Tailgate Favorites: White Castle Sliders + Fried Pickles/Jalapenos

It's tailgate time in Tennessee! Hopes are high for us Vol fans and so are our heart rates. I'll be honest, having something to do, like cook, during the games really helps me calm down and not get too emotionally involved in what's happening on the field.

Today I'm bringing you an old favorite, Fried Pickles, and something I hadn't made before, White Castle Sliders. The sliders are now officially my new favorite tailgate food! Matthew and I had to exercise some major self control to keep from eating all 15 of them ourselves!

Fried Pickles & Jalapenos

The pickles are actually baked which makes them slightly better for you than real fried ones. But, who is really interested in healthy tailgate foods anyway? I got the recipe from this sweet lady. I like to call her my friend because I have been following her blog for over a year now and am constantly inspired by her recipes, family life, and faith. I've made these before and the secret really is in the breadcrumbs. I had some breadcrumbs left over from the meatloaf cupcakes, but for this recipe, I wish I would've had finer ground ones. They were still pretty tasty though!

Hot sauce + Garlic + Worcestershire adds up to a BIG taste!

If you know me, you know I can't get enough hot sauce!

1 jar Pickles
1 jar Jalapenos
1/3 cup Flour
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp Hot Sauce
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

Combine flour and eggs well.
Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix well.
Fill shallow dish or plate with bread crumbs.
Dunk individual pickle or jalapeno slices into wet mixture then cover each side in bread crumbs.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Broil on high, 3 minutes on each side. (my parchment paper tends to get brown after the first 3 minutes so I take it out before flipping them over for the 2nd 3 minute broil. Not trying to start a fire in my oven!)
Serve with Ranch dressing or buffalo sauce or both!

These sliders were the best thing that happened to us during the Bama game. They almost made the loss not so bad. I had never made them before and didn't really think they would taste identical to the yummy sliders at White Castle and Krystal's. BUT THEY DID! They taste exactly the same!

The original chef of this recipe created the exact right concoction of ingredients. The patties were moist and the onion flakes on the bottom really made the dish! There aren't a lot of ingredients, so another plus about these sliders is that they come together quickly. If I were you, I'd make these for your next get together!

Give the pan a good shake to distribute the onion flakes evenly.

2 lbs Ground Chuck (80/20)
1/2 cup Onion Flakes (ended up being the entire 20z spice bottle)
1 tsp Seasoned Salt
12 small Party Rolls
Optional: 12 slices American cheese (we left these off)

Preheat your oven to 400.
Pour onion flakes into 9x13 baking dish.
Press ground beef into dish evenly, making one giant patty.
Sprinkle seasoned salt on top then use drinking straw to poke holes throughout the patty.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Drain grease off when finished.
Cut into 12-15 individual patties and let cool while you slice open your party rolls.
Add one patty, pickle, and other desired toppings to each roll, then enjoy!