Tailgating Ideas

You probably know Totino’s as that company known for it’s hugely popular pizza rolls, and other frozen pizza products.  Well this past month they introduced 2 new products; pizza sticks and stuffed nachos, and we were asked to give them a try.  Always on the hunt for new game day snacks we were happy to do it.

Much like their other offerings the pizza sticks and stuffed nachos are frozen items which you can reheat in a couple of ways.  The quickest would be the microwave, but there are also oven heating options listed on the box as well.  Since we’re Tailgating Ideas we also wanted to check the viability of heating them on the grill because I have yet to see someone using a microwave in the parking lot.

The pizza sticks come in cheese and pepperoni varieties and have a sort of a flaky crust.  They are packaged six to a box and each stick is in its own wrapper.  The microwave option for these is roughly 60 seconds on high, it depends on the wattage, and then let it cool some before eating.  The cooling cannot be underestimated as the filling in these is like lava when hot and could burn the mouth easily.  Oven instructions are 425 for 14-16 minutes.

The nachos, both the queso and supreme, have a crust that is not unlike the pizza rolls if you’ve ever had those.  In the sample boxes there were 34 pieces.  These microwave for 60-70 seconds, although the directions are only for 6 at a time.  Again the same cooling principle applies.  Oven cooking directions vary based on batch size but simply put is to bake them for 10-14 minutes at 425.

If you wanted to grill either of these products, just use the oven directions and cook them over indirect.  I have a picture of a small batch that I did on my preferred tailgating grill, a Weber Q 100.  These were done by placing a 2 layers of foil on the grill and then using a wire rack to elevate the items.  This is the only way to use a lot of these small 1 burner grills in the indirect fashion, but provided the item is small enough, it works pretty well.  The grill worked great for heating these, and if you’ve got it going already its totally worth it.  Just try and cook them close to that 425 degree mark which will vary based on your cooker.

Tasting showed that both varieties of both products were pretty tasty.  My personal taste will always prefer the crust texture that comes from using the oven/grill but the microwave option was still decent.  If I had to say which ones I like best it would be the pepperoni sticks and supreme nachos, but my wife preferred the queso nacho.  

So if you’re looking for some new game day snacks to serve to the homegating crowd, or to whip up some quick appetizers in the parking lot give these a consideration.  You can find them in the freezer section of your grocer near the other Totino’s products.  

It looks like a washers toss box but has “cups” in the shape of a beer pong rack. Instead of pong balls or washers, it has MashBalls that look a lot like those “foot bags” that hippies on college campuses kick around in a circle. No matter what similarities you may draw, it’s called MashBall and it may become the next big thing in tailgating games.

Todd Mashburn and John Michael Domingo created MashBall while in college at LSU. (LSU, huh? I think these guys have been to a tailgate maybe a few millions times.) Mashburn and Domingo still love beer pong, washers and cornhole, mainstays at any tailgate, yet they wanted to improve upon those standard tailgating games. They were set on creating a highly portable game that would be wind resistant for outdoor play at a tailgate and was not just one game with one set of rules. An added bonus was that the game they created alleviated having to buy cups ever again since the “cups” are already built in. Another bonus? They designed it to play on any surface: grass, sand, asphalt, concrete and MashBall even floats in water. Don’t try that with your old washers or cornhole boards.

So how do you play MashBall? Actually there are six ways to play MashBall but the most popular is to combine the game play of washers with the rules of beer pong.

Start by separating the two halves of the MashBall set at the distance measured by the measuring cord and clip provided. When play begins, both teams stand behind the separate halves of the MashBall set much like in beer pong, teammates stand on the same side. Each player on each team gets one toss per turn. If playing one-on-one, each player tosses two MashBalls much like each player would throw two pong balls in beer pong.

When a ball is made in a hole, the opposing team should remove the ball and plug the hole with one of the provided MashBall plugs. Much like removing the cup from the table in beer pong when a shot is made, in MashBall you cover the hole, thus eliminating that hole. The first team to plug all of the holes wins the game.

In addition, beer pong rules  at at work including make two in a row and get balls back and you are also allowed to rerack to form a closer pattern of holes. If you want to incorporate drinking into the game when a shot is made, that is your choice. (We did…)

Those are the basic rules of classic MashBall but there are other variations and rules you can play. The other games are Fast Mash, 21, Masher Toss, Baseball and Mash the Stack. The rules for these different variations of MashBall are included with each game set.

