Fan fare: BYU-Utah rivalry now extends to cookbooks

Rise and shout, the cookbooks are out!

The Utah-BYU football rivalry is always hotly debated. Now you can put some of that heat to good use in the kitchen with "The Brigham Young University Cougars Cookbook" and "University of Utah Utes Cookbook," both by Jenny Ahlstrom Stanger (Gibbs-Smith, $14.95 each).

Fans can cook up dishes dedicated to their favorite teams for tailgating and TV watching, such as Blue Zone BBQ Chicken Salad, Helaman Hall Hoagies, Whack-a-Coug Wraps and Mighty Ute Meatballs.

"They're all winners for tailgate parties, and they all can serve large groups of people and are easy to transport," Stanger said.

Some of the recipes are familiar favorites given fan-themed titles, such as BYU Hawaiian Haystacks or Utah Man Sliders, which are mini sloppy joes. The Crimson Night Chicken Puffs are a version of Savory Crescent Chicken Squares, which became a classic after winning the 1974 Pillsbury Bake-off. Dried cranberries give them their crimson appeal.

Stanger said she was approached about writing a BYU cookbook by editors at Gibbs-Smith Publisher, whom she met while seeking a publisher for her first book, "Fabulous Freezer Meals" (Brigham Distributing, $17.95).

Stanger, who lives in Elwood, is a BYU graduate in family life education, and has taught cooking classes at Thanksgiving Point and other venues.

After the BYU book, she was asked to do the Utes cookbook.

Stanger said the BYU book captures her favorite memories with food.

"For as long as I can remember, I've attended BYU football games with my grandpa, my parents, and then as a BYU student."

She attended BYU-Hawaii for two years and worked as an Especially For Youth counselor at BYU-Idaho, so she was familiar with both of those campuses, as well.

"I have a very good memory for food, smells and tastes. And it seems most of the BYU events I've been involved with, they have served similar food such as mint brownies, sugar cookies, sparkle punch or BYU Creamery ice cream," she said.

The Popcorn Popping Balls comes from the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" sung at football games. Happy Valley Fudge was inspired by the "to-die-for" fudge sold in the BYU Bookstore, she said.