Blue Cheese Bacon Wrapped Dates

This is my favorite appetizer of 2010 hands down, and I have the Happy Hours of the Sunset Strip to thank for the idea. All the bars on the strip are overpriced but there's a little loophole that stingey 20-somethings like me take full advantage of: Happy Hour! Almost all the bars on the strip have half-off Happy Hours, which is the only reason why you would ever catch me throwing caution to the wind with my American Express Aluminum in hand with the few others lucky enough to have their early evenings free. Would I have paid $12 to for 6 bacon wrapped dates? Probably not. And I woulda really missed out. But $6 is just in my budget. So now, Hushpuppie blog reader(s), I can bring this to my home as well as yours.

Recipe:

1 pkg. good bacon
1 dozen dates
1/4 lb. blue cheese

Gently remove pits from dates and pack inside of dates with blue cheese. Tightly wrap each stuffed date with one entire slice of bacon--maybe if you have fancier bacon you can only use half a slice, but FUD brand at my store doesn't pack enough to allow for that. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until bacon looks just right. Serve when warm. The dates turn into caramel, and the salt from the cheese and bacon blend to make it a very well-rounded appetizer.

The generic brand of ice cream at my grocery story this summer released Coconut-flavored ice cream. Yeah. They did. And it's as good as it sounds. That's why I sliced up my bacon-wrapped dates and ate them with it. Yeah. I did. And it was as good as it sounds.

Shrimp Brushetta

I stole this idea from a restaurant/bar in my northeast LA neighborhood, The York--because it's what I get every time I go there--and reproduced it for my family for my dad's and his twin sister's birthdays. The prep time for me was about an hour, but when these snacks were served it took all of 20 seconds before they were completely consumed by each of my family and extended family members. Everyone was asking for more.

Ingredients:

French bread or baguette (sliced)
canola oil
1 lb. shrimp (peeled and deveined)
shrimp/seafood seasoning of your choice
1 bunch/pkg. micro greens or arugula

for Tomato Bruschetta:
3-4 large ripe tomatoes, diced (more if smaller)
1/2-1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
3-4 basil leaves, diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
black pepper to taste

for White Wine Butter Sauce:
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. white wine
3/4 c. chicken broth

First, prepare the tomato bruschetta: combine diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper in bowl or tupperware and refrigerate. This may be made in advance (or I suppose you could get pre-made bruschetta, but it won't be as good).

Next, prepare toast: preheat oven to 450 degrees, slice toast and arrange onto cookie sheet. Do not place in oven yet.

Then, season and prepare shrimp. I use a seafood seasoning that I created: http://bellavistafoodsnob.blogspot.com/2010/01/erics-cajun-seasoning.html. Also, to spread the measly one pound of shrimp over the whole appetizer I sliced each shrimp down the middle to create two halves. Set aside in fridge.

Now the next ten or so minutes is gonna happen fast and be kind of busy. The more kitchen help you can get the better. Toast bread for about 3-4 minutes and remove to cool slightly. Move on to sauce.

White wine sauce: whisk together 3 tbsp. butter with 1 tbsp. flour in a small saucepan on low-medium heat. Once smooth add 1/2 c. white wine and 3/4 c. broth. Stir until blended and continue to cook on medium heat until begins to bubble, then reduce heat to let thicken.

But wait! While you or someone else in the kitchen stirs the white wine sauce until it bubbles you must cook the shrimp.

Heat a heavy skillet with several tablespoons of canola oil on medium-high heat. Once fully heated toss in shrimp and spread evenly over the skillet. After about one minute (assuming your heat is high enough) flip shrimp with metal spatula. After about one more minute gently flip shrimp again and continue to toss and flip them for another 45 seconds to a minute until shrimp appear to have been cooked thoroughly. Be careful not to overcook them.

Finally, layer greens over toast then bruschetta, then shrimp, then drizzle with wine sauce. Serve immediately.

As you can see mine never made it off the cookie sheet onto plates or a platter. The minute I turned to set down the white wine sauce half the toasts were eaten. And seconds later they were all gone. Yum.

