My family was never much into tailgating. An early ’90s photo of my dad chomping on an apple prior to a U.S. Air Force Academy football game against a Western Athletic Conference rival pretty much sums it up.

A few years later, I had the opportunity to be a better tailgater at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. But by then, I had a toddler on my lap, and was more interested in watching Tom Brady and Charles Woodson than in consuming wings.

My, how times have changed.

These days, I live next to a fellow whose lawn is filled with inflatable mascots for every team in the SEC. My thoughts drift not to who is playing whom this week, but to what’s on the food spread at that house come Saturday. And can I come over?

One thing’s for sure: The spread doesn’t have to be stuffy. That’s why I like the recipe for Carolina Caviar published in “Southern Snacks,” a new cookbook by Perre Coleman Magness. It’s a no-frills, fill-‘er-up dish bulked up with black-eyed peas, seasoned with onion and a variety of chopped peppers, then left to marinate in a bacon vinaigrette. Scoop it all up with salty corn chips. Easy peas-y. My one feeling about the recipe: It needs the so-called optional salt. I did two, three- finger pinches from my salt jar. That did the trick.

I may be late in embracing tailgate culture, but I do embrace one of its basic tenets: keep it simple. Save your energy for screaming at the TV, for arguing about a ref’s flubbed call, the bad coaching, the almost catch, the score, the standings and for next week, when it all goes down again. This recipe, friends, is neutral game.

The recipe for Carolina Caviar comes from the new cookbook “Southern Snacks” by Perre Coleman Magness. You’ll want to serve it with big scooping corn chips. CONTRIBUTED BY JUSTIN FOX BURKS / STYLING BY JENNIFER CHANDLER
icon to expand image

<<Click here to see the full recipe on mobile 

RELATED:

Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Blooper celebrates the Atlanta Brave’s 5-0 win over the New York Mets during a MLB game Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at Truist Park. This year, the venue is a first-time host of the MLB All-Star game. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC