Grilled Sausage with Spicy Sauce

So this weekend kicked off my favorite time of year....College Football Season! I am a huge football fan, and while I also love the NFL, I am first and foremost a college football fan. My family has had season tickets to our beloved Arizona State Sun Devils since I was a kid, and after I graduated from ASU, I too decided that I had to get my own tickets. Over the last couple of years, more and more of my friends have also gotten tickets and we have made it a tradition to tailgate before each home game (even those games where we have to brave blistering 110 degree temperatures!). Tailgating just makes the whole experience that much better; hanging out with your fellow fans, playing some games and eating good food, are the perfect start to the whole experience.

In the last couple of years, I have been the one to take charge of the food and menu planning, which I love! I usually plan out a menu that is somehow based on who our opposing team is, it is so much fun (but sometimes stressful) to come up with the themed menu! Some themes are easier than others, but in the end, it is more about the friends and fun than it is the food....but my friends are always so appreciative and amazed at what I come up with.

It is a lot of work to pull it all together, but I really do enjoy it......and in the end, I am glad that there are only 7 home games each year!

This past weekend we played the Idaho State Bengals, so our theme was obviously potatoes! Here is what we had on our spread this past weekend. I will share the recipes highlighted in red with you over the next week. First up is the Grilled Sausage, I love kielbasa, and this was a snap to prepare....basically, I needed something easy and that would cook quickly, and this fit the bill!

ASU vs. Idaho State Bengals - September 5, 2009

• Spinach Cheddar Dip in a Bread Bowl
• Sweet Onion Dip with Ruffles
• Grilled Potato Skins
• Grilled Sweet Corn
• Grilled Sausage with Spicy Sauce
• Strawberry Cream Pie

Grilled Sausage with Spicy Sauce

adapted from Food Network Magazine - October 2009

2 lbs. kielbasa or other smoked sausage (I used 1 lb. Turkey Kielbasa and 1 lb. regular)
3/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp. hot sauce (I used Cholula)

Soak 8 - 10 wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut sausage into bite-size pieces. Thread sausage onto skewers. Mix the ketchup, mustard and hot sauce in a bowl, refrigerate until serving. (If taking to a BBQ or tailgate, at this point you can put your skewers in a plastic bag and transport them and the sauce to your event.)

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Grill each skewer until slightly crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with the dipping sauce.