By SD WentworthThe big day is almost here again, and no, I don’t mean the day when Target restocks their supply of Lilly for Target. That wish has long been smashed and drowned, never to be seen or heard from again. No. I am talking about THE KENTUCKY DERBY!The Kentucky Derby, aka the day where we can dust off all of our summer seersuckers, break out or fabulously huge derby hats, and devise many an excuse to drink our weight in bourbon. I present here, my top ten recipe picks for Derby Day, and these are sure to make your party the one that may require an invite-only list.*apps*Mini Hot Brown CrostiniBourbon Honey Mini SausagesThese bad boys right here are a modern twist on classic derby food fare. The mini sausages are cooked three quarters of the way in regular format and then placed into the oven to simmer lightly into a sticky bourbon honey sauce. Use metal skewer sticks to ensure that no one drops their sausages on anything. Gotta keep it classy! The Mini Hot Brown Crostini is another modern take on the classic ‘hot brown’ recipes, and turning this into a crostini not only makes the appetizer lighter in calories, but easier to eat.*mains*Hot Brown BurgerSpicy Bourbon ShrimpHot Browns are here again, and this time, it’s coming to us in the form of a gooey melty burger. Use small Kings Hawaiian buns to make these into sliders, and you’ll be able to please a huge turn out with very little fuss. The Spicy Bourbon Shrimp is an easy enough main course: just place into hand-sized bowls with a bourbon dipping sauce in the middle, and they’ll be good to go.*sides*Fruit MedleyTomato Arugula & Basil SaladI know that these choices come off as too healthy-looking for derby day fare BUT HEAR ME OUT!! Right after Derby day passes us by (which also happens to be on Cinco de Mayo this year, so bring some tequila!!), it will be summer/bikini season. Thus, it is imperative to keep ourselves on the right track. Adding a tequila soaked fruit medley to the mix as well as a light yet flavorful salad will help balance out all of the decadence that will be Derby Day.
I hope to see these recipes at somebody’s party. If not, it just may go down as the worst disappointment since Lilly for Target began showing up on ebay for triple the price in store. Have fun and remember GGs, the bigger the derby hat, the closer to stardom, so make it count!
