While social distancing, when we’re not video conferencing with work (nice bookshelf, Bob!) or trying to figure out when third-grade math got so hard, we’re cooking. Celebrity chefs are offering shopping advice on what you need in your pantry. Everybody on Twitter and Instagram is making bread. Disney even gave out its recipe for churros.
Mark Richt knows what you need. The ACC Network analyst and former Georgia and Miami coach has a go-to move.
Hot dog delight! My favorite birthday dinner! pic.twitter.com/yaNAPQtM5M
— Mark Richt (@MarkRicht) February 18, 2020
He knows what you’re thinking. But that dubious-looking dish has deeper meaning to Richt.
“It was actually a survival meal as a kid,” Richt said this week. “At one time it was just me and my dad in the house for a year or two. When you ran out of stuff, you had to figure out how to scrape things together.”
That’s right. Hot Dog Delight is a recipe for our times.
And sometimes we need a little motivation to get in the kitchen. So let’s turn to the coaches, who over the years have filled cookbooks with their favorite recipes.
We’ve stashed away a few of those books for such an occasion. No better time than now. Hopefully, you’ll find something to your liking. We know Mark Richt will.
If you’re in the mood for: Dessert with a backstory
Georgia’s Vince Dooley says he and Michigan’s Bo Schembechler are friends, and even traveled through Europe together speaking at Air Force bases.
But in a 1981 profile of Schembechler, Sports Illustrated’s Douglas S. Looney wrote of Bo’s revulsion to a pie made by his wife, Millie.
“I’ve had pecan pie all over the world, and I want to tell you, Mil, this doesn’t measure up.”
“But, Bo,” Millie said, “I got the recipe from the cookbook Barbara Dooley sent me. It’s Extra Rich Georgia Pecan Pie with molasses.”
“It’s terrible,” Bo interrupted. “That’s all. Look, nobody can eat it.”
In 1983, the Dooleys offered the recipe up for another cookbook with a new name.
Pecan Pie that Bo Schembechler Hates
Vince and Barbara Dooley, Georgia
From “The Orange Bowl Cookbook,” The Orange Bowl Committee, 1983
Dooley said last year that he wasn’t sure why Schembechler didn’t like this recipe. “As a true Yankee,” he said, “Bo might have been turned off with pecan pie in the Deep South.”
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon salt
1½ cups dark corn syrup
1½ cups broken pecan halves
1 8-inch pie shell, unbaked
Beat eggs. Blend in melted butter, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and syrup. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of unbaked pastry shell. Gently pour in syrup. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake for about 40 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
If you’re in the mood for: That famous Louisiana seafood
Eddie Robinson wrote in his autobiography “Never Before, Never Again” that he went home to have lunch and dinner every day with his wife, Doris, whom he started dating in seventh grade. According to this 1997 cookbook, this was a recipe they made for special occasions: an iconic Louisiana dish by an iconic Louisiana coach.
Shrimp Etouffee
Eddie and Doris Robinson, Grambling State
From “Time Out For Cooking,” Bernie Chatham, 1997
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup green onions
3 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons paprika
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 pounds peeled shrimp
Melt butter in large aluminum skillet. Add onions, garlic, celery and seasonings. Cook over low heat until tender. Add cream of chicken soup, plus 1 cup of water. Simmer 20 minutes, then add shrimp. Cook for 20 minutes, serve over rice.
If you’re in the mood for: That famous Nebraska seafood
You’ve probably heard of Omaha Steaks. Here’s some surf for that turf.
Tom Osborne is an avid fisherman,telling the Omaha World-Herald in 2016 that he tries to go fishing in Alaska every year, even getting stuck in a stream while a bear and cub walked around him in search of salmon. Not sure if Bob Devaney ever caught any shrimp.
Pink Shrimp Dip
Bob and Phyllis Devaney, Nebraska
From “The Orange Bowl Cookbook,” The Orange Bowl Committee, 1983
2 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup canned or frozen shrimp, cut in small pieces
Blend cream cheese and mayonnaise in medium-sized mixing bowl until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour dip into small dip-serving bowl; chill. Serve with potato chips.
Grilled Salmon Steaks
Tom Osborne, Nebraska
From “First Gentleman’s Cookbook,” compiled by William D. Orr, husband of Nebraska Gov. Kay Orr, 1989
3 salmon steaks or fillets
1 teaspoon miso
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 green pepper, chopped fine
1 tomato, chopped fine
¼ cup onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon pepper
Rinse salmon. Dilute miso with ¼ cup water (or less) to make a pasty texture. Spread miso mixter over fish with pastry brush. Season. Place fish on grill. Top with chopped vegetables. Cover grill and bake until flaky. Do not turn.
If you’re in the mood for: A taste of history
Lancaster County Chicken Corn Soup
Amos Alonzo and Stella Stagg, Susquehanna
From “Gridiron Cookery,” Frances Daugherty and Aileen Brothers, 1960
Amos Alonzo Stagg is in the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. He also played in the first public game of basketball in 1892, popularized the five-man format, and was inducted into the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame class. He invented the Statue of Liberty (the play, not the actual statue), among hundreds of other things that still play a prominent role in football.
He won 314 games and coached until he was 96, when he was coaching the kickers at Stockton College in California, and died when he was 102, so this soup, an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, according to the book, is probably good.
2 quarts chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 onions, finely chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 can whole corn or 2 cups fresh, uncooked corn
2 ounces uncooked noodles
3 hard-boiled eggs
2 cups chopped chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken broth in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add parsley, onions and celery; then corn and seasonings. When mixture reaches boiling point, add noodles and simmer until noodles and vegetables are done. Just before serving, add chopped eggs and chicken and simmer for a few more minutes.
