[Oh, what the hell.  Gotta promote my peoples. -RUTS]

Need to start thinking about tailgating, people.  To that end, I'm going to periodically throw out some recipes and a few rules to live by.  Would love to see some other recipes as well - always like to get the ideas going....

To start:  World Famous Tailgate Chili a la Shogun
Why?  Because it's easy and it's great.  Serves plenty of people, depending on what else you're serving

When?  Cold weather game.  But whenever works, too.  I probably won't trot this out until October, but you never know.

You'll need: 1 package of ground beef or ground turkey; 4 cans of various beans (black, kidney, pink, etc.); 1 large jar of salsa (fond of Old El Paso), 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 or 2 jalapeno or other hot peppers; 1 can of corn (I like yellow & white by Green Giant); 1 lg. yellow onion; 1 beer (Yuengling does the trick); 1 pack of chili seasoning (McCormick's original works well)

To make it:  The night before the game, start by browning beef/turkey in large pot over medium to medium low heat.  After about 8 minutes, start gradually adding other ingredients.  No rush, no magic order, but I start with the fresh vegetables first. Every few minutes, add in some of the seasoning.  Add in some beer along the way too.  Stir often.  After it cooks for about 20, 25 minutes, you're good.  You can eat it now - but it tastes better after everything  sits together overnight.  Trust the Shogun.

At the tailgate, heat up on a grill or portable stove, adding another bottle of Yuengling to get the right consistency.  Stir frequently. Add cheese if you like, hot sauce if you like, sour cream if you like.  Serve friends, keep drinking beer, bask in the compliments you receive.

Are there more complicated chili recipes out there?  Sure, and I use them too.  But this takes very little effort to make, tastes great, and is surprisingly healthy, especially if you use lean ground turkey.

Random rules to think about for the day:
34. No matter how awesome you think your mix is or how big your speakers are, people 8 rows away (let alone those right next to you), really REALLY don't want to hear your music.

53.  Bring trash bags.  It's easy, and makes people around you think you're civilized.  Even if you're not.  If you forget them, they typically have them free by the dumpsters on giant rolls.  Don't be a slob.

91.  Want to make new friends?  Offer the people around you some of whatever you make.  Especially when they trot out some soggy hoagies and you're doing up steamed clams or homemade soup.  This is especially true when you find yourself next to a group of 12 college kids who brought 12 cases of beer and one bag of chips.

92. Oh yeah - don't just bring beer.  That's not a tailgate, that's self-assault.  Drink as much as you want, but eat something along the way.