I’m not sure how it’s come to be but I think Father’s Day gets the short end of the stick. While I appreciate being pampered and spoiled on Mother’s Day, I feel like Currey should receive similar treatment on Father’s Day. Although I don’t think he’d appreciate a spa day like I would for Mother’s Day, a tie or gimmicky gift just doesn’t seem to do him justice. Last year for Father’s Day, I gave Currey a Guy’s Night for Father’s Day. Currey enjoyed it so much that he requested it be his standing Father’s Day gift, which makes gift giving a breeze. This year his Guy’s Night fell during the playoffs for the Stanley Cup, which was perfect. The guys enjoyed good food and got to watch the Blackhawks win.
While prepping a menu for a group of guys, I was reminded about Currey and I’s trip to Milwaukee to celebrate his birthday. We ate at Crazy Water, which was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. It was tough to choose what to order as everything sounded delicious. We started with an appetizer of chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates and I immediately wanted to recreate them in our kitchen. Bacon wrapped dates are one of our favorites at any tapas restaurant but we’d never had them with chorizo before. They are always a crowd pleaser and I liked this new twist on one of our favorite recipes.
As I’ve written in the past, chorizo is one of our favorite ingredients. These chorizo stuffed dates are no exception. I couldn’t find my usual chorizo so I got a precooked link sausage variety. Although it wasn’t my first choice, it ended up working out incredibly well and was much easier to stuff dates with than crumbled chorizo. The spice of the chorizo paired with a sweet date and crispy smoky bacon was truly divine. The guys raved about how delicious they were. I snagged a couple before serving the boys and I would agree that they were amazing! Again, chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates are a great appetizer for entertaining because they can be prepped ahead of time. I was able to get them ready earlier in the day so that I could focus on other things when our guests were arriving.
As a side note, make twice as many as you think you’ll need. Seriously! Every time I’ve made these I’ve doubled the recipe and they are all devoured. You’ll be glad you made extra!
Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh dates, Pitted
6-8 pounds chorizo sausage link,
1 pk bacon, each piece sliced into thirds
Directions
Pit the dates by cutting a small slice in the side of each date. Remove the pit with the blade of your knife.
Take a small slice of sausage and insert it into the slit you created while removing the pit.
Wrap the date in a piece of bacon. Place seam side down on a foil lined cookie sheet. Repeat this process with all the dates.
Bake at 350 for 3o minutes. For crispier bacon, broil the dates for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.
Serve warm or at room temperature.