Not many small towns come together like East Ridge when it comes to Christmas and the parade.
Every year in the City of East Ridge, the Saturday before Thanksgiving is always host to the annual Christmas Parade. You know you’re getting close to parade time when the lighted Christmas trees and snowflakes go up on the telephone poles all along Ringgold Road. It is always a welcome sight and harkens a bit of nostalgia because in my 36 years of being from East Ridge this is tradition.
I don’t entirely know when the parade started but it’s been going on as long as I can remember. Participants include local businesses, schools, churches and all kinds of social clubs; literally everyone is welcome to participate. Even as a kid I know my school (The Lutheran School) always had a float and it was a privilege if you were able to ride on the float and wish fellow citizens a Merry Christmas.
Fast forward about 30 years and here I am with my own business which operates in East Ridge and throughout Tennessee, Tennessee Rebel BBQ. We have been proud participants in the parade for the last three years. Each year it is a big deal for our Krew to put together our floats and get ready for the big night.
We dress up our BBQ trailer and sometimes have another truck following with our smoker “Miss Scarlett.” The Krew we have assembled gets very serious about being involved in the parade to the extent that they go out and buy new outfits to try and outdo the previous year. We have a common theme amongst the Krew: “If this don’t put you into the Christmas Spirit then nothing will.” For all of us this is the kickoff of our Christmas season, its akin to watching “Christmas Vacation” if you can’t get merry with either one of those things, you’re Scrooge!
With all of the fun costumes, lights, tinsel, music, and other decorations we usually end up sitting in parade lineup for a little while and then the parade is usually a couple hours long once you make the turn. All in all it’s an all day event and typically speaking the weather is quite chilly, so by the time we are finished we are chilled to the bone and hungry. BUT, we have a parade tradition that we have held since the first parade we appeared in. “Christmas Parade Spaghetti!”
I do promise that I will feed all of the Krew a hot dinner when we are done with the parade and chilled to the bone, but obviously I’m in the parade also so I cannot be left behind to cook. Well, I came up with a solution that has been a hit since we started. You heard me, “Christmas Parade Spaghetti,” its super simple to throw together in the crock-pot and we turn it on when we leave out to head to lineup and by the time we are back it is done. The only thing that makes this recipe better is the fact that we usually have a wood fire going in the stove so all of that cold just melts away.
When we sit down at the end of the night still blasting Christmas music and eating our “Christmas Parade Spaghetti” by a warm wood fire we are full force in the Christmas Spirit. It doesn’t have to be about gifts, or giving, or any of that, it’s the sheer joy we are able to share with fellow East Ridge citizens who love seeing our trailer in the parade and the camaraderie that our Krew carries while participating in the parade.
In case you don’t ride with us in the parade, I’m going to include the recipe for our “Christmas Parade Spaghetti.” It’s a recipe worthy of any weeknight meal and you don’t have to save it for a special occasion. It doesn’t take a lot of preparation and its relatively budget friendly because I’d bet you’ve got some of these things in your pantry already. Feel free to play with the recipe, I use ground beef but Italian Sausage would be awesome too, and season it to you hearts desire.
Well until next time happy cooking! Hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
The Tennessee Rebel
“Christmas Parade Spaghetti”
1- pound ground beef (80/20)
1- onion chopped
3 – cloves garlic crushed
2 – 24 oz jars spaghetti sauce (roasted garlic works best)
24 oz chicken broth
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1 pound dry spaghetti
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ block cream cheese
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
- Brown meat and onion in a skillet add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to beef mixture.
- Add spaghetti sauce and chicken broth to a greased crock pot and mix well.
- Add beef mixture and dry spaghetti, cream cheese and parmesan, and mix well until spaghetti is well coated and submerged.
- Top with Mozzarella cheese.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