We took MashBall to a backyard BBQ party a few weeks ago and just the other day, along to the final pre-season tailgate when the Chargers played the San Francisco 49ers. While at the tailgate and the BBQ, MashBall was a big conversation starter. Numerous people came over to our parking space and asked about MashBall and even asked if they could play it. The kids at the BBQ loved Mashball because the distance was not so far as cornhole and they felt they could have a better chance of making a shot.

MashBall comes complete with everything you will need to play right out of the box. The MashBall Lifestyle Edition consists of two sides of the playing boxes, two balls, 22 plugs, one measuring cord and The Ultimate MashBall Guide.

After thoroughly testing MashBall, this game is going to be a big hit in the parking lot. We deem it “Tailgate Approved” and are happy to offer it for sale in our our online tailgating gear store.

The MashBall Lifestyle edition is $64.99 and you can buy it HERE.

Warm beer sucks. There is no way of getting around that simple fact. Keeping your can or bottle cold while tailgating is difficult especially in the early part of football season when the temperatures are quite high. Normal, neoprene coozies usually can’t cut it this time of year and you need to bring in something a bit more suited for the job.

We recently had the chance to try out the ColdKeeper Can.

The ColdKeeper Can is a double insulated personal beverage cooler that fits standard sized bottles and cans. The double wall vacuum design chills your beverage while keeping your hand dry. Holding the can in your hand will not result in any body heat transfer. Made of 18″/8″ stainless steel, the ColdKeeper Can is also durable and looks good too. Fits all standard size 12 oz. cans and bottles. Proprietary LockTight Gasket seals in the cold and keeps your beverage secure even at the most rowdy tailgate party.

(Disclaimer: We received a sample of the ColdKeeper Can free of charge. The fact this sample was provided to us for free in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)

We first tested out the ColdKeeper Can at home before taking it tailgating. We took two sodas out of the refrigerator which keeps things cold at 42 F. We placed one can in the ColdKeeper Can and put one out on the counter. We let them sit for an hour without opening them. The ambient air temperature in the house was 76 F.

After an hour passed, we opened both cans and inserted a digital thermometer in them. As you can see in the photos below, the one in the ColdKeeper Can was significantly colder. The can that was left out of the ColdKeeper was almost room temperature.

Later in the week, we took the ColdKeeper Can tailgating. The air temperature for the Chargers/Cardinals pre-season game was in the low 80’s with plenty of direct sunlight in the parking lot. We snapped a few photos of the ColdKeeper Can while tailgating.

After thoroughly testing the ColdKeeper Can at home and in the parking lot, it is definitely “Tailgate Approved”. Sturdy and tough yet the stainless steel design is sleek and classic. Priced at $17.99, the ColdKeeper Can is available for purchase from Amazon.

When you combine two good things you create something great. Like chocolate and peanut. Ribs and BBQ sauce. Or beer and just about anything. Do you remember back in the early 1990’s when Miller Lite had commericals that combined two things to make it very fun and interesting? Like this commercial:

Now what if two of the most popular tailgating games in the parking lots, cornhole and beer pong, had a baby? That’s what you get with Bru-Bag.

Bru-Bag is so simple it makes me wonder why nobody came up with this idea sooner. It takes the game play of cornhole and combines it with the rules of beer pong. Even down to the smaller rules like “bring backs”, reracks and even encourages distracting your opponent just like in beer pong, Bru-Bag combines the best of both games. Take a look at the video instruction on how to play Bru-Bag.

Now that you have seen how the game is played, you want to know is it fun and how will is hold up while tailgating? Fortunately we were sent a sample of the classic version of Bru-Bag and recently tested it out while tailgating.

(Disclaimer: We received a sample of Bru-Bag free of charge. The fact this sample was provided to us for free in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)

We took Bru-Bag to the Chargers vs. Cardinals pre-season game and set up the game boards. They fit easily in our vehicle because the legs are removable and installed quickly once you are ready to play. For this game we had to be especially space conscience because we had four people traveling to the game in one car and could not fold down the seats on our Honda Pilot to accommodate bulky tailgating gear.

Once at the tailgate we set it up and played a couple of games. Passers by immediately recognized the hole pattern to be similar to the pattern of a six-cup beer pong game. It was definitely a conversation starter and everyone that encountered it thought it was a great idea to combine cornhole with beer pong.

We found Bru-Bag to be fun, innovative and improved the game of cornhole dramatically. Sure you will have your cornhole purists out there that may turn their nose up at this game, but normally even the hardest core cornhole snobs will relax that attitude once they hit the tailgate lot. And to be honest, if your hard core cornhole purist can’t let it go for an afternoon of tailgating, do you really want him/her at your tailgate party anyway?

