Mar 19, 2013

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.

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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.

Linking this week with:
Jam Hands  Hearth and Soul blog hop at Premeditated Leftovers Feeding Big
Love Bakes Good Cakes
nap-time creations
Back for Seconds
White Lights on Wednesdays
Recipe Box Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Photobucket
BWS tips button Freedom Fridays
Foodie Friends Friday
Or so she says


23 comments:

  1. That looks great! Goodbyes with my fam take a long time as well - because there are so many of us. The hubby is still getting used to that since he comes from a small fam.

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  2. I've never had alligator, but I want to try it! This recipe sounds so good! Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a terrific week!
    -Leia @ Latitude Adjustment

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  3. I always 'wave them on their way' too ... it is something my mother has always done, so we kids have learned to do the same! As for these gator bites, up North we use a big fleshy fish called Pollock for our fish fries ... I'm loving the sound of your spicy cheesy dipping sauce! Yummah!

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  4. Never tried 'gator! We have gator fries here... don't know why they're called that either.
    Co-hosting this challenge and now following you. ~ Paula www.callmepmc.com

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  5. Hi Michelle~ You had me at Creole Mustard!! If I can get my hands on some alligator, I am going to try this great recipe....it sounds so good:) Lynn PS~ To this day I still walk my kids to their cars when they leave, hug them, even though I already have 10 times, and wave to them as they drive off.....

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  6. Hi Michelle, I'm in the hilly parts of Louisiana so I'm a little bit away from the swamp but we still like fried alligator! My husband is usually the one that cooks it so I'm going to pass your recipe on to him!

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  7. Thanks so much for sharing a little about the lovely area you live in. I'm sure it's beautiful along with the some of the local foods that you enjoy. I've had alligator several times and your recipe sounds perfect.

    Joanne/Winelady Cooks

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  8. Michelle,
    Wow, perfect for this weeks post on Louisiana! My husband will love this. He's loves frog legs too! Thank you for linking these to my party. I will pin them.
    Thank you so much for the use of your pictures too, for this weeks post. I hope you liked the way I did it. I linked a couple of them and then thought it would be better to thank you at the bottom and invite everyone to your blog. I hope you get lots of extra traffic from it. Your pictures were perfect.
    Lots of Love,
    Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile
    P.S. I know what you mean about people persception of places. I am from Wyoming and people think there's still Cowboys with guns (okay there are) their just not chasing the Indians anymore! :-)

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  9. Goodbyes taking forever...no doubt. I always give at least a good 30 or 40 to get out the door.

    I love the alligator bites, but you had me at the cheesy creole mustard sauce. I'd dunk anything into that!

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  10. When my kids were young, they had fits of giggles each time I say "See ya later, aligator"!! :)
    Alligator meat? I'm not ready for it yet, don't know if I'll ever be ready for it! :)

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  11. What an original idea! I might try this with chicken; I might not be able to get gator here in Wisconsin!

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  12. Get out! Alligator meat? I have no idea where I'd find something like that in Utah, but I'm intrigued. You better win for creativity! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Hi Michelle - just noticed your comment and wanted to say that there is absolutely no problem linking up a dish when it has also fallen under another category! Go for it!

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  14. I'm with Crafty Mischief in Utah, where everyone assumes you are some crazy weird Mormon ;) lol
    Thanks for sharing.
    cass-eats.blogspot.com

    P.S. I did a post on craw fish a few weeks ago, maybe you might have some tips for me?

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  15. I have only eaten alligator once when I was in New Orleans - loved it... My husband just came home from Louisiana and said he saw it on the menu but didn't dare to try it. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday and remember to come back and vote on Sunday.

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  16. My Daughter In Law made these for us once and they were awesome, your recipe looks really good. Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  17. Hi again Michelle - just wanted to mention that I always say "see you later, alligator" to my niece and nephew - I think it is a world wide thing. And no, I don't think I could eat alligator ....

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  18. I have eaten alligator, but never made it. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.

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  19. There used to be a restaurant in NYC called "The Gulf Coast" and I used to order alligator fritters there every time I went. Really delicious, there must be some place in the city that still sells them because I can not get a bag in the freezer section of my grocery store. Too cool. Thanks for sharing a bit more of Louisiana with us on Foodie Friday.

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  20. WOW..never have had gator! This looks super and that sauce- yum!

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  21. Very southern dish. We saw alligator a lot on menus when we lived in Florida. Your cheese dip sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing on Thursdays Treasures.

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  22. OMG I live in South Florida - I wonder if I can find gator in the grocery store here. I hope so, because this looks delicious!

    I'd like to invite you to link up to my party, Manic Monday. http://cupcake-n-bake.blogspot.com/2013/03/manic-monday-10.html

    Hope you have a good week!

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  23. Oh my goodness, you really meant gator! LOL I thought it was going to end up being chicken. Well now.
    How does it taste?
    Thanks for sharing with us at "In and Out of the Kitchen"

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments.