NASCAR's Tony Stewart's Shrimp

Well, Max, now that it FINALLY feels like Fall Football Weather, Tailgating Parties are becoming fun again. Of course, Kentucky’s recent exciting football wins–and spectacular losses–add to the Saturday afternoon excitement. Since I don’t care all that much about football, I concentrate on the Tailgate Party end of it.

Ours is a competitive bunch of Football Widow-Tag-Alongs. Every week it is who can come up with the most interesting dish. Last week’s hands down winner was Bev Miller with her “Tony Stewart Smoke’s Shrimp.” The fellows were inhaling this appetizer even before she told us that this recipe came from the well known NASCAR driver. At that point, all the men demanded another round of this neat grilled shrimp.

The Smoke’s in the name, according to Bev, is Stewart’s nickname. So we kind of have a little play on words here?

NASCAR or Tony Stewart lover or not, this is one Smoking Good Recipe!!

NASCAR’s Tony Stewart’s “Smoke’s” Shrimp:

One pound of large, uncooked shrimp
Garlic powder
Dried onion flakes
12 ounce package of bacon
Pepper
Jar (18 to 20 ounce) smoky style barbeque sauce

Peel, clean, and devein the shrimp, but leave the tails on. Rinse well. Dry with a paper towel and season with garlic powder, onion flakes, and black pepper. Guys like them SPICY

Pour the smoky barbeque sauce in a glass or corning wear type casserole, about 8 x 8 inches like the CorningWare French White Casserole. Cut each slice of bacon in half and wrap around a shrimp. Secure with a toothpick. Place shrimp in the marinade and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Grill the shrimp over low heat until the bacon begins to turn crisp. They can also be broiled in the oven.

Serves 6. That’s normal people. Hungry guys at a football game? Might serve 2 or 3.

Fall Breakfast Casserole for Tailgating

I had not thought of mulling Apricot Nectar before, but it sounds rather interesting. I like the fact that you make it up ahead of time and can store it in the refrigerator. If you were serving this is a punch bowl, or chafing dish, you could stick a few whole cloves in the other half of the lemon sliced as a decoration.

We joined the old gang Saturday morning for a Tailgate Party before the game. At first we would bring a cold picnic lunch, and then people started bringing in hot dishes, and soon the guys were barbequeing, and now that everybody comes early to the games we have to arrive so early that we begin with breakfast. Some fans stay and have a late night dinner after the game!

So now, it’s not just fix a couple of dishes to share, it is fix TWO meals to take.

There are all kinds of versions of this Breakfast Casserole around, but this one is easy and transports well. When I fixed it Friday night, I chopped in a bright red pepper for color.

Hearty Breakfast Casserole:

8 eggs
7 slices of bread
1 pound mild cheddar cheese
4 cups milk
1 package sage breakfast sausage crumbled
2 teaspoons dry mustard
Dash Worcestershire sauce

Use a firm bread, such as French or Italian or Whole Wheat. Trim off the crusts and save for another use. Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Place the break on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat the eggs with a hand whisk in a large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cook at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Serves 4 to 8 depending on the size of the servings and what else is on the menu.