You can do so much more than a cold vegetable tray with ranch dressing to fill out the menu for a tailgate party. Football season marks the tail end of fresh corn season, so get this on your menu soon. Soak the corn (with the husks on) in water and place them right on the grill. Use popsicle sticks as corn holders to prevent burned fingers.

Grilled Corn With Seasonings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Grill Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4-6 corn on the cob ears, with the husks intact
• Toppings (see below)

Directions:

Remove the silks from the top of the cobs without disturbing the husks. Soak each ear in water for 15 minutes. Grill the corn with husks on for 15 minutes, turning often. Pull back the husks and season with the toppings below.

Chipotle powder and lime (pictured): Butter the corn, sprinkle chipotle powder over the kernels and squeeze on a bit of lime.

Herbed butter: In a food processor, pulverize a stick of butter with 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill, tarragon). Place the mixture on a piece of foil and roll into a cylinder. Refrigerate until firm. At the party, peel away the top section and roll the butter stick across the hot corn.

Cinnamon and sugar: This will remind you of kettle corn on the cob. Butter the corn and then sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and a hefty pinch of salt.

Parmesan, balsamic and olive oil: Brush hot corn with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle on some high-quality balsamic dressing and dust with finely grated parmesan cheese.

Mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder and lime: This Mexican street food favorite is richly delicious. Slather the ear with mayonnaise, top with crumbled cheese, dust with chili powder and squeeze the juice from a lime.

Just can’t get enough of corn?  Try this corn relish recipe with a twist!

Kimberly Lord Stewart is a food author and journalist for CBS Denver local, Organic Food Reporter for Examiner.com, and the Food, Wine and Spirits editor for Denver Life magazine. Her book, “Eating Between the Lines” tells readers about the truth and myths of food labeling. Stewart is the recipient of two Association of Food Journalist awards for food news reporting and the Jessie Neal Business Journalism award. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.