Tailgating Times - The Best...

That's right, Tailgating Times is giving away a Johnsonville Tailgating Prize Pack to one lucky reader. 

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This kit includes a 12-pack cooler, 4 koozies, 50 brat foils, and 1 set of grilling tongs because you should never, ever use a fork on a brat. I'd rather burn my fingers than do that.  Entering is easy.  All you have to do is leave me a comment with your favorite Johnsonville recipe or a link to yourville in the official "Share Your Ville" contest.  Your comment earns you 5 entries.  (sorry, only the first comment earns you points)

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Earning additional entries is also a snap:

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• If you have a blog, blog about this contest or link to this contest on your website and earn five (5) additional entries. (Make sure to include the link to your blog post in your comment to receive credit.)
• If you have a Facebook profile, fan us at facebook.com/tailgatingtimes, share this contest with your friends and receive three (3) additional entries.
• If you use Twitter, follow @TailgatingTimes, and @JvilleSausage, then Tweet the following message and earn two (2) additional entries.

Win a Johnsonville Tailgate Kit from @TailgatingTimes – visit http://tinyurl.com/2etroqz, comment and retweet to enter.

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(Note: The two (2) additional entries for Twitter users are awarded for the first tweet. Additional tweets promoting this giveaway, although very much appreciated, can not result in additional entries.)

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Maximum number of entries one entrant can earn is 15:
Comment on TailgatingTimes.com = 5 entries
Blog post = 5 entries
FaceBook profile = 3 entries
Twitter post = 2 entries

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The winner will be selected on July 6 so you have the holiday weekend to come up with comments, posts, and tweets for the contest.

Johnsonville Sausage recently announced the launch of a new online video contest, "Share Your Ville," through which you have the chance to win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.  This is a great chance to win some good stuff from Johnsonville and everyone knows tailgating just isn't the same without Johnsonville. Who can forget my Double Brat Burger with Cheese from last year? That was amazing.

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The "Share Your Ville" contest is an opportunity for you to upload videos showing how you enjoy Johnsonville Sausage – whether that's in a specific location, with special family and friends or at a particular event.

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The "Share Your Ville" contest is part of an evolution of Johnsonville's "Blank-Ville" marketing campaign, which was first launched in spring 2009.  During the first year of the campaign, consumers had the chance to compete in an online photo contest, "Create Your Own Ville."

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"We were thrilled to see consumers' enthusiasm around sharing their experiences and moments with Johnsonville through our 'Create Your Own Ville' photo contest last summer," said Tony Rammer, Johnsonville creative director.  "We're excited to see where consumers take this new opportunity to truly show and tell us how Johnsonville fits into their memorable experiences."

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To participate in the contest, people can take up to two minutes of video in any format – from a camera, Web cam, cell phone, or other video device – and upload it to www.ShareYourVille.com.  There are four categories for people to enter their videos in the contest, and a winner will be chosen in each category.

"Share Your Ville" Categories

• FRIENDSVILLE – Who is part of your VILLE?  How do you hang out and use the great taste of Johnsonville Sausage to make these moments even better?
• FAMILYVILLE – These are your folks.  Share with us how you spend times together with the great taste of Johnsonville Sausage.
• EVENTVILLE – Share with us what takes you to your special place.  A day on the lake?  Tailgating before the game?  How does the great taste of Johnsonville Sausage make this a more memorable event?
• LOCATIONVILLE – Where do you live?  Invite us into your backyard and share your Johnsonville Sausage grilling recipes & tips.  Happen to live in a "VILLE" of your own (Jacksonville, Bentonville, Libertyville)?  Share your "VILLE" experience with us!

Creators of the first 50 videos submitted in the contest will receive coupons for free Johnsonville products.  (Sorry but you've already missed this as the contest started a few weeks ago. You do have a chance to win though. See my next post) At the end of the contest, winners in each category will each receive about $3,000 in great summer items, including grilling and camping gear from Coleman®, gift cards from Gander Mountain®, a collection of products from Hefty® and coupons for free Johnsonville® products.  More experienced "professional" videographers will be able to enter a category of their own, and they'll be vying for a $10,000 cash prize.

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In addition to the video contest, Johnsonville has created an online game and sweepstakes, "GRILLVILLE," where consumers can win $5,000 in cash and prizes just for playing!  Bonus entries in the sweepstakes are earned for playing each day, entering Johnsonville UPC codes, "liking" Johnsonville on www.facebook.com/johnsonville, following on www.twitter.com/JVilleSausage or even finding secret words Johnsonville will be hiding around the internet on tailgating, grilling, camping and adventure Web sites.   Consumers can earn hundreds of bonus entries, giving them extra chances to win.

