BBQ Chicken & Corn Fritters with Tangy Honey Lime Dip

You visit here daily to read my little updates about life, family, and food. You’ve heard about my brothers, my mom, Weezer, and Andy plenty, but the man behind the blog—Mike—doesn’t always get the spotlight.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. Mike does appear in stories from time to time, usually for his irrational dislike of tomatoes or some quirky, often infuriating thing he’s done.

Since Mike used to hate BBQ sauce until this recipe changed his mind, I thought I’d share a few lesser-known facts about my husband.

1. His favorite childhood movies were Adventures in Babysitting and The Karate Kid. He definitely had a crush on Elisabeth Shue.
2. He didn’t eat a true side salad until 2010. For years, he’d follow each bite of salad with a bite of pepperoni pizza. Yes, really.
3. Mike plays guitar and was in a high school band. They even did a tour of Borders stores around Chicagoland. Don’t picture a rockstar—he was also a jazz band nerd, so it evens out.
4. He claims to be the authority on ’90s music. I’ve managed to stump him a few times, although he won’t admit it.
5. When we first met he wanted TEN kids. After much negotiation—teacher/blogger salaries and my reluctance to be pregnant through my thirties—I convinced him to settle on three.
6. He loves chicken wings, but until recently he refused anything with BBQ sauce. Sweet-and-spicy or sweet-and-salty sauces were a hard pass for him.

Was that too much trivia and not enough snark? Mike’s a simple guy with simple tastes, so there’s not a ton of drama to dish.

Anyway—after testing many sauces, I finally found one Mike liked. My fridge often looks like a bachelor pad with half-empty bottles of BBQ sauce and condiments lined up on the door. The sauce that won him over is Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce, a mustard-and-vinegar-based sauce that isn’t overly sweet, smoky, or thick. If you can get it, try it. If not, any favorite BBQ sauce will work in this recipe.