Shrimp, Bacon and Horseradish Dip – Best Blogger Appetizer Recipe Winner |Cooking With Amanda

I am so excited to reveal the Editor's Choice winner from our Best Blogger Appetizer Recipe contest!

This "Shrimp, Bacon and Horseradish Dip" from Lizzie Munro of "Answers en Croute" has become a new staple in my appetizer repertoire.

It's one of those recipes where you keep going back (again and again) for just one more bite. It's a great dip with crackers, but I'm tempted to even try it as part of an open-faced rye bread sandwich.

Keep reading…

The recipe is simple – crisped bacon is combined with cooked shrimp, horseradish, mayonnaise, sour cream and fresh herbs. I like to let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the flavors to combine. It's a great make-ahead dip for any get-together!

Follow this link for the full recipe –> http://ift.tt/1aKznSU

What inspired you to start a blog?

I was looking to get into food writing, but I didn't want to just blog about what I ate for breakfast, seeing as I'm not formally trained and I certainly don't consider myself to be an authority on fine dining. I thought that I'd write about food trivia and history, and base the blog loosely around that. The description of my blog reads, "Everything you never knew you wanted to know about food, all in one place" and I've tried to stick to that method whenever possible. That way, I'm learning something myself, while hopefully posting some useful recipe ideas.

Why do you love to cook?

My love of cooking stems from my love of food, which is really rooted in my more academic interests in history and language and agriculture. If I'm not thinking about what recipe to cook, you'll likely find me reading folklore about cabbages in Grecian mythology, or about the many diverse species of pear.

Who got you interested in cooking?

The first memory that I have of cooking is standing on a stool and making banana bread batter with my mom. We used a recipe straight out of the Joy of Cooking. My mom still cooks, but my dad has taken over many of the kitchen duties in the past few years, and I have to say that he's become quite the force to be reckoned with.

What are some of your must-have kitchen essentials?

A good, heavy pot for searing meats and braising is a must. As for ingredient essentials, I'd probably say citrus, and especially lemons, which I use in the dip recipe. A small amount of lemon in savory dishes really works well to help balance the flavors, and I find that introducing an acidic component into a recipe allows you to cut down on salt.