The winners of our tailgating food competition brought the flavor

Susan Valley of Dayton won first place with her recipe for stromboli. The recipe came from her late-aunt, Marie Abbruzzese, who she spent a lot of time with growing up in South Philadelphia.

“South Philadelphia Italians always had a second kitchen in the basement of their row homes,” Valley said. “Every occasion that we had at my aunt Marie’s house she made stromboli.”

Her aunt made the bread for the stromboli from scratch, but over the years Valley has simplified the recipe. She now makes stromboli for any occasion from birthdays and football parties to holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Valley is not a stranger to the restaurant industry. Before leaving the industry in 2019, she was making desserts at Salar in Dayton’s Oregon District. She recently started baking pies out of her home under the name, “Pied Piper.”

“I know my Aunt Marie would be so thrilled,” Valley said. “It’s a simple recipe. Everybody can do it.”

Another simple recipe we received was from Ann Clayton of Springfield. Her Mexican dip won second place in our tailgate recipe contest.

“This easy to make dip is always a hit,” Clayton said. “I got this recipe in the early 1980s from someone I worked with. My niece asks me to send it to her around New Year’s Eve for her party almost every year because she loves it and keeps forgetting to write it down.”

This is not the first time Clayton has won a newspaper contest with this recipe. In the 1990s, she submitted it to her hometown paper in South Carolina and won first place.

Clayton said she has several other dip recipes, but the Mexican dip is the one that is most requested. Her and her husband will be cheering on the Carolina Gamecocks this football season.

Even though she has been in Springfield since 2012, her South Carolina team still holds a special place in her heart.

T.J. Justice of Moraine is a die hard Bengals fan. His recipe for southern style hot wings took home third place.

He said this recipe was originally from his friend’s wife, Melissa Brenner, who would make it about two times a football season.

“It was always, always my favorite snack,” Justice said. “I’ve since duplicated her recipe.”

During football season, Justice enjoys watching the Bengals play with his friends and family, especially his daughter and her husband.

“Football is a lot bigger today than it was when I was kid,” Justice said. “It’s all about tailgating, wearing you team colors and the food.”

Here are the winning recipes:

Aunt Marie’s Stromboli

Ingredients:

Directions: Flour your work surface and rolling pin generously, then roll out bread dough to approximately an 11 x 14 rectangle. Layer cooked ham, pepperoni, provolone and salami. Roll stromboli tightly lengthwise, pinch to seal, bend into a horseshoe shape and transfer to a greased cookie sheet (seam side down). Place in a preheated 375-degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

Directions: Mix ingredients together and top generously with mozzarella cheese. Microwave for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Variation: I have at times added ½ lb. browned hamburger, but the original recipe does not call for that.

Southern Style Hot Wings

Ingredients:

Directions: Pour ½ inch of vegetable oil into a frying pan and bring to low to medium heat.

Pour 1 cup of flour into a mixing bowl. Mix in a small dash of salt, two dashes of pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper. Mix well. Individually roll each wing in the flour two to three times and then place in frying pan.

While the wings are slowly frying, use another mixing bowl to fill with ½ cup of Texas Pete hot sauce, ½ cup of Louisiana hot sauce and ½ cup of Buffalo Wild Wings Medium Sauce. Add another two splashes of cayenne pepper and stir for two minutes.

Check your wings and when one side is slightly brown, turn them over to brown the other side.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Once both sides are brown, remove the wings from frying pan and set them on a paper towel covered plate to drain some of the oil.

Place the wings ½ inch apart on a non-stick sprayed piece of aluminum foil set on a baking pan. Place the pan in the oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and use tongs to roll each wing several times in the sauce bowl.

Place the wings back on the foil having turned them to the opposite side from the initial baking. Bake 6 to 8 more minutes. Remove from oven, let cool and serve.

Some more recipes

Breakfast Pizza from Lisa Garrison of West Carrollton

Ingredients:

Directions: Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

Brown the sausage with the onions and bell peppers until sausage is no longer pink. Drain on paper towels. Spray the bottom of an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.

Unroll the crescent rolls, using your fingertips to make sure the whole bottom is covered, so that no “holes” appear. Spread the sausage, onion and bell pepper mixture over the crescent rolls. Spread the cheese over the mixture. Beat 7 eggs and pour them evenly over the cheese, so that the eggs are spread throughout.

Place in oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350-degrees and bake for 30 minutes. If the eggs look a little “shaky,” leave in the oven a couple more minutes.

Cut into squares and serve warm.

Calabacita Obrito from Kathleen Niekamp of Huber Heights

Ingredients:

Directions: Dice zucchini with skins in ½ inch cubes. Sautee zucchini and onion in hot oil until onion is translucent. Add diced tomatoes and seasonings. Set timer for 7-10 minutes depending on the size of cubes. Do not cover.

When zucchini is translucent and it’s crunchy tender, serve over white or Spanish rice. Also can mix with pasta (elbow, shell, etc. about 50-50).

Craig’s Bean Dip from Diana Sanders of Oakwood

Ingredients:

Directions: In a large pot on the stove, heat the beans and the juice from the jalapeño rings and the banana peppers on low heat. Stir until the consistency of warm pudding.

Chop the jalapeños and the banana peppers. Add the chopped peppers and onions to the pot and continue stirring for about 10 minutes until hot and thin.

Slowly add the cheese and stir for about 10 minutes until the cheese is fully mixed in.

Use right away or this can be refrigerated or even frozen for later use. Serve with tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Hawaiian Bun Ham Sliders from Marianne Mitchell of Springfield

Ingredients:

Directions: Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Using a long-serrated knife, cut buns in half trying to keep the tops and bottoms in one piece.

Layer ham and cheese (It is your preference how much ham and cheese you want. Just keep in mind that you want it to get warm throughout). Spread a thin layer of jam on top of ham and cheese. Replace the top layer of buns.

In a microwaveable container, combine butter, Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds. Brush on top of buns. I sprinkle some garlic salt on also.

Place in oven for about 20 minutes. You will see the cheese start to melt. Let cool slightly. Cover with aluminum foil and off to the football game.

Reuben Breakfast Sandwiches from Judy LaMusga of Beavercreek Township

Ingredients:

Grill for 15 minutes or bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Directions: The day before, preheat oven to 350-degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with cooking spray, set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 10 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into eight rectangles.

Spread cut sides of muffins with salad dressing. Place egg rectangles on the bottom halves of the muffins, folding to fit. Top with sauerkraut. Add corned beef and cheese. Replace the top halves of muffins. Wrap each sandwich in heavy foil and chill overnight.

On game day, you can either bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes before going to the tailgate party or grill on medium heat for 15-20 minutes (turning once) at the tailgate.

Whipped Feta Dip from Ashley Bethard of Dayton

Ingredients:

Directions: In a food processor, place the feta, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Pulse until creamy.

Transfer to a serving dish and top with a drizzle of olive oil, pinches of Aleppo pepper, chopped olives (if using) and chopped parsley. Serve as a dip with pita bread, baguette or fresh veggies.