After testing out Bru-Bag at home in the backyard and while tailgating, it is definitely “Tailgate Approved”. High quality craftsmanship and a fair price makes this a great new tailgating game that will help set your tailgate apart from everyone else. Now you can stop the arguing between the cornhole and the beer pong crowd on which game to take tailgating.

Bru-Bag includes Two (2) game boards, four (4) legs, two (2) bean bags, 12 disc covers, a carrying bag and instructions. It is made and assembled in the U.S.A. Cost of a Bru-Bag complete set is $79.99 with $18 shipping and handling.

You can get your own set of Bru-Bag from our online tailgating gear store, Shop.TailgatingIdeas.com.

10 days. You only have 10 days before the official kickoff of the college football season. With college football inevitably comes college football tailgating. And college football tailgating almost always includes shotgunning. If you go to a college football tailgate and someone isn’t shotgunning, you probably have walked into a weak tailgate and you need to evacuate immediately.

Old fashioned shotgunning beers can be fun but there is some inherent dangers to it. The first danger is poking the hole in the bottom sidewall of the can. Most people use a sharp object like a knife, car key, screwdriver, etc. A lot of times while puncturing the hole, the object can go all the way through or glance off and injure your hand or wrist. Not fun making a trip to the ER rather than going to the game later.

Then after the hole has been made, there comes the danger of sharp edges on the cut aluminum can. The previously mentioned objects used to puncture the can don’t make a clean hole and often times leave behind shards of aluminum that could cut your lips while drinking. Also not fun to leave the tailgate in order to get some stitches after cutting your mouth open. There has to be a better way that allows you to get a big enough hole into your can without injuring yourself yet allowing you to “rapidly rehydrate”.

We were recently introduced to Shotgunit Lips. Shotgunit Lips are lip-shaped devices made of FDA-approved plastic. The beveled punch shaft safely punctures a standard-sized beverage can and you place your lips on the plastic lips and the liquid rushes into your mouth just as if your mouth was directly on the can. See the video for a demonstration:

(Disclaimer: We received a sample of Shotgunit Lips free of charge. The fact this sample was provided to us for free in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)

We took Shotgunit Lips to the most recent Chargers/Cardinals pre-season game tailgate. Nothing like testing out a new shotgun tool in a parking lot now that football season is here. We chose to test the Shotgunit Lips that includes beads although we also were sent a sample of Shotgunit Lips without beads so that you can attach them to a key ring.

As you can see in the photos, the key is to insert the tip gently and slowly. You don’t want to jam it in there hard and fast. That will create a lot of foam and splash back. The point on the back end of the Shotgunit Lips is sharp enough that a gentle push will easily puncture the can wall.

Once you have inserted the Shotgunit Lips all the way, make sure to keep the can tilted horizontally until you are ready to shotgun. Place your lips on the Shotgunit Lips while the can is still tilted. The pressure of your mouth on the Shotgunit Lips will push the plastic all the way in. There is a rubber seal that will press against the side of the can to make sure the beer flows through the hole and not overflow around the lips.

Chug, chug, chug until the beer is gone as you would a normal shotgun. Remove the Shotgunit Lips from the can and hopefully you will be conscientious enough to recycle the empty. As you can see in the photo below, the size hole the Shotgunit Lips makes is quite adequate and would be the perfect diameter had you been opening a hole the old fashioned and dangerous way.

Shotgunit Lips does what is sets out to do; it makes shotgunning safer while it is still fun and effective. For that we will deem it “Tailgate Approved”.

The only criticism of the product we have is that it is a bit more expensive than the other shotgun tools out there on the market. The Shotgunit Lips without the beads is priced at $5.99 and with beads is $6.99. Compare that to the Shotgun Party Opener which is only $3.00 and is also a 4-in-1 tool that is a shotgun opener, a bottle opener, can tab lifter and a key chain.

As we also mentioned earlier, the puncturing portion of the Shotgunit Lips is quite sharp and only requires a little pressure in order to start the hole in the can. This sharp point could pose a problem if you chose to put it in your pocket. The sharp point could poke you in the leg and could be uncomfortable if it scratched your leg through your pants pocket.

All in all, we liked the product and will add it to our tailgating kit for future tailgate parties. If you would like to buy Shotgunit Lips for your next tailgate, the version without beads is available from Amazon for $5.99. If you prefer the version that comes with beads, you’ll need to visit the Shotgunit online store. Bead colors include gold, red, green, blue and purple and cost $6.99.

If you are into social media, feel free to follow them on Twitter @Shotgunit_, Facebook and Instagram.