Based on a recipe in Hooked on Seafood, by Annette Reddell Hegen, Texas A&M University Sea Grant College Program. Gulfscapes modified to make it tailgate-friendly.  Buy book here.  

2 lbs headed, de-veined, peeled Texas shrimp, 21-25 count 

1 cup mashed avocado

1 whole chili pepper, softened in water

1 tbsp plus 2 tsp of fresh lime juice

2 TSP white wine vinegar

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1.5 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup firmly packed fresh coriander

One bottle of Italian Dressing (for marinade)

Make sauce in advance. In blender, puree the avocado, chili, lime juice, vinegar, yogurt, cumin, salt, oil and coriander. Pulse blender till coriander  is chopped. Place sauce in container with lid. Transport to game in ice chest. Serve sauce cool or at room temperature.

Marinade shrimp in Italian Dressing for 60 minutes prior to grilling.  Thread shrimp on skewers. If 

you are grilling with wooden skewers, remember to soak them in water for at least 30 minuted prior 

to using. Place shrimp skewers over grill for 1-2 minutes a side, until they are opaque. Remove from skewers, dip in sauce and enjoy!  Learn more about shrimp here ...   

Mustard and Hotdogs aren't just for Baseball ... 

Best mustard and hotdog review ... here!

Ocean Springs Fresh Market vendors will have cooking demonstrations and downtown businesses will partner with more than 100 Ocean Springs restaurants for a downtown walking and eating event. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Admission: Free! www.oceanspringschamber.com

29th Annual Chefs of the Coast

Sept. 23 - 25, MS Coast Convention Center and other locations, Gulfport, MS

A "Premier Food & Beverage" event on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  A Gulf Coast Culinary Weekend offering fabulous food, delectable drinks, live entertainment, silent auction, food as an Art Competition and much more! Funds raised from the event benefit the community by providing scholarships, aiding non-

profit organizations and promoting the hospitality & restaurant industries!  An Entire Weekend of Events! www.chefsofthecoast.org

See our Pensacola feature here.

34th Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival

Sept. 23-25, Seville Square, Pensacola, FL

Sample a variety of mouth-watering seafood dishes in 

Seville Square in downtown Pensacola! Treat your taste 

buds to a variety of dishes from 17 carefully selected food 

vendors bordering the park. Enjoy foods such as grilled 

conch, seafood gumbo, oyster croquettes, soft shell crab,

 coconut shrimp, Caribbean crab cakes, and more. 

With more than 130 arts and crafts vendors, the Pensacola 

Seafood Festival is also one of the largest arts and crafts

 fairs in Northwest Florida. Live musical performances by 

local and regional acts will be held throughout the festival 

in Fountain Park adjacent to Seville Square. www.fiestaoffiveflags.org

Wild Texas Galveston Island 

Shrimp Festival

Sept. 23-25, Historic Downtown District, Galveston, TX

Boats, Gumbo, Music, Friends & Fun! The Galveston Island Wild Texas Shrimp Festival kicks-off Friday, Sept. 23 & runs through Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. Last year the festival featured a shrimp gumbo cook-off, a 5K run, the Lil' Shrimps Procession, kids area, merchant walk-about and live music. If that wasn't enough, they've added some exciting additions to the festival this year that include a major concert, boat parade, boat show and blessing of the fleet. Attendees can sample gumbo from professional cooking teams. Bob Schneider will perform live at the festival along with other regional and local bands. www.yagaspresents.com/shrimpfestival/index.html

Glenn Miller: In the Mood!, Sept. 23 - 25,    See our WW II feature - here.

Stage Door Canteen,  National World War II Museum, 

945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA

The Museum's very own 17-piece Victory Big Band will get you In The Mood for a Moonlight Serenade, channeling the swinging & mellow sounds of one of WWII's best-loved big bands. www.nationalww2museum.org/stage-door-canteen

3rd Annual Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival See our Pensacola feature here.

Sept. 28 - Oct. 3, Pensacola Beach, FL

Don't miss this opportunity to hear the songs as they were written and performed by the songwriters themselves in their purest form. Get the stories behind the songs as you enjoy beautiful Pensacola Beach in the fall. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal to the music you know and love. More than 80 songwriters will perform on 18 stages. Participating stages include Bamboo Willie's, Blues Angel Music, Grand Marlin Deck Stage, Grand Marlin Listening Room, Hilton, Laguna's, Land Shark Landing, Lillo's Tuscan Grill, Margaritaville Tiki Bar, Paradise Bar & Grill, Portofino, Portofino l - Island Cruise, Sabine Sandbar, Sandshaker, The Amphitheatre on the Boardwalk, The Wine Bar/The Fitting Room, Tiki Island Fantasy Golf. New this year is a Songwriter's Showcase Boat Cruise, a workshop on Marketing Your Songs for Film and TV and a song contest sponsored by NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International). Some returning songwriters include Jim "Moose" Brown (It's 5 O'clock Somewhere), Karen Staley (Let's Go To Vegas), Alex Call (867-5309/Jenny) and Walt Aldridge (No Getting Over Me).  Some new additions this year include Lisa Carver (Every Day America), Tim Buppert (She's Sure Taking It Well), Bud Lee (Friends in Low Places) and Rob Hatch (If Heaven Weren't So Far Away). www.pensacolabeachsongfest.com 

NEA Jazz Master Ellis Marsalis

Sept. 30, Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA

In the spirit of the CAC's "Dew Drop Inn Revisited" shows in the early 80s, Ellis Marsalis and his band will perform and many special musical guests will sit in throughout the evening. www.cacno.org

3rd Annual MustangFest   See our story on MustangFest in Port Aransas, TX

Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, Port Aransas, TX

From Mustang, Oklahoma to Mustang Island, Texas! Get ready for round-up time! This fall, Mustang owners will "Take Another Road", as Jimmy Buffett says, and take their ponies to the shore. It's MustangFest. Proud possessors of America's car, the Ford Mustang, will gather in Mustang, Oklahoma and ride south to Port Aransas, Texas for a weekend of fun and muscle car fellowship. www.mustangfest.org

33rd Annual Destin Seafood Festival  See our story on Destin, FL - here.

Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, Destin Harbor, Destin, FL

Delicious seafood, arts and crafts, family fun and lots of music along the harbor in Destin! Running concurrently with the Destin Fishing Rodeo, the Festival will light up the harborfront. There will be 15 stages total along Destin Harbor that will feature, in addition to the great local entertainment, 15 songwriters from Nashville performing throughout the festival courtesy of BMI and FRLA (Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association). There will be 2 main-stages - HarborWalk Village main-stage located in HarborWalk Village and Fisherman's Wharf main-stage located by Dewey Destin Harborside and Fisherman's Wharf Seafood House. The rest of the stages will be located inside of restaurants along the harbor. Free Admission. www.destinseafoodfestival.org

15th Annual Cruisin' the Coast

Oct. 2 - 9, Highway 90 along entire MS Gulf Coast

"Calling ALL car enthusiasts...Cruisin' the Coast is the event for YOU!" Thousands of classic cars converge on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for an entire week of rock 'n' roll, drag races, sock hops, swap meets, headline entertainment, and FUN...all along the Gulf Coast! Car enthusiasts parade their antique, classic, hot rods & custom vehicles up & down Highway 90 with entertainment provided at designated stops in Biloxi, D'Iberville, Gulfport, Long Beach, Bay St. Louis, Ocean Springs & Pascagoula. Since its inception in 1996, Cruisin' the Coast has grown from 374 cars to over 4,000 annually! www.cruisinthecoast.com