

They are cheap enough to keep a few in the cooler, so when you get a new drink, you can swap out for a new Coozie Cooler.

To buy your very own Coozie Coolers, check them out at cooziecoolers.com.

Tailgating at Darlington

Tailgating video from Darlington Raceway.  Kid pools, and mega-jenga.

WMBFNews.com, Myrtle Beach/Florence SC

Monday Morning Wakeup Call: Nascar

Good Morning, and welcome to your NASCAR wake up call!