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The "Share Your Ville" video contest and "GRILLVILLE" run now, through July 20, 2010.  For all details and official rules on the video contest and sweepstakes game, visit www.ShareYourVille.com.  For more information on Johnsonville, its products and recipes, visit www.johnsonville.com.

recipe developed by The Clever Cleaver Brothers®

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• 4 double-thick, boneless pork chops
• 2 tablespoons Super Hero Seasoning Blend from The Clever Cleaver Kitchen™
• OR combine 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 tablespoon salt & 1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Pecan Ginger Butter

• 1 stick of non-salted butter, softened to room temp
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Cholula® Hot Sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1. Rub both sides of pork chops with Super Hero Seasoning Blend OR your blend of spices. Place in a resealable bag and refrigerate for a minimum of three hours (overnight is best).
2. Mix the Pecan Ginger Butter ingredients in a bowl. Spread out a 12-inch piece of plastic wrap and place butter mixture in the middle of the sheet. Roll the plastic wrap to form a cylinder tube and refrigerate the butter.
3. Preheat the barbecue grill to medium heat. Place on the pork chops can cook until they reach an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees.
4. Remove the Pecan Ginger Butter from the refrigerator approximately five minutes before the chops come off the grill. Cut butter into eight slices.
5. Remove chops from the grill and place two slices of the Georgia Pecan Ginger Butter on each chop. Enjoy! Makes four servings.

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TAILGATE TIP: If you plan to enjoy this away from home, we recommend that you prep everything at home through Step #2. You can even sliced the hardened butter at home and rewrap it. Transport these prepped items to your event in a cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs. Begin again with Step #3 at your event. For more delicious recipes visit www.CleverCleaver.com.

June Gloom is upon us here in "Sunny San Diego" and I hear it's been snowing in Denver.  Crazy weather aside summer is almost here.  Memorial Day is in 2 weeks and BBQ season will officially begin.

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Just to get you in the mood, here's a great video from Nickleback, "This Afternoon".  Watch carefully as the female police officer is none other than our own Miss Freedom Grill 2008, Holly Weber. This is one pool party I wish I'd been at.

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Have a great rest of the weekend!

By now everyone knows that Freedom Grill Girls are hot. One needs look no further than Miss Freedom Grill 2008 and Miss Freedom Grill 2009 for proof of that. Holly Weber and Eileen Craker are both so hot you have to poke a hole in a piece of paper just to look at them, like an eclipse. Holly is a Hollywood Actress and Eileen recently won America's Finest Lady competition here in San Diego.

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With that in mind, I wasn't surprised at all to find out two of our Freedom Grill Girls are in this week's Maxim Hometown Hotties Competition. It's week 8 so the only shock is "what took you so long Maxim?" First up is the gorgeous Meghan Beck, Freedom Grill's Sema Show 2009 Booth Babe. She was also Playboy's Miss Playboy Club of the Year and she's on the cover of their calendar (which I have yet to receive my signed copy of).

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Meghan is in the first row so get on over there and vote for her.  Hint - she's from Las Vegas.

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Next is the lovely Miss Jenny Tran.  She worked several Freedom Grill events a few years back.  She's a lingerie model and rides a GSX 600.  That's a big bike for such a small girl.

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You can vote every day so show your support for Freedom Grill and help these girls get into the magazine.  Jenny is in the 5th row and she's from San Diego.  I realize that there are a ton of girls named Jenny in San Diego but thankfully for the voters there's only one in this week's contest.

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It's always nice to see our models move on to bigger things.  I can't say better because what's better than getting paid to be hot (they already are naturally) and tailgate?  They get to hang out and eat barbecue and enjoy some of Sweet G's famous shots and hand shaken margaritas.  They even have their own fans. Just ask anyone who has a Miss Freedom Grill poster. Even if they win they'll always be Freedom Grill Girls in our book. Thanks for voting!

It's hard to believe that two months ago it was snowing in Southern California and I was out at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show.  While there professional pool player Ewa Mataya Lawrence, the Striking Viking, showed me a pretty sweet trick shot.  If I could ever repeat it I would be amazed.

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She also shot a pool ball off of a guy's teeth into the corner pocket and despite the fact she's a good looking woman and was in a booth for "Freedom Tray", I wasn't about to volunteer for that job.  I like my teeth.

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If you're looking for something a little stronger to light your fire, try a Dr. Pepper Shot.

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Dr. Pepper Shot

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This drink is actually outlawed in a lot of bars. Some because of the fire and some for the 151.  I have no idea how but it really does taste like slamming glass of Dr. Pepper.

