I have a little confession to make.  I love to watch award shows – the Oscars, the Grammy’s, even the Golden Globes.  My two best girlfriends come over; we make appetizers and cocktails then take our place on the sofa for our own review of the red carpet happenings.  We dish on the couple sightings, the best speeches and the worst losers’ faces when the winner is announced.  And of course, we give out our picks for best and worst dressed for the evening.

This weekend is the Grammy’s and we are ready to do it all again.  The party is at my house so I am on appetizer duty.  I have the usual nibbles on stand by, pita chips and artichoke dip, a cheese tray and my signature “wow” appetizer of the night, Gorgonzola Shrimp Bites.

These three appetizers are perfect combination for our evening of TV watching.  The artichoke dip and cheese tray I can mostly assemble in the afternoon or the night before, leaving only the Gorgonzola Shrimp Bites to be made that night. What I love about these tasty treats is that they are so easy to make. And, the added touch of gorgonzola and apricot preserves definitely put these little beauties in contention for this year’s “best dressed” appetizer at the party!  So bring on the celebrities and the drama, my girlfriends and I are red carpet ready to go!  Give the Shrimp Bites a try and let me know what you think.  Would these tasty treats get your vote for “best dressed” appetizer of the year or do you have a better candidate in mind for your party table?

Gorgonzola Shrimp Bites

Prep Time: 2 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes  Makes: 16 appetizer servings 

• 1 (9 oz) package SeaPak® Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp – Oven Crispy or 1 package (8 oz) SeaPak® Butterfly Shrimp – Oven Crispy, frozen
• Apricot preserves
• Gorgonzola crumbles

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees. Bake SeaPak Butterfly Shrimp according to package instructions. Remove from oven. Turn oven up to broil.

SPOON apricot preserves (about 1/2 teaspoon) onto each shrimp. Top with Gorgonzola crumbles (about 1/2 teaspoon).

PLACE shrimp under broiler for 1-2 minutes (watching closely).

SERVE immediately.