Salsa Not Seltzer

My long days working the assembly line at the salsa factory have paid off, and I'm now able to bring to you the tools needed to make your very own! We made mild, habanero, roasted garlic, and a mango/peach/pineapple salsa that's great with fish all based off the following ingredients:

1/2 onion, cubed
2 cloves garlic (roasted or raw)**
1 hand full cilantro, rinsed
1/2 to whole jalapeno, de-seeded
1 TB. lime juice
1 Tsp. vinegar
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
salt/pepper to taste

Pile in blender and pulse motor so as not to puree. Best when refrigerated for a few hours. Keeps for about three weeks.

**If you've got the time and inclination to make a tray of roasted garlic, your tongue and your heart will be happy. Here's how to do it:

Preheat oven to 400. Peel garlic if needed. Mix whole garlic cloves with a little bit of oil, salt, black pepper, oregano and slide onto cookie sheet. Roast until garlic starts to brown but not all the way, maybe twenty minutes.

Healthy in the Holidays: Roasted Veg and Chicken

I know you're all trying to skip the sides and kick the carbs in between holiday face-stuffings, so here's medley that'll temporarily abate your plate from unhealthy fixings.

Those little tiny squash might be hard to find; and you may want to swap the chicken for beef or some tofu product-- but the carrots are good for night vision, so hang on to 'em. Chunk everything so it's about the same size and scatter into a glass casserole dish. Drench with olive oil, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and maybe some type of special sauce: I used Soy Vay (this Jewish-made teriyaki), but you can do like a Worchestershire combo or wine/balsamic vinegar. Roast in the oven at 400 for about 45 minutes or so (or until the chicken's done in the middle). Skip the rolls, rice, noodles and potatoes 'cause you'll have plenty around Xmas.



I used: chicken, broccoli, carrots, rosemary, olives, garlic, mushrooms, and baby zucchini/sqaush.

White Corn/Blackbean Salsa

Finally something on the lighter end of the spectrum. This healthy throw-together is great to eat with chips, serve on tacos, or shovel as salad. It yields an endless bowl.

The ingredients:

Roughly 1/4 c. chopped green onions
About the same amount or more of chopped cilantro
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
juice from 1 lime
1 chopped jalapeno
2 cans white (shoepeg) corn, drained
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 small can green chilies
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt

Combine together with a fork. Best tasting after it's been chilled.

Mexican Cornbread

Man, how often do you pick up a box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix? Let me tell you --- not often enough! If you did, you'd realize that this 59 cent purchase could take you to places you've never been - places reminiscent of grandma's kitchen or perhaps San Antonio, Tx. That's right, we're having Tex-Mex again.

The best part about this dish, though, is that it essentially covers most of the food pyramid in one pie slice. Chomp on some field greens and you're set for the night. Likewise, cut more scanty slices, and it's an all-in-one appetizer that no one else would ever imagine bringing to the party. Oddly great for breakfast and loves to sit in the fridge for a while. Best $8 spent this month.


Mexican Cornbread:

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. Taco mix
1 box cornbread mix
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
1 jalapeno
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream style corn


In a heavy skillet, cook onion and meat together until onion is soft and meat is brown. Add taco mix and jalapeno. Set aside. In small bowl, mix cornbread mix according to directions on box, adding in the can of corn. Grease the sides of an 8X8 pan with a little oil. Pour half of the cornbread mix, then layer the meat. Cover with grated cheese and add the remaining cornbread mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Smoke Da Okra

In the deep and dirty South, okra is kind of a staple delicacy. Every KFC and fried food hashery has some form or another - usually fried and served with ketchup or gravy. This was the first time I tried what I've been told is the best way to eat them this summer.

Rinse the okra in a colander and sprinkle with olive oil, seasoned salt, fresh black pepper, and about a tablespoon of finely chopped garlic. Toss it all together and stack side by side onto skewers on grill for just a few minutes on each side.


Pork on the grill is kind of self-explanatory. Dust it with your best seasonings and no sauce - I use a combination of dry poultry rub and beef rub because pork seems to be somewhere in the middle. Marinades and sauces cause unnecessary char and the grill to become ablaze, at least from my personal experiences.

Another trick to getting tender pork by getting the grill really hot. Sear both sides of the meat while the grill is scalding, turn it down and add the skewers of okra cooking an additional 10 minutes or so, all together, turning skewers and meat only once.

