Snacks Worth Watching Football For. Half-Time Shrimp.
I originally posted a version of this recipe a few years ago and received rave reviews about it, so I wanted to post it again.
I was not the perfectionist with the pictures and stories as I am now, but the recipe is really worth sharing.
I hope you enjoy.
Did someone say Football?
That’s right kid’s. The Super Bowl is right around the corner and to me that means food.
“Don’t you mean football?”….
Nope…I’m not a huge football fan ..but I do love food….so on with the show.
The Ultimate Pub Style Beer and Cheese Dip.
Let me be perfectly upfront with you.
This is going to be one of the best things that you have ever tasted in your life.
I know this sounds a little over the top for a simple “dip”…but trust me, it’s so much more than just a dip.
Imagine being in the middle of a tornado, ok?
Now, imagine that tornado being made of cheese sauce..but not your average cheese sauce, but, The Ultimate Cheese Sauce.
Confident? Yes
Drunk? NO!!!!
Well, there is beer in it and there are 6 bottles to a 6 pack and the recipe does call for beer so as I was perfecting the recipe I had to regulate the amount of alcohol vs cheese ratio numerous times and by default…
Let’s just say I had to call a cab to get me home from the test kitchen but the good thing is…
I created your new favorite food item.
Your go to party dip..
The Sunday football invite guarantee.
It’s warm, sweet, tangy and seriously delicious.
Give it a try and let me know how you like it.
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- 4 Tbsp salted butter
- 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup beer (use a quality lager. Not Budweiser)
- 1 tbsp tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp chopped parsley (for garnish)
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, slowly melt the better.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until smooth.
- Remove pan from the stove and whisk in 1/3 of the milk until it's smooth.
- Then whisk in another 1/3 of the milk slowly.
- Now add in the remainder of the milk and continue to whisk until it's smooth.
- Stir in the beer, tabasco, dijon, onion powder, cayenne and salt.
- Bring the pan back to a medium heat and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick.( 2 min)
- take off heat.
- Whisk in cheese a little at a time and make sure it is melting nicely before adding more cheese.
- The reason why I break the milk amounts into thirds is to make sure that the sauce is smooth and all bits of flour are dissolved.
Endless Summer Pesto Grilled Shrimp
Summer is still with us and my inner caveman needs to be near fire, sticks and raw stuff every night.
( ok, and beer or wine or martinis..but mostly beer..ok, never martinis or wine..I just wanted to sound classy)
Why is that?
Is it the great outdoors? The freedom of the backyard? The smell of freshly cut grass ? Or perhaps it’s the stress of trying to cook a great meal while making sure that my little guy and black lab don’t knock over, fall into or throw toys into the crazy hot BBQ?
Whatever it is…I’m taking advantage of the beautiful Long Island weather, the bounty of fresh basil growing in my garden and the massive bag of charcoal at my disposal.
4th of July Chicken. The Best BBQ Bird Ever.
July 4th is Independence Day in the United States.
It celebrates the commemorating of the adoption of Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776, stating that the 13 American colonies were no longer part of the British Empire and that the United States of America was born.
It also gives us the right to shoot off fireworks, attend awesome parades, drink beer and participate in some serious grilling.
Let us not, ever, downplay the freedom aspect of the holiday and the respect portion.
Don’t ever let my humor, sarcasm, amazing culinary skills, ninja-esque veggie chopping abilities, outrageously handsome and rugged stature make you think that I am diluting the holiday. Not a chance. I’m just enhancing it with the previously mentioned details…because we live in the most amazing country ever and have freedoms that should never be taken for granted.
Now on to the cooking……
Creamy Cheese Tortellini and Spinach Soup. Welcome to Autumn Crock Pot Creations.
Ok, I give in.
The Summer is totally over….it’s time to to man up!
It’s time to put away the tiki torches…
And it’s time to take out the Crock Pot baby…’cause we be sloooooowwwww cookin’!
( ok, that sounded cooler in my head than when I read it)
Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp with Homemade Tartar Sauce.
I love fried seafood.
Fried clams, oysters, even fried lobster…but my all time favorite is fried shrimp.
For shrimp, I like coconut shrimp, shrimp parmigiana, buffalo shrimp, but my favorite go to recipe when I am in the mood to fry…a nice crispy shrimp that will be so addicting, you can stop eating them.
Did you ever open a bag of chips or cookies in the car after the supermarket run and say to yourself,
“I’m just going to have one…perhaps two..tops, but that is it.”
By the time you pull into the driveway your shirt is full of crumbs and there’s an empty bag or container on the passenger seat.
Yup, we’ve all been there…only the strong ones will admit it. 🙂
That, in the nutshell, or shall I say, In the shrimp shell…is exactly how this shrimp will be to you.
Baked Long Island Cherry Stone Clams. A Classic in The Summer of Seafood.
Oh yeah…. the Summer of Seafood continues and the way it is going now, I hope it never ends.
One of the freshest, easiest and most rewarding seafood recipes that I have in my culinary treasure chest is for Baked Clams.
Baked Long Island Cherry Stone Clams, to be precise.
Simple, delicious and a big tradition on Long Island.
Long Island has been very popular in the clam business for generations and for good reason.
The Great South Bay of Long Island produces some of the finest clams as well as numerous bays and areas scattered throughout the North Fork of Long Island and I, have the pleasure of residing around them all.
What does this mean?
Never frozen, always fresh.
No chemicals, no preservatives.
Easy to come across and at a good price.
Classic Bruschetta.
Bruschetta.
One of the many simple pleasures coming out of this Irish guy’s kitchen…but in my kitchen we call it…
Bru’sketta, just like Giada.
Ok, I never talk like that, but it sounds more fancy than saying tomatoes and bread, right?
The Perfect Winter Treat: Baked Brie en Croûte with Sliced Apples and Raspberry Jam.
Winter is finally here in New York.
I went outside this morning about 6 am and it was 11 degrees. When it’s 11 degrees it feels like 3 degrees, so I ran back into the house for the warmth of my coffee cup and laptop and to think about hot food and delicious treats.
Right now is prime baking season, so I’m joining the cool kids and turning up the freak switch to high.
Ok, I’m not that outrageous and there is no freak switch…just my oven that ..um..I’m turning up to high.
Enough with my failed attempts of culinary comedy and trying to fit in with the Millennials.
On with the show.
Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken. Summer Night Perfection.
Grilled chicken is a family favorite, oh so easy and so many ways to prepare it.
Technically, it’s the still the Summer. It’s hot and nobody wants to be in the kitchen, especially when the weather is perfect, the birds are chirping and the sun is setting so perfectly in the sky.
Ok, it’s not always such a bucolic setting in August and early September here in New York, in fact the mosquitoes are out like frantic shoppers on Black Friday and the heat and humidity can be downright oppressive, but with this winning recipe, you’ll be cool as a cucumber enjoying the good life whether you are dining in or outdoors.
There are so many ways you can add flavor to chicken to look like a rock star to your friends and family, but one of the easiest and most rewarding ways is by marrying these simple and delicious ingredients that I use to make my Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken.
