Tusk to Tail: Jersey? Sure!

Wow, what a weekend. Between the rain and the game, it is hard to say which was worse to sit through.

Thankfully the tailgate went smoothly.

Tusk to Tail hosted our largest crowd to date and we blew through over $1,300 worth of food and beverages. We estimate 150 folks came by and enjoyed some of our company and fare during the day.

It is always hard to plan for such an event when rain is in the mix. Last year we lost money on the Troy game, buying way too much food as the rain kept the crowd at home. This year, we could have easily fed more if we had the food available, but we cut back our order to compensate for the rain. I learned that big games bring out the crowd, rain or shine.

This week the weather looks perfect for an all-day tailgate, and this may be one of our last night games for the season if the Hogs don’t start winning some games.  We already know the Texas A&M kickoff is 11:30 a.m., and you can bet that the Kentucky and Ole Miss games will have early kickoffs with the way those teams are playing.

Since Rutgers is the state university of New Jersey, we hope to entertain Snookie, The Situation, and any other Jersey Shore cast members who wish to stop by. We are stocking up on tanning bronzer, borrowing some bling from our wives, and preparing an Italian feast that Tony Soprano would appreciate.

The menu will include caprese salad, Italian bread, lasagna, meatball subs, Italian sausage hoagies, and parmesan chicken bite grinders. That’s right. Subs, hoagies, and grinders.

Since we did not want to electrocute the entertainment in the rain, we saved the live music for this week’s tailgate. Sara Morgan and Jason North will sing and play their eclectic mix of tunes to fire up the crowd to face the Scarlet Knights.

• Featured product review: Honda 2000 generator
One item our tailgate could not operate without is the Honda 2000 Generator. With the number of hot plates and crock pots we utilize, our little Honda does a great job keeping our foods warm, our lights burning, and the TVs glowing.

So portable and easy to start, this generator lasts up to 8 hours on a full tank of gas. The Honda 2000’s near-silent design allows us to take the party anywhere and not annoy anyone while doing it.

This model is a little more expensive than most others in the compact category, but for its size and capability range, nothing beats it that I’ve seen out in the field. Tusk to Tail uses three of them at our tailgates, and honestly, you would never know it from the sound.

Check one out if you are thinking of taking the next step with your tailgate.

• Drink recipe:  Honey Whiskey Lemonade.
Lastly, I wanted to throw out a new cocktail recipe we have perfected this season. It’s only week four but it is a dandy.

Take a generous shot of either Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Liqueur and mix with Simply Fresh Lemonade. This is basically a Lynchburg Lemonade but taken up a notch in flavor. Honey, lemonade, and bourbon whiskey create an unbeatable flavor combination.

And speaking of unbeatable: Go Hogs Go!  Beat the Jersey Boys from Rutgers!