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I’ve lost many people close to me the last few years but I always felt like I had the chance to say goodbye. To prepare for the moment. To be at peace. This past weekend was so, so different.

One of my best friends, Dan Guenther, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly and there’s no closure, there’s no goodbye, there’s just pain and sorrow and sadness and tears.

I truly don’t know the last day I haven’t talked with him. I saw him almost weekly. Any time I did anything that wasn’t with my family, it was with Dan. We golfed, gambled, talked shop, went on trips, had beers, watched sports, talked movies and TV. We did everything together and I loved him like a brother. We were just always on the same page as each other and that’s just so rare to find in a friend. 

Nearly all of the golf stories I’ve ever told in this space involved Dan. I’ve spent thousands of hours in a golf cart with him hacking away and what I wouldn’t give to have one more round of golf with him, or ride with him one more time on one of his famous six leg parlays at the sportsbook. 

In true Dan fashion, his last text to my friends and I in our group chat was him absolutely roasting me. He knew how to get us all going and loved doing it. His stories and humor are literally legendary. They don’t make them like Dan, ever.

I don’t know how to go forward without him and I already miss him like crazy. I’d always wake up to a text from him the night before about some crazy event that happened in sports, and we were always planning the next tee time or get together.

His family raised an amazing and unforgettable son, brother, father, nephew, cousin and friend.

I will do everything I can for the rest of my life for his son Ethan to know what type of person he was and how much Dan loved him and how proud he was of him. 

Rest in peace Dan and the first 18 is on me when we can ride together again.

I’ll be completely honest that I didn’t have much in me this week to be creative with the recipes, so I’ve grabbed a few from the past to re-share.

Although, I did happen to land on this first one, which Dan absolutely loved when I hosted our football Sunday get togethers.

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SMOKED CREAM CHEESE

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

1 1/2 tbsp. of your favorite BBQ sweet rub

1 disposable aluminum pan

Prepare your grill or smoker for 200 degrees. Use your favorite pellet or add wood chips or chunks of choice.

Place unwrapped cream cheese into the pan, and season with BBQ rub.

Place the pan with cream cheese into the smoker, close the lid and let it go for two hours. If you'd like it a little smokier, let it go an extra half an hour.

Once the cream cheese has a golden color and has cracked at the top, it is done. Remove from the grill, let stand for 10 minutes and dig in.

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APPLESAUCE N’ 

BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

2 c. flour

1/2 t. each, salt, cinnamon,  nutmeg and allspice

1/4 t. cloves

1/2 c. shortening (not butter)

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. applesauce

1 t. baking soda

1 egg, well beaten

1 c. (6 oz. pkg.) butterscotch chips

1 c. chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. In a small bowl, cream shortening and sugar; add to flour mixture.  In a small bowl, combine applesauce, baking soda and egg; stir into flour mixture. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets or use parchment paper.  B ake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

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CINNAMON APPLE 

PIE BREAD

1/3 c. light brown sugar (not packed)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 c. white sugar

1/2 c. salted butter, softened (or use unsalted and add 1/4 tsp. salt)

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. milk

1 apple, peeled and chopped (I used Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated; add vanilla extract and stir until incorporated.

Combine flour and baking powder together in another bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture.

Mix milk into batter until smooth.

Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Next add half the apples and half the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat/push apple mixture into batter.

Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and add more brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Lightly pat/push apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a finger or spoon,

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

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GRILLED SHRIMP WITH CHARRED 

PEPPERS AND QUESO BLANCO

2 lb. poblano peppers (about 5)

1/2 lb. mini sweet peppers

2 bell peppers (yellow and orange)

2 jalapeños

2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 3/4 lb. extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and pepper

1 lime

1/2 c. tortilla chips, finely crushed

1 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 c. half-and-half

6 oz. Monterey jack cheese, coarsely grated

3 slices white American cheese

Heat grill to medium-high. Brush peppers all over with 1 tablespoon oil and grill, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, 5 to 9 minutes depending on pepper size; transfer to cutting board.

Meanwhile, thread shrimp onto skewers, brush with remaining 1½ tablespoons oil and season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Finely grate zest of lime into small bowl, then add chips and cilantro and toss to combine.

Using knife, gently scrape charred skin from poblano, bell and jalapeño peppers and discard. Cut all but mini peppers into pieces. Grill shrimp until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes per side. 

In small pot, bring half-and-half to a simmer. Add cheese and whisk constantly until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Remove from heat, then spread on large platter. 

Transfer peppers to platter on top of cheese and squeeze juice of lime over top, then sprinkle with tortilla mixture. 

TFD: Remember to always text and call your friends back. Tell them you love them and make sure they know how much they mean to you.

Also, as middle-aged men, we often try to be tough — too tough for our own good — and don’t go to the doctor for regular check ups and get physicals. I would encourage you to start thinking about that, it’s something that may have saved my friend’s life and something I’ll forever wish he would’ve done.

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