College football "rivalry weekend" is here! No matter who you are rooting for, you are bound to be surrounded by lots of great food during game day! Here are some favorite tailgating recipes from the physicians and staff at Resurgens Spine Center.

Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

2 - 8 ounce cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 - 1 ounce packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
2 Tablespoons Miracle Whip
1 - 12 ounce package of Cheddar Cheese - finely shredded
Vegetables - finely chopped - you may use any veggies you like such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread crescent rolls out on a cookie sheet to make a large rectangle. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, miracle whip and ranch dressing mix together. Cream well. Spread on top of the cooled crescent rolls.

Spread your choice of chopped veggies on top of the cream cheese mixture. Top with finely shredded cheddar cheese. Cut into small rectangles and enjoy!

Tailgate Dip

2 cans Rotell ( regular)
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese
1 - 16 ounce package of sausage (medium/hot) however spicy you like it:)

Brown the sausage on the stove. Mix with cream cheese and Rotell in crock pot on high for 3 hours. Turn down to medium heat and enjoy!

Tailgate Ham and Cheese Sliders

Heat oven to 350 degrees

4 packages of dinner rolls (in aluminum pan)
1 pound shaved ham
6 ounces swiss cheese, grated

Mix together:

2 sticks butter, very soft
1 small onion, grated
3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
3 Tablespoons mustard
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Slice each pan of rolls in half to make a "top" and "bottom". Spread butter mixture on each section of rolls. Cover bottom with ham and cheese. Replace top of rolls. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until ham is heated and cheese is melted.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 ounces of cream cheese (light is ok)
1 cup ranch dressing (light is fine as well)
1 cup hot sauce (I prefer Crystal)
1 pound of chicken breasts

Mix cream cheese with ranch dressing and hot sauce. Set aside. Brown chicken breasts in a pan. Let rest for 5 minutes, and then shred. Mix into cream cheese mixture and serve! If you like your dip smoother, blend for 30-60 seconds. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling. Or you can put in crock pot on low for 30 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite chips, crackers or pita bread.

Hot Corn Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 (15- ounce) cans corn, drained (I use the sweet yellow and white corn mix for added color)
1 (10- ounce) can Original Ro-Tel, drained

Mix all ingredients together. Place in a crockpot and cook on low for 1 ½ hours. Garnish with pickled jalapenos. Serve with your favorite chips.

Variations: Add cooked bacon or browned sausage to mix it up.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Appetizer

1 lb. extra large raw shrimp, cleaned, peeled and deveined
1 stick butter (1 stick), melted
1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
1 packet of Good Seasons Italian all natural seasoning
1 1/2 lemon, sliced into circles
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with minced garlic, and pour into a 9×11 inch glass casserole dish, spreading it all over the bottom of the dish.
Arrange the lemon slices on top of butter, forming a single layer. Arrange the cleaned and deveined shrimp on top of the lemon slices. Sprinkle the Italian Seasoning over the shrimp and top with pepper. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Tailgate Cookie Bars

1 yellow cake mix
¼ cup water
2 eggs
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 pan. Combine ½ yellow cake mix, water, eggs, and brown sugar. Mix well. Blend in the remaining cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars.

Lemon Bars

Crust:
2 cups all - purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend in a medium bowl until all ingredients are well combined. Press into a 13 x 9 ungreased baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven.

Filling:
1 ½ cups white sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
½ cup lemon juice

While crust is baking, prepare filling. Blend sugar and flour in a bowl. Slowly add eggs and continue blending. Add lemon juice and continue to blend until smooth. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. May dust with powdered sugar. When completely cool, cut into bars.

We hope you enjoy some of these recipes for your gameday fun!