I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking on this one.  This weekend a group of friends got together to get their cars ready for the track in a few weeks.  Chris Wand and I decided we’d have a little surprise for everyone.  I give you the Bacon Explosion.

Stats on the bacon explosion:
- 2 lbs of Benton’s bacon (easily the best bacon in the entire world)
- 2 lbs of mild Italian sausage
- Rub of choice / BBQ sauce of choice

And how bad is it for you?  Well we each only had a small piece (some larger than others, Stevie…) but it racks up at:
- 4100 Calories
- 200g of fat
- 17,500mg of sodium
- 1200mg of cholesterol

And oh my gawd did it taste goooooood!

I’ve had this recipe on my list to try for a while and have twice put it off, making something else instead. Well finally last night I got around to making it and wow, it was amazing. Amazing. Not only one of the best dishes I’ve ever made (if not the best) it’s up there with the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. Highly recommended, oh and it’s easy and healthy too!

What you need
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
12 uncooked deveined large shrimp, shells left intact

What you do
Mix all above ingredients in a small mixing bowl and add a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Be sure to really chop the onions and cilantro very fine, this should make a very thick sauce (almost like a thin salsa). Place the shrimp in 3 rows of 4 each into a 8×8 baking dish and cover with remaining mixture, spreading it out as much as possible. Bake at 500 for 15 minutes. I served it with roasted asparagus (lightly drizzled with olive oil and salt/pepper) – roast for the same 15 minutes.

So I set out tonight with the goal of making a baked shrimp dish that I’ve been wanting to try. Instead I decided I wasn’t that hungry so I’d do something a little smaller. I looked in my fridge and decided to do the following and wow did it come out amazingly. I really can’t believe how well given I just threw it together.

Serves two as an appetizer.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

What you need (these are all approximate…)
2 Roma Tomatoes cut in half length wise and scooped out
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Small amount of black truffle oil (or good olive oil)

What you do
Take the basil, salt, and pepper and mix it all together with the crumbled feta. Scoop the mixture into each tomato, filling each (don’t over fill too much or it will run over). Once they are stuffed sprinkle salt liberally over them then drizzle with truffle oil. Put them in the oven at 350 for 12 minutes. Eat a few minutes after taking them out of the oven. Awesome.

This weekend I made this as a appetizer and it was fantastic. Very quick and easy to make, the mix of the sweet flavor from the dates goes wonderfully with the Prosciutto and is balanced out well by the basil. Very recommended. Here’s how:

What you’ll need
16 pitted Medjool dates
16 large basil leaves
1/3 cup soft herbed goat cheese (I would use smoked next time)
4 wide, thin slices prosciutto, each cut into 4 long strips
16 toothpicks, soaked in water a few minutes

What you’ll need to do
Heat broiler to low. Stuff each date with cheese then wrap with a basil leaf and a prosciutto strip. Secure with a toothpick. Broil until cheese bubbles, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.

What they’ll do to you
The great thing is each wrapped date is about 80 calories so not that bad for you at all. Enjoy!

This weekend I tried out the below Risotto recipe and it was fantastic.  We ate it a few hours after I prepared it so it got a little mushy when reheated but it tasted wonderful none the less.  While it takes a while to make the risotto (constant stirring for almost 30 minutes) it’s well worth it in the end.  It’s actually very easy to make it just takes time.  If you’re looking for something to impress with I highly recommend it.

Ingredients
6 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, diced
4 large sea scallops
3 8-ounce bottles clam juice
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
Truffle oil (very important)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup arborio rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions
Simmer the clam juice, broth and shrimp shells in a medium saucepan; once it simmers reduce the heat and cover (the shrimp shells really add a lot of flavor so don’t leave them out). Saute the shrimp with the olive oil in a heavy medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a bowl and save for later.  Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 1 minute then add the rice for another minute.  Next add the wine and simmer for about 2 more minutes.  Next slowly add the broth mixture (discard the shrimp shells) about 4 oz at a time waiting until it’s absorbed before adding the next 4 oz.  Continue this for about 20-30 minutes until you’ve absorbed all the broth into the rice.  Add the butter and shrimp, season lightly with salt and pepper.

Sear the scallops in the vegetable oil in a separate pan for about 3-4 minutes a side.  Be careful not to over cook the scallops or they’ll get rubbery.  They are done when they are white just about all the way through.  Divide the risotto amongst your plates, place a scallop atop each one and lightly drizzle with the truffle oil (very important), sprinkle with the chives and enjoy.