Nothing says fall better than football, no matter what the weatherman has to say. The little break we have in the weather me made think of tailgating. On most Saturdays you find my kids and me under a tent in the Grove at Ole Miss with lots of other Natchez students and parents. If MSU doesn’t have a home game we even have a bulldog or two and on occasion a LSU tiger has been known to wander in. Augusta and Billy Key have two of their three kids still at Ole Miss and they put a tent up right next to ours, so we have plenty of room to spread out. Augusta brought this first recipe with her for the first home game. It was a hit. She got it from the Paula Deen magazine.

Savory Mediterranean Cheesecake

1 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or Italian breadcrumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup minced green onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

4 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 (2.5 oz.) cans sliced black olives

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In small bowl combine panko and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Bake 8 min.

In medium skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter over med-high heat. Add onion, parsley and garlic. Cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally or until tender. Add spinach and cook 2 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat & set aside.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream and eggs at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Divide mixture evenly into two medium bowls. Stir spinach into one-half of cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with sliced olives. Stir Parmesan and feta cheese into other half cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly over olives. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in pan and then store in the refrigerator. Serve with crackers.

This next recipe is an old favorite of ours. It comes from a friend who would rather remain anonymous but I promise this recipe won’t be anonymous at your house long.

Italian Beef sandwiches

3 to 4 pound rump roast

1 pork loin

Oregano, garlic, & black pepper to taste ( I use lots)

1 jar Pepperoncini peppers, undrained

1 1/2 cup water

2 cans beef broth

1 can beer

Season the roasts with the oregano, garlic and pepper. Pat it on heavily. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over roasts. Bake at 300 degrees for three hours. Cool in juices. Shred the meat and reheat to serve on hard rolls.

Christina Hall writes a weekly column for The Democrat. She can be reached at christina.hall@natchezdemocrat.com.