Tuesday Treat: Buffalo Shrimp

I am in a shrimp mood today. Probably because half a dozen people asked me about Alabama while at work today and it made me miss my old home a bit. The best place to eat was a restaurant called "Jefferson's" and their Shrimp Jammers are the frigging best. Ever.

Now, shrimp jammers are butterfly shrimp stuffed with cheese and deep fried. They are served with cocktail sauce or shrimp sauce usually, but I actually got a side of their medium buffalo sauce and some ranch. Wonderful. I'm drooling right now thinking about them. Ugh!

Anyways, I found this recipe today for Buffalo Shrimp. It is pretty long so I'll just link to the website instead of retyping it all today. Judging by the comments, even folks that enjoy spicy foods thought this recipe had a good bit too much spice so if you are leery of it, cut back on the spices by a little (or a lot) to suit your tastes. I wouldn't leave any out, just maybe 1/2 the amount suggested in the recipe. Also, make sure you have tons of ranch available. Mmmm ranch. I wonder if we have any celery...

Tuesday Treat: Devils on Horseback

Found a great New Year's Eve appetizer that I am going to try this weekend called Devils on Horseback. According to the post, these little things are the perfect mix of salty, sweet, crispy, chewy, and crunchy. We'll see how they turn out.

Ingredients:
20 wooden toothpicks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
20 dates, pitted and left whole
20 whole smoked almonds
10 bacon slices, cut in half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Soak the toothpicks in water. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan/dish.
2. Mix the ginger and soy sauce in a bowl. Put the brown sugar in a separate bowl. Spread open a pitted date and stuff it with an almond. Wrap the date with a half slice of bacon and pin it together with a toothpick. Dip the bacon-date bundle into the soy sauce mix and then the brown sugar. Place the dipped date in the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake until the bacon is brown and crispy, 15 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and serve warm/room temperature.

Ideas:

• Double or triple the recipe for large groups.
• Replace dates with dried apricots or prunes.
• Use reduced sodium soy sauce.
• Replace almonds with mango chutney or walnuts.
• Sprinkle finished bundles with extra brown sugar for more sweetness, or with red chili flakes for a spicy kick before baking.

I don't know that I've ever had a date, so we'll see how this works out. As for the nut, I'll just have to see what kind is the cheapest. I know nuts in general are fairly expensive. As for the suggested ideas, I have no idea what mango chutney is... but the addition of some red chilies sounds amazing. Wonder if it would ruin the entire taste if served with Ranch dressing? Hmmm... my mouth is watering now. Have a blast this weekend!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Tuesday Treat: Buffalo Chicken Dip

One of my cousins made this dip for our family Christmas party on Sunday and it was incredible. Seriously, I think I ate more of this dip than I did of real food. Holy crow it was great. Sorry I don't have any pictures but I'm sure there are some on Google if you look it up. It is super easy to make and serves a whole freaking lot. This is a great addition to an appetizer spread, tailgate parties, and BYO covered dish festivities.