~ Tuning Up for Tailgate Thursday: The Penn State Nittany Lions vs. The Iowa Hawkeyes ~

In September of 1993, Joe and I flew to Ames, Iowa, for a long weekend to visit very close friends.  Penn State had just joined the Big Ten Conference and we were playing our first away game against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.  Larry got all four of us great seats for the game, while Barb planned  a fab tailgate at the stadium and a weekend of great sightseeing.  We were all excited as we were there to watch Penn State beat  Iowa, 31-0, on that OH SO VERY GLORIOUS Saturday afternoon!  I learned two things that weekend:  the flying pig is Iowa's State Bird, and corn is their State Flower!

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010, 8:00 PM EST, Away at Kinnick Stadium

Mel's Menu:

~ Mel's Best Broiled 'n Baked "Flying Pig" Baby-Back Spareribs ~

with

~ Bacon-y Baked Baked Beans ~

and

~ Creamy "Iowan" Baked Corn Casserole ~ 

All of this being said, while in Iowa, we visited the historic Amana Village, followed by dinner in  the Amana Colony  Restaurant, where I fell in love with a truly "sweet 'n sassy" house salad they served. Tossed with lots of chunks of  MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE and topped with the most amazing  dressing I have ever tasted, this is a recipe I simply must share with you!  Check back before the start of the game on Saturday for my recipe for ~ Sweet & Sassy Steak & Maytag Blue Salad ~, a great gameday meal all by itself.  Serve it with the above baked beans and baked corn recipes as sides, or serve the salad (without the steak) as a side to the above ribs, beans and corn menu... anyway you look at it, it is a win, win situation! 

"WE ARE... PENN STATE!!!"

Cook's Note:  "You really ought to give Iowa a try", as per the song sung to the lyrics from one of my  all-time favorite musical-movies, The Music Man (1957):  Hawkeye Iowa Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown, Mason City, Keokuk, Ames, Clear Lake... "You Ought to give Iowa a try!" 

(Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/2010)