Friday, July 24, 2015

Back to the Beginning....

Homegaters!

The packing/moving continues. It's during this time that one reflects on the past but with an eye on the future. While leaving my cozy little apartment will be bittersweet, the thought of starting anew in a different town is pretty exciting. It's a new beginning of sorts.

With new beginnings in mind, I thought it would be fun to go back to the beginning of this blog and revisit the first entry: Kickoff Krunch Burgers!

We're 2 weeks away from new recipes and new homegating adventures.

Stay tuned....




Thursday, July 16, 2015

The Move Continues....

Homegaters!

As I continue to pack up my domaine, I asked a few buds which recipe they wanted to see featured again. A couple of folks mentioned the Cider-Braised Pork Belly Quesadillas. Good choice! I have gotten lots of compliments on this one - and I have to say that it's one of my favorites. It takes a little time, but it is well worth it.

Hope you decide to roll this one out on your guests because it's a good one for sure!




Friday, July 10, 2015

A New Home to Homegate In....

Homegaters!

Homegating Headquarters is moving to the 'burbs. I'm packing things up this month and heading out of the city to a new locale for new homegating adventures. Since all the pots and pans are getting packed up, I will be featuring readers' requests for the next few weeks. But I will return the first week in August as we start gearing up for Football Season!

In the meantime, this week we're featuring a reader favorite that will be hit at your next homegate, or outdoor gathering: Bacon Deviled Eggs





Friday, July 3, 2015

Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp!!



Homegaters!

Patriotism is in the air this weekend! With 4th of July and the FIFA Women's World Cup Final happening, it's going to be USA! USA! all weekend long! I've got a bunch of people coming over throughout the weekend, so I wanted to keep things quick, simple and spicy! With lots of cooking happening, I didn't want to overwhelm myself and so I came up with a crowd-pleaser: Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp!

What I like about the Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp is that it's relatively light, yet bold in flavor. A quick marinade and then a quick grill will yield a delicious result. I love that the heat of the cayenne is countered by the sweetness of the pineapple. This can be prepared in one of several ways depending on what your home set-up is. You can use an indoor grill, a broiler, grill pan or an outdoor grill. Whatever works for you is fine because the final result will be something that you and your guests will really enjoy. This will make either a nice appetizer or entree. Either way will be a hit.

Firecracker Pineapple Shrimp       
(serves 6)

1 lb med shrimp, peeled & cleaned              
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored &
cut into 1" chunks
2-3 med red onion, quartered & sliced
into 1" wedges
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup pineapple rum (optional)
1 tbs hot sauce
3/4 cup olive oil
salt & white pepper to taste

Method:

1. Marinade: in a deep bowl add: pineapple juice, rum, hot sauce, olive oil salt and pepper. Mix well and add the shrimp, onion and pineapple chunks. Let sit in marinade for 30 minutes.

2. Remove from marinade and sprinkle with the cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and ground ginger. Toss until completely coated.

3. Place on skewers. Alternate between the pineapple, onion and shrimp.

4. Place skewers on whichever heat source you are using. Grill/broil until slightly charred. Shrimp cook quickly, so you don't want to walk to far away from this. Baste with your marinade. Start checking for doneness after about 7 minutes. Remove from grill/broiler and serve.

And there you have it. Hope you try it. You'll really enjoy this.

Remember to be careful this weekend.

Have a safe and Happy 4th! GO USA!!! And keep on Homegating!!

See you next week!