Tarheels. Wolfpack. Blue Devils. Pirates.

There are more teams, but you get the drift: Fall, football — and food — go together like mustard and ketchup, like chips and dip.

Tailgating is a game-day tradition, just like cheering on the home team from the stands and high-fiving a thrilling touchdown.

Some foods, like the dishes to follow, are just meant to be served fresh from the back of your vehicle and consumed while sporting team colors under a tent alongside other hungry fans.

Whether your favorite team wears red, blue or another hue, you’re sure to get a kick out of these tempting treats.

Sausage stuffed mushrooms are the perfect finger food – delicious and great for sharing!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
From Rebecca Reed

Makes 25-30 mushrooms.
2 6-ounce packages button mushrooms, medium size
1 medium yellow onion
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter or oil
1 16-ounce package ground sausage (I like Jimmy Dean Regular or Sage)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Parmesan cheese

Clean the mushrooms with damp paper towel and remove stems. Dice onion into small pieces.

Set out cream cheese to soften to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On medium heat, add butter or oil to a sauté pan and cook onions till almost caramelized. Add in ground sausage and brown till cooked.

Remove from heat and add cream cheese, salt, pepper and garlic. Stir together till mixture is creamy and ingredients are blended. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps evenly. Sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes; they will be HOT!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
From The Southern Tailgating Cookbook: A Game-Day Guide for Lovers of Food, Football, and the South by Taylor Mathis. Text copyright © 2013 by Jeffrey Taylor Mathis. Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press, uncpress.unc.edu.

Makes 10–12 servings.

10 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces
3⁄4 cup diced red bell peppers
3⁄4 cup diced yellow bell peppers
1⁄2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1⁄2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1⁄4 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon deli-style mustard
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup corn oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Roast, stirring every 5 minutes, until fork tender and slightly browned on the edges, about 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a large bowl, add the pineapple, peppers, shallots, jalapeño, cilantro, parsley, scallions, and cooled sweet potatoes.

In a small bowl, prepare the vinaigrette. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, mustard, and salt. Whisk continuously while slowly pouring in the oil. Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the dressing over the sweet potato salad and toss. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. On game day, transport to your tailgate in a cooler and keep covered until ready to serve. Toss again prior to serving.

Best Taco Dip Ever
From Marilu McQuilkin

8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can refried beans, optional
Toppings: Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, chopped onion, shredded cheese

Mix first three ingredients, and mix some more. If you want to get really crazy, you can add a layer of refried beans.

Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, chopped onion and shredded cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips, then sit back and take all the kudos for the best dip at the party.

Chocolate Chili Bites
From Amber Keister

Makes about 72 mini bites.

2 sticks butter
7 ounces good quality dark chocolate
1 ¼ cups sugar
5 eggs
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour, or equivalent of gluten-free flour
1 ½ teaspoons ground ancho chili pepper*
Pinch of salt

Melt the butter with the chocolate in a small saucepan or in a bowl in the microwave. If melting in the microwave, be sure to do it slowly, blending with a spoon between each pass.

Transfer into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, mix with a wooden spoon and let cool a little. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Add the flour, the ground chili pepper and salt, and mix well.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Scoop the batter into a mini-muffin tin (use a silicone one, or butter the tin generously), and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The top should look set, but the inside should still be soft.

Let the mini bites cool down enough to unmold them, then transfer to a rack to cool completely while you cook the other batches. Store in a plastic container, refrigerate, and take out about an hour prior to serving.

*Available at specialty spice shops, OR ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. You may use other chili peppers, but adjust amount depending on heat and preference.

Meatball Marinara Sliders

From Jennifer Seay, Culinary Manager at Whisk

Serves 4 to 6
For the meatballs:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup Italian parsley
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 to 5 cups marinara sauce, recipe below

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic, chicken stock, onion, and parsley in a blender or food processor. Add to the rest of the ingredients, except for the marinara.

Put a small amount of oil in the palms of your hands and roll meatballs. Place on sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Add to marinara sauce and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Marinara Sauce:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
4 cans whole tomatoes, seeds drained; reserve juice
4 garlic gloves, peeled and sliced thinly
4 basil leaves
Salt to taste

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and then add crushed red pepper flakes, the tomatoes, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the basil, the juice of the tomatoes, and salt. Put the lid on top and simmer for 40 minutes.

Put in a blender and turn on very low until sauce is the smoothness that you want it to be.

Toast small cut egg rolls in the oven for 3 minutes. Put a meatball, cut in half, on each side and add 1/2 slice of provolone. Put back in oven until cheese melts.

Coney Island Sauce
From Chas Morgenstern, owner of Firewurst

Everyone thinks this chili was born on Coney Island in New York, but that has yet to be proven — people in the Midwest say the sauce gained its popularity there. We let everyone else do the arguing; we just love eating the stuff!

This recipe makes a lot of chili, so bring friends or freeze for another time!

5 pounds ground beef
2 ½ pounds diced yellow onions
36 ounces tomato sauce
½ cup tomato paste
3 ¾ cups water
2 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 ¼ teaspoons black pepper
2 ¼ teaspoons oregano
2 ¼ teaspoons basil
2 ¼ teaspoons cumin
½ tablespoon crushed red pepper
1/6 cup yellow mustard
1/6 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups brown sugar
Brown ground beef in a pan.

Sauté diced onions in a separate pan until translucent. Combine the onion and the beef, mix and remove from heat.

Combine all other ingredients into a pot on a stovetop over medium heat. Add ground beef/onion mix and cook all contents on medium heat for one hour, stirring occasionally. Serve on top of burgers, hot dogs, nachos and even homemade French fries!

Tequila Shrimp
From Jennifer Seay, Whisk

For the sauce:
2 ripe California avocados
1 green pepper, fire roasted, peeled and seeded
1 poblano pepper, fire roasted, peeled and seeded
1 clove garlic peeled
Juice of 1 lime
1 small bunch parsley, washed and dried
1 small bunch cilantro, washed and dried
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Pinch of oregano
Salt to taste
Agave syrup to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, except for oil. Pulse until smooth. Add oil in a stream.

For the shrimp:
16 to 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined and patted very dry
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sliced scallion
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/3 cup tequila
Zest of 2 limes
Zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
Juice of two limes
1 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Heat oil to medium high in a sauté pan. Add scallions and jalapeño and sauté for a minute. Add shrimp in batches so that it cooks evenly, for about 2 minutes per side. Leaving shrimp in the pan, add  tequila, zest, chili sauce, lime juice and cilantro. Let reduce for about a minute. Add salt to taste.

Touchdown Chicken Wing Dip

From Jennifer Seay, Whisk
Serves 8 to 10

Meat from one roasted chicken, minced
1 8-ounce container whipped cream cheese
1/2 bottle medium chicken wing sauce
1/2 cup good quality ranch dressing
2 scallions, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with celery sticks and Tostitos scoops.