God Bless Tonatiuh and Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Today's post shares with you one of my trusty go-to's when it comes to potluck dishes:

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
 

Not only are they cheap, quick and easy, but they are always a hit. I feel a high percentage of human beings don't listen beyond the words "bacon-wrapped, so the potential for fellow attendees to pass on sampling your dish (which I always take as a devastating blow and personal insult) remains low.
Now, I had to prep these bad boys in advance as they were being cooked off-site at my nephew, Tonatiuh's, baptism.

Once you whip up the BBQ sauce, manually open the cans of chestnuts and slice the bacon into halves, you're still only looking at a 5 minute prep-time.

So, here she is:

Ingredients:
Maple Bacon (you can use any ol' bacon, really, but going with maple cuts back on the sugars you'd need to use in the BBQ sauce without sacrificing any of the sweetness).

Whole Water Chestnuts (I use DYNASTY brand, canned chestnuts because they tend to hold their moisture best, but, they're going to be wrapped in bacon and drenched in a sweet/savoury BBQ sauce, so let's be real - the nugget of water chestnut really isn't the highlight of the dish and you shouldn't waste your valuable time searching for one brand or another. If it's whole and it's a water chestnut, it'll do!)

BBQ Sauce (makes about a cup) :

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (splurge for 2 tablespoons if you're not going with Maple Bacon)
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup molasses (I use Grandma's "Fancy" Molasses, but I'm sure any would do)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Garlic Powder (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)

Note: I often adjust my seasoning based on the audience. For instance, if my Dad is present, I add more salt (which he will then, in turn, add more salt to, before tasting, regardless and without fail) If my Brother-in-Law (who is from Mexico City and has the heat tolerance of a man who was force-fed suicide hot wing sauce as an infant) is present, I will throw in a dash or two of cayenne or chili powder. Basically, what I'm getting at, is that seasoning is 100% flexible in the world of BBQ sauce. And what a wonderful world it is!

Cook time: Throw these little pieces of deliciousness in the oven (375) for 30-40 minutes based on how crisp you'd like your bacon and voila. Serves a whack-load of people, on the lower end of the carb spectrum, you can be cute and use different coloured toothpicks based on your theme... the perks are endless).

God Bless Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts and God Bless Tonatiuh!