To finish a well-rounded and healthy meal, I added a can of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies) to the complimentary amount of water needed for preparation with two small yellow rice packages. See below for Raspberry Chipotle Sauce recipe.





Just down the street from my house is Super King - a giant, Armenian-run grocery store that has a surplus of fresh produce and deli options at phenomenally low prices. For instance, this entire meal cost $14 and provided plenty - 4 chops, 4 ribs, 6 skewers, rice, and the following recipe. Besides the constant mobs of irate Armenians, this market (that also sells Hookahs) has a drawback in comparison to your local Ralph's or Von's: no ready-made, USA-label, packaged and prepared foods like Campbell's soup, Easy-Mac, or any kind of raspberry chipotle sauce. So I made my own.

Raspberry Walnut Chipotle Sauce:

In a small chopper, add 1/2 small white onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 small chipotle or like peppers, and 1/4 c. walnuts, and chop. If you don't have one, they're pretty easy to find at a thrift store and worth the $3 for saving man power and your hand muscles. If not, grab a knife.

Toss chopped goods in a small but thick saucepan with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook on medium-high heat until onions are caramelized. Add one pint of raspberries and cook until soft - about 3 minutes. Then, add 2 Tbsp. vinegar, 1/4 c. sugar, and a scoop of apricot preserves (optional - because I had it).

Turn heat to a low simmer and cook down for about 10 more minutes. Let cool before serving. Also great to serve with cream cheese and crackers or with other meats. Keep refrigerated.

A Feast for the Fourth, Party of Two.

My only expectation of this past Independence Day was not unlike that of any other holiday or organized event- that it be centered around some grandiose feast such as that as you see above. The advantage of grilling on this day, and others alike, is that after all the hours of prep work, you can simply throw all of it on at the same time, light a cigarette and pour a drink, and sit by as the grill becomes engulfed in smoke because the cheese is melting through the grate. In the end, it yields a number of toasted and tasty treats in seemingly endless portions.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimpers:

On a half a piece of pork bacon, stack one large or two medium fresh and raw shrimp (approx 2 lbs. total) and a generous slice of both fresh mozzarella and jalapeno. Roll and fasten with a toothpick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Beef Rolladen:
Use thin cuts of beef to roll a dill pickle spear, long slice of red bell pepper, and about a tablespoon of finely chopped purple onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Corn and Asparagus:

Pull back husks of corn and remove silk - baste with butter and pinch of salt. Fold husks back over corn. Wash and cut ends from bundle of asparagus; wrap in aluminum foil with several cloves of garlic, coat with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Seal foil before putting on grill.




Thanks to Brittany for a day of many accomplishments - including a hike to the top of this hill in search of fireworks... for the second time that night. For dessert, we stuffed our faces with a strawberry shortcake combo we threw together with a pound cake from the store, fresh strawberries, and Cool Whip.

M-F'in Hushpuppies

This meal started on Sunday night but was interrupted by the harsh, day-in-the-sun, drunken comedown that hit so many people that evening. Luckily I had prepared all of the fixings just before I passed out on the cold wood floor of my apartment - you'll notice I forgot to take prep pictures. Success came the following day. Fried red snapper and green beans joined the mix.

Hushpuppies:

1-1/2 c. fine cornmeal
1-1/2 c. water

Cook 1-2 minutes in saucepan until mushy.
Stir in:
2 eggs
1 onion (chopped)
1/3 c. water

In separate bowl, combine:
1 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
1 can corn
1 jalapeno (chopped)

Combine two mixtures and stir thoroughly before dropping spoonfuls of dough into blistering hot grease.

Fish and Green beans:
Rinse and pat dry two pounds of red snapper or other frying fish. In small bowl, combine one egg and about 1 cup milk. In another, mix equal amounts of bread crumbs and cornmeal; add salt and pepper and other spices. Plunge fish into egg/milk mixture then cover in batter. Deep fry on high for about 2 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon or lime.

Green beans?-- should be easy, but I like to add a couple cubes of chicken bullion to a large pot of water with about 2 lbs grean beans. Cook on med-high for about a half hour or until desired consistency.