PHOTOS BY MADI ELIZABETH

Now in her 15th season as the “HBC” (head ball coach) of a close-knit gang of neighbors and friends on Football Saturdays, Jess Weeks won’t let anything stand in the way of serving up amazing game day grub, not even her beloved Florida Gators.

Sure, she has a TV in her kitchen so she can keep one eye on her favorite team and the other on a tray or meatball sliders, but the memories she is making are more about food and fellowship than wins or losses.

In 2009, Jess and her husband, Ted, an Auburn fan, invited a couple of families over to their house to eat food and watch football. Fast forward to the kickoff of the 2023 college football season and there are nearly 15 families that make up the roster of a regular Saturday gathering that takes place in the Beacon Hill neighborhood—often at the Weeks’ home— near downtown Lakeland.

Weeks usually lets the crew know what’s on the slate for the main course(s) and everyone else brings over finger food, dips and desserts that are rooted in their own unique upbringings.

Everyone has become identified with the food item or items they are most passionate about whether that’s Jess' wings, Dean's blue cheese chips, Kate's carmelitas or Lamar's jalapeno poppers and many others.

Weeks said over the years, as the children in the group have grown older and palates have changed, they have at times enhanced their food offerings.

“One time for a gathering, when Hurricane Irma was coming, we did like all spiral themed snack foods, so it was like in the shape of a hurricane,” she said. “I went and got flank steak that was really flat and put blue cheese and spinach inside and rolled it up, and we had a red velvet rolled cake.”

What began as a way to enjoy games together has evolved into a group of people who do come together before a hurricane—to pray and sing worship songs—as well as have holiday parties, and ultimately, share life through the hills and valleys.

Weeks said that some of her fondest memories are of the neighborhood children playing volleyball or football in the yard or women connecting in the kitchen or seeing her husband build lifelong friendships with the guys, all with football and food as the backdrop.

Safe to say, the neighborhood children will have lasting memories on fall Saturday’s of going to this gathering for the rest of their lives.

Some memories you can see, and others you can taste. Enjoy some of this local gameday crew’s favorite foods that are irresistible, yet pretty simple to put together on a Saturday morning.

Jessica’s Wings

**INGREDIENTS**
2 lbs chicken wings/drumettes
1 stick of butter
12 oz bottle Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
5-10 dashes of Tabasco Sauce (optional)
Canola Oil
**RECIPE**
Add canola oil to a Dutch oven or other deep pot, until it is 2-3 inches high. Heat over medium high heat until 350 degrees, as measured with a deep fry thermometer.
When oil has reached temperature, add 10-11 wing/drumette pieces to the oil and fry for 10 minutes, using metal tongs to make sure no pieces are sticking to the bottom. Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining wings, making sure the oil temperature is back up to 350 degrees before adding more wings.
While wings are frying, in a saucepan, melt butter and add Frank’s Red Hot sauce to melted butter. Add Tabasco sauce, to taste if you like your wings spicy.
Once wings have drained on the paper towels, add to the sauce to coat. Serve warm with blue cheese dressing if desired.

Chips

INGREDIENTS

Lots of Kettle style potato chips

1-1/3 cup blue cheese sauce, plus more to taste

5–10 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles

8 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled

5–6 tablespoons fresh chives (or green onions), chopped

RECIPE

1. Make a layer of kettle chips on a platter. Drizzle blue cheese sauce over, but not completely cover, the chips (5–8 tbsp).

2. Stack more chips on top of the first layer, piling them into a mound in the center. Drizzle the chips with more blue cheese sauce, to taste.

3. Sprinkle the chips with blue cheese crumbles, bacon, and chives (green onions). Serve immediately.

Susan's Monster Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup M&M candies

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

RECIPE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together really well—at least 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

3. Add peanut butter and mix well. Add egg and vanilla and mix.

4. In a separate mixing bowl stir together the flour (be careful to measure correctly, spooning the flour into a measuring cup, then leveling off), oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

5. Add to the wet mixture and mix to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and M&M’s.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or a little longer if you make them bigger than a 1 inch cookie scoop. Don't overbake—they will look just set.

7. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the pan.

Francine’s Meatball Sliders Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

Splash of milk

Coarse salt

Shake of Italian seasoning

Shake of garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1 lb ground lamb

1 lb ground beef

1 cup Italian bread crumbs (I prefer Vigo)

1 egg

RECIPE

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl - but do not overmix.

Form meatballs, about the size of a golf ball.

Place on two parchment-lined baking sheets, about an inch apart.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. I like to slice one open to be sure it's cooked all the way through. Go ahead and eat that one while you're at it.

Let the meatballs cool just a smidge on a paper towel-lined plate (helps some of the grease to absorb as well), then transfer them into the pot of sauce.

Gameday Party That Never Ends

Jessica’s Wings