• Mug of Draft Beer
• 1 oz Amaretto Almond Liqueur
• 1/4 oz Bacardi 151 Rum

Pour the Amaretto into a shot glass. Float the 151 on top of the Amaretto and then light the glass on fire.  Carefully drop the shot glass into the beer to extinguish the flame and chug. This is one of the all-time great beer cocktails.

Man up – enough already.

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Lately it seems like every time I turn on the TV or go online there’s some new commercial or marketing statement trying to sucker men into doing something simply by adding the word “man” onto the name of the activity or product. It’s never been cool but it’s really starting to get ridiculous. Frankly, I find many of these to be just plain insulting to men everywhere.

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Man cave – There was a time when a man’s home was his castle. Now apparently he gets just one room.  Even then it’s like he won the lottery and he’s “so lucky his wife lets him have his own room”. If the rest of your place looks like it belongs on the Oxygen Channel I don’t care how nice your “cave” is, to me that’s just the room where you keep your family jewels. I’m not saying your whole house should look like a bachelor pad either but your house should look like it’s your house and you should know at least some of the people in the photos on the fridge. Just keep your underwear out of the living room please, and no empty pizza boxes.

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Mancation – WTF?  When did this term come about?  Whatever happened to the road trip? Seriously, if you get your friends together to get away from work, wives, kids, or whatever call it a “trip”.  Mancation sounds like you’re all going for a joint waxing session or something, which leads me to the next one on the list…

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Manscaping – I shave every day except when I don’t have to.  Ok I lied; I don’t shave every day but I should.  Fortunately my job as a tailgating legend allows me to wear jeans and a t-shirt and shave when I feel like it but I digress.  I firmly believe in good hygiene.  Chest hair is one thing but when it starts looking like you have a turtleneck on or your back takes on the look of a primate at the zoo you’ve got to clean that sh*t up.  That’s just good grooming plain and simple. Whatever else you do is your business but when you start spending more time grooming yourself than your lawn you’ve gone too far.

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Manorexia – This sounds like a special episode of Oprah and I doubt that very many tailgaters have this problem. Anorexia is a serious illness for those that have it and I didn’t realize it was gender specific.

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Mancession – Now that the news media has gone from reporting the news to sensationalizing the news they seem to have a word for everything…”Snowpocalypse” anyone? “Snowmageddon”? Evidently this recession has been harder on men than it has on women so even Newsweek has taken to calling it a mancession.  The graphic they have to illustrate men’s job losses vs. women’s gains is kind of amusing thanks to its shape though. Maybe we really do need some ED meds to "stimulate" the economy.

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Mantry – This one comes from the New York Times, which had a food column for men by this name for several years. I’m surprised Food Network hasn’t appropriate this for one of their shows.

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Mandles – I saw this online a couple of years ago and I seriously thought it was a joke.  I guess the joke’s on me because this is a real company selling scented candles for men. Mandle Company - Candles on Testosterone.  Some of the scents include beer, leather, and swimsuit model. They even have a scent called “Tailgate” that’s supposed to be a mix of beer, pigskin, and turf…how could they forget BBQ? I do like the idea of a bacon candle though. Mmm...bacon.

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Mantastic, Manovation, etc. – These crop up anytime someone writes an article referring to something a man did or something they think men will like.  Really?  Do you think I don’t understand if you just say it’s awesome?  If anyone calls the Freedom Grill a great manovation I will seriously scream. You might as well call the wheel and the lightbulb manovations. It’s offensive and it needs to stop.  It trivializes innovation and mocks progress to use these words.

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Mankini – This term came about after the movie Borat and doesn’t need much of a description. Let’s just agree this one is seriously wrong.

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Bromance & Brocation – Ok so these don’t start with “man”.  They are just as irritating if not more so. 

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Manstruating - Another term that probably came from people spending too much time watching The View, Lifetime, or something like that. The only reason men appear to have a "time of the month" is because they are dealing with the women in their lives (and lack of sex makes some guys pretty irritable). Either that or he's just moody to begin with. Leave it alone.

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Mangina – Not much explanation needed here.  If you use all or most of the terms above and you carry a man purse, get regular “mani-pedis”, and only drink appletinis; this might be you.

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As much as I’d like to blame Jerry Seinfeld for introducing the world to the mansiere/bro and the man purse I think both of those existed long before he brought them to the world’s attention. Wherever it started, I think it’s time for it to stop. You don’t need to “reclaim your manliness” if you never lost it in the first place. Stop overcompensating. Go light a fire and grill something. Put your feet on the coffee table, drink a beer, and watch whatever you want on TV.  Just be sure to change the channel if anyone says anything on the list above.

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"Stay Hungry My Friends!"