Gourmet Grilling for Game Day

Grills are fired up and ready to go in parking lots across the nation for the great American sports tradition: tailgating. Every year, thousands faithfully don their team's colors and venture out, rain or shine, to cheer home a winner. Sports fans and home cooks alike can be the reigning champions of parking-lots with tailgating recipes from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas.

Since 1907, Nielsen-Massey has been dedicated to creating the finest vanilla in the world. The vanilla beans are hand-picked for perfection and go through an exclusive cold extraction process, which slowly, gently draws the delicate, distinctive flavor from the vanilla beans.

Nielsen-Massey products compliment both sweet and savory dishes, so hungry football fans can be fed this season with hamburgers and chicken wings dressed with Smoky Vanilla BBQ Sauce or Apricot Mango BBQ Sauce from Nielsen-Massey.

Smoky Vanilla BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon canned chipotle chilies with sauce, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup catsup
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract or Paste

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add garlic and sauté until soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45-60 minutes. Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Apricot Mango BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup medium diced canned apricots, drained
1/2 cup medium diced fresh or jarred mangoes, drained
1 (4-ounce) can mild chipotle chilies
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 whole garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract or Paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine the apricots, mangoes, chipotle chiles, brown sugar, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, vanilla extract, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper in a blender container and purée. Store in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups.

From daybreak to overtime, hearty finger-foods flavored with Nielsen-Massey Vanillas can provide an extra kick to fans' favorite tailgating cuisines.

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey's Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar and Certified Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas also has a line of Pure Flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are Allergen-Free and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.