See Ya Later, Alligator

...after while, crocodile.

This is one of my grandma's favorite sayings, standing on her porch seeing us off during a 30 minute good-bye

(because down here, good-byes are required to last no less than 24 1/2 minutes
and you best get off your fanny, see your company out the door,
and wave at them til you can't see them no more)

Grandma would always tell me "See ya later, alligator...."  Now she says this to The Boy.

Growing up, I didn't realize that this is really a thing.  A thing other people say.  Song lyrics, even.

I thought it was just people from Louisiana saying this.  Because, ya know, we have alligators.

At least that's what everyone thinks.

I recently read this on Facebook: Yes, I live in Louisiana.  No, I don't live in a swamp.

It made me laugh.  Because I imagine a lot of people think we're all down here living in the swamp, driving boats everywhere, and being over-run (or chomped on) by alligators.

The truth is, some parts of Louisiana are prairie, some coastal, some woodland, some hilly (our highest point is 535 feet--that's Driskill Mountain to us.  It's not all swamp.  And if it's not all swamp, it's also not all alligators either.

But it is all alligator today, cher.

looks kinda like chicken

Beer battered alligator bites.  With a cheesy Creole mustard beer sauce.

Oh, yeah...it's all beer today too.

Get Your Chef On is hosted by

Julie of White Lights on Wednesday

and

Jen of Four Marrs and One Venus

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Gator Bites w/ Cheesy Creole Mustard Beer Sauce

1 lb alligator fillets or nuggets
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp hot sauce

If using alligator fillets, cut into bite-size pieces.  Mix the buttermilk and hot sauce together and place in a bowl.  Add the alligator and marinate for 3-4 hours.  When ready to cook, pour into a sieve and drain off the buttermilk.

vegetable oil for frying
1 cup beer
1 1/2 cups flour, divided
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
couple of pinches cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt (optional)

In a pot or fryer, begin heating the vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the beer and 1 cup of flour in a shallow dish.  In a separate dish, mix together the seasonings and the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.

When the oil reaches 350 degrees F, dredge the alligator pieces in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.  Dip each piece in the beer batter.  Let the excess drip off and carefully add the alligator to the hot oil.  Fry until golden, about 7-8 minutes (depends on size).  Drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt if desired.

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup room temperature beer
1 Tbsp Creole mustard
couple of pinches cayenne pepper
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in the flour and stir.  Cook until the mixture becomes bubbly.  Whisk in the beer, mustard, and cayenne.  Heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and simmer until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

*Note:  this will make more sauce than needed for the alligator.  But that's ok because it's good on Giant Pretzels.

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