Baseball season is officially upon us. April 6, 2015, marked the opening day for Major League Baseball teams, including culture’s local team, the Red Sox.
Baseball games have an incredible energy. The stadium is full of lively, raucous fans. Foam fingers are plentiful and shouting is acceptable. Not to mention the stadium smells like a delicious mix of all our favorite ballpark foods. I’ve had a hankering for a stadium hot dog for far too long, and I’m not sure I can wait till the next game to fulfill that craving. If you’re impatient like me and nostalgic for the best ballpark eats, its time to take fate into your own hands.
Culture has a wide array of recipes that will fulfill your longing for bleacher-seat burgers, but also qualify as nothing short of homemade fine dining.
Warning: The below pictures are so dangerously appealing that you should not read unless you have food nearby to satiate the oncoming hunger.
Loaded Cheddar Hotdogs
Photo courtesy of How Sweet It Is
These Loaded Cheddar Hotdogs from How Sweet It Is have everything you love about the ballpark classic plus everything you could ever want. Pile on melted cheddar cheese, garlic mushrooms, caramelized onions, and a hearty amount of bacon bits for a championship-worthy meal. The trick is making sure that you season all your toppings, especially the mushrooms and onions. By roasting and seasoning the vegetables, you bring our the savory, meaty traits hiding beneath the surface.
The Ultimate Fully Loaded Nachos
Photo courtesy of Serious Eats
Normally the nachos served at a baseball stadium are pretty minimalist—most contain nothing more than some Velveeta dashed on top, and even that seems to do the trick. We’re hoping to hit a grand slam here, though. These Fully Loaded Nachos from Serious Eats have cheese, beans, sour cream, jalepeños, tomatoes, and radishes. To maximize cheese coverage, the recipe suggests using both a cheese sauce and shredded cheese. There won’t be a dry nacho in the house.
Point Reyes Blue Cheese Steak Sandwiches
I’m a fan of the cheesesteak, though I often wish it contained some more complex flavoring. Sure, you can’t go wrong combing cheese whiz and seared steak, but it’s definitely not living up to its full potential. This recipe helps the seared steak shine and gives the whole sandwich a makeover. It adds in blue cheese instead of cheese whiz, yellow onions, arugula, and a lathering of mayonnaise.
Whiskey Cheeseburgers
Photo Courtesy of Pass the Sushi
This burger is a meal for the World Series winners—the seasoned patty is stuffed with a whiskey-cheddar filling, topped with your favorite fixin’s, and slathered in barbecue sauce. Pair it with a tall beer and enjoy the game.
Sit back, relax, and watch the players do all the work. You’ve got some Major League Eating to do.
Feature Photo Credit: “Baseball Food” by Michael Glasgow | CC BY 2.0
Jacqueline Roman
Jacqueline Roman is an Emerson student in Boston who never misses an opportunity to make a cheese pun and utilizes her social media accounts to post pictures of her pride and joy: cheeseboards. She has other interests but does not brie-lieve they are as gouda.