If you’re in the mood for: Someone to rebuild your recipe
In 1983, Howard Schnellenberger and his wife, Beverly, contributed a recipe called “Winning Ways Chicken” to the “Orange Bowl Cookbook.” In 1988, Schnellenberger contributed another recipe to Ron Borne’s cookbook, telling him, “As a cook, I am not limited to the microwave popcorn I love, but rather specialize in seafood dishes such as sailfish and dolphin for my victory parties.” Then he sent this:
Winning Ways Hot Chicken Salad
Howard Schnellenberger, Louisville
From “The Great College Coaches Cookbook,” Ron Borne, Stanley-Clark Publishing Co., 1988
6 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into 1-inch cubes
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped onion
¾ cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon salt
1 package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and almonds on top and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
If you’re in the mood for: Candying it up a bit
Darrell Royal was asked whether he’d consider tweaking Texas’ burnt-orange uniforms. “Hell no,” he responded. “I’m not going to candy this thing up. These are work clothes.”
Our work clothes all look a little different right now, just as this orange probably won’t come out like burnt orange. But let’s live a little. Let’s candy this thing up a bit.
Orange Custard
Darrell and Edith Royal, Texas
From the “Texas Celebrity Cookbook,” Russell M. Gardner and Chris Farkas, Gardner-Farkas Press, 1984
2 oranges
2 tablespoons sugar
1 13-ounce can evaporated milk
2½ cups milk, divided
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Peel, section and dice oranges. Sprinkle oranges with sugar and set aside. In a saucepan, combine evaporated milk and 1½ cups milk; bring to a simmer. Mix flour with sugar, add egg yolks and the remaining 1 cup of milk and stir until smooth. Add slowly to simmering milk, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not boil. Stir in diced oranges and vanilla. Pour into 10-inch ovenproof bowl or eight individual custard cups. Spread meringue over custard, sealing well to edges. Bake at 450 degrees until meringue is lightly browned. Serve hot or chilled. Serves 8.
Meringue
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold in vanilla.
If you’re in the mood for: Some dadgum hidden asparagus
Imagine your family’s surprise when you whip this up along with the serving suggestion!
Cheese Asparagus Surprise
Bobby and Ann Bowden, Florida State
From “The Orange Bowl Cookbook,” The Orange Bowl Committee, 1983
Processed cheese slices, to line casserole
1½ cans asparagus, drained
12 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Grease a 13-by-9 casserole dish and line it with slices of processed cheese. Add the asparagus. Beat the eggs with the cream. Add parsley, salt, pepper and pour over the asparagus. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Good served with sausage. Serves 10.
If you’re in the mood for: A regional shellfish dip-off
Sourdough Crab Dip
Jim and Sara Harbaugh, Michigan; published while at Stanford
From “Spread Formation: Tailgating & Home Recipes from College Football Greats” by Loran Smith, Whitman Publishing, 2014
1 loaf of sourdough, French or Italian bread (hollow out the middle)
1 can white lump crabmeat, drained
1 package cream cheese
1 bag sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 bottle Black Label Real Bacon Bits
Directions
Mix all together and then stuff inside the loaf of bread. Wrap in foil and bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Use bruschetta toasts for dipping.
Clam Dip
John and Helen Cooper, Ohio State
From “Spread Formation”
1 8-ounce can minced clams
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated onion
½ teaspoon Grey Poupon mustard
4 tablespoons reserved clam juice
Use an electric hand mixer to blend all ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. If too thick to spread on crackers, add a small amount of clam juice and mix.
If you’re in the mood for: Pigging out
Dabo Swinney built Clemson on the BYOG philosopy: Bring Your Own Guts. This will help you bring an even larger gut.
Pig Outs
Dabo and Kathleen Swinney, Clemson
From “Spread Formation”
2 sleeves of saltine crackers
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
6 Hershey bars
Chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 375. Line a jellyroll pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Line crackers on pan. In a pan on the stovetop, melt the butter and add the brown sugar. Bring to a medium boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour hot mixture on crackers and spread until even. Place pan in the oven for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, break Hershey bars into small pieces. After 7 minutes, remove pan from the oven and immediately drop chocolate pieces all over the hot crackers. Let stand for several minutes until chocolate melts and then spread the chocolate evenly. Add chopped pecans. Put pan in fridge for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate hardens. Break into pieces and enjoy!
If you’re in the mood for: Hot Dog Delight!
Hot Dog Delight
Mark Richt, ACC Network, formerly head coach at Georgia (2001-15) and Miami (2016-18)
Bread of your choice
Hot dogs
Sliced cheese
Baked beans
Richt is passionate about the process: “When you cut the dogs, you cut ’em lengthwise, so when you cut them in half, they’ll lay flat with the rounded sides up. Cheese has to cover every inch of the bread. You’ve got to get the best coverage of the bread as possible. Broil it. If you broil it and that cheese isn’t covering it, your bread’s gonna burn. You want cheese with every bite. Add as many baked beans as possible. I used to use Van Camp’s pork and beans, but I’ve eased off that. Any kind of baked beans will work. Throw a little ketchup on top.”
Richt, who has a scientific method to eat sandwiches in 10 bites, says you have to use a fork and also plenty of napkins.
Mark Richt’s sandwich philosophy is just amazing: pic.twitter.com/Gk3Ou8thhA
— Hi, I’m David (@ADavidHaleJoint) July 14, 2017
“Just like the 10-bite sandwich,” Richt says, “it’s very important to not only make Hot Dog Delight the right way, but you have to eat it the right way.”