In January there was the
roast chicken feast.
In February, there was the
Big Mouth, Big Bowl: Soup Challenge.
In March, we had a
Red Lobster Fake-out feast.
In April, we had our feast at Nakashima - no photos involved,
In May, we had a
Mother's Day Brunch.
In June, we had an
impromptu dinner party.
In July, we had
a shrimp salad feast.
In August, we hosted a dinner party honoring Jane Eyre.
And, in August we had a shrimp boil feast.
I first got the idea when Ezra Pound Cake posted
menu ideas for a
True Blood premiere party. Labor Day weekend seemed like a great time to try it.
On a visit to my parent's house in July, I spotted my mom boiling corn in a giant pot. I asked to borrow the pot. She asked why. I told her about the shrimp boil. She offered to come to the boil and bring the pot.
This was the scene from the kitchen for most of the day. With these two at the stove, I really had to be vigilant (and loud!) if I had an opinion about something.
This was the scene from the living room; it was raining most of the day.
Sometimes, the living room dwellers would attempt to help in the kitchen.
And, other times the living room dwellers just came into the kitchen to provide some entertainment. (Imagine Luke saying, "I am a robot. I am a robot." in a very monotone voice from inside the metal bucket.)
Somehow - in the midst of all the chaos - we managed to cook a pretty delicious meal. The process did get a little hectic at times. We followed a recipe for a shrimp boil from
Ezra Pound Cake.
Makes 6 servings
Broth:
3 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (or favorite crab boil mix)
3 lemons, quartered
2 Tbsp salt
2 bay leaves
1 can or bottle of beer
1 onion, quartered
1 head garlic, sliced in half horizontally
Cayenne pepper
Hot Sauce
2 lb small red potatoes
2 lb Andouille sausage, sliced on the bias into thirds
6 ears corn, shucked and halved
2 to 3 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and thawed
Melted butter
Fill a large stockpot with about 5 quarts of water. Add all broth ingredients and bring to a rolling boil.
Add potatoes, lower heat to medium-high, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
Add sausage, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add corn, and cook for another 7 minutes.
Add shrimp, stir, and cook for about 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain.
Dump everything on to a table lined with newspapers.
Serve with melted butter, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and ice cold beer.
A few notes about the recipe. . .
- I opted for Penzey's shrimp and crab boil. I've never been disappointed by any of Penzey's spices. . . until the shrimp and crab boil. Next time, I'll just go with Old Bay or Zatarain's.
- I also didn't think the final product had enough salt or pepper.
- I almost skipped the sausage. I normally don't like the spiciness of the Andouille. I am so glad I added it, though. It was the most flavorful part of the boil.
- We doubled the recipe but attempted to cook everything in one pot. We should have used two separate pots because we ended up transferring some of the ingredients to a second pot (which wasn't as carefully seasoned) part way through cooking. And, the cooking times were impacted a lot by having so many ingredients in one pot.
- Overall, I just didn't feel like our final product had a much flavor. It really needed the sausage. Using a different shrimp seasoning, and adding more salt and pepper would help. I might also add a little more spice next time - maybe even some lemon pepper.
- We covered the counter top with a few flattened garbage bags before adding paper bags to actually serve the food on. Clean-up was super simple!
- The menu was super simple. Appetizers were light - a veggie tray, a bread dip, and some deviled eggs. Dinner was just the shrimp boil and some crusty bread (with plenty of butter). Dessert was an ice cream sundae bar.
Everyone enjoyed the food - especially the littles. Dottie couldn't get enough corn, and Luke (no big surprise here!) was a huge fan of the shrimp.
So - we declared 2011 the year of the feast. And, we've been pretty successful so far in hosting a monthly feast. It's been a great way to eat well at home, try new recipes, and do something the kids and grown-ups can both enjoy.
I'm not sure what our September and October feast menus will be. Any ideas?
November will be Thanksgiving. We're really good at
Thanksgiving.
I'm not sure about December. Maybe something for New Year's Eve?
And, if you're interested in coming - just let me know. The more the merrier.
