Shrimp Boil!

Happy 4th of July, Y'all!!!

My older son's last night on vacation, winding up on the 4th of July - and he wanted a shrimp boil.  Nothing works better for a big old pot of shrimp boil than your turkey fryer!  Clean that puppy out, make sure you have plenty of propane, and a safe place for cooking...you are set!  We stopped in at Quik Stop for a pound and a half of jumbo Gulf shrimp, grabbed some beef sausage links, new potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and some Zatarain's Shrimp and Crab Boil in a bag from HEB and we were set.

After bringing the water to a boil in the big container that sits on the flame, drop the perforated basket in with the bag of shrimp boil in it.  Bring it back up to boil and then we dropped the pieces of fresh corn on the cob (shuck and clean all the silks... and cut into 3 pieces for each cob) and the cleaned up new potatoes (leave the skin on)...let them boil for about 15 minutes (almost fork tender, but not quite there).  Drop the shrimp (shell on) and the sausage (cut into 2-3 inch pieces).  Boil just until the shrimp turn bright pink and begin to curl - do not overcook.

Using the hangar shaped device, pull the perforated basket and allow to drain...be very careful it is some hot liquid!  Have a large bowl ready with a hot pad or a towel underneath to place the basket in for transport to the table.

Have the table prepped with overlapping sheets of waxed butcher paper.  (If you have a wooden table, you might want to put a couple of towels underneath the paper to ensure the heat doesn't damage the wood)  Completely cover the table with butcher paper...and dump the entire basket of food onto the paper...dig in - use your hands...fun, fun, fun!

We also served some steamed and buttered broccoli on the side and a hot loaf of French whole grain baguette.  A side of melted butter and some homemade shrimp sauce (easy - ketchup, creamy horseradish, and fresh lemon to taste) were served in ramekins.  The only think that would have made it better would have been the addition of crab...unfortunately the only crab we found was Alaskan king crab and a big leg cost about $30+...and it wouldn't have fit in our pot, even as big as it was!!!  We skipped the crab this time.

Again, I tried to take photos about halfway through the chow down...but was waved away by those chowing down...I gave in and put the camera away (not very graciously I will say).  My son tells me I am obsessed with taking pictures of food.   They just don't get it.  I love writing my blog and "seeing" the results makes it all the more appealing!

Oh well - take my word - it is a fun meal, eaten with fingers (and a fork if desired)...and once again, we waddled away from the table.

If you have never done this, you must...easy to do in your kitchen on a smaller scale...just use a big Dutch oven and make sure you have enough pan for all the stuff going in!  It's an incredibly fun, and delicious, meal!  After a day on the beach...it can't be beat!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED MARSHMALLOW BUNNIES

I saw this big-ass huge bag of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Easter Bunnies at Wal-mart the other day and, unbelievably, I thought it was a great idea to get them.  There was a smaller option, but NOOOO, I had to have the BIG bag.  Oh brother.

When I saw them, I immediately thought...oh, I want to put these bunnies on a cake-pop stick and dip them in chocolate!  I had been intending to make my own marshmallows and pour them in a jelly roll pan this time so they'd be thinner and cut them with bunny and chick shaped cookie cutters...and dip them.  So, the thought was already in place and viola, there were the marshmallows right on the shelf, in cute spring-time colors cutting out half of my labor!

Friday morning before going to Zumba I decided to start on them.  I'd gotten some after-Valentine's Day lollipop sticks for 90% off at Hobby Lobby...there were pink, white, and red.  I thought that would be okay for Easter as well.  Thing is, they are plastic, not paper coated, and when I dipped them in chocolate and stuck them in the bunny marshmallow, they just kept on going all the way through.  I realized I might also have some problem with chocolate not forming fast enough if the marshmallows were not chilled.

So, I figured out the steps...and I think they are kind of cute.  Maybe not my best work, but I think the grandbabies will greatly appreciate Grandma's hand-made chocolate covered marshmallows.  Here are the step-by-step instructions:

CHOCOLATE COVERED MARSHMALLOWS
ON A STICK!

Ingredients:

1 package Jet Puffed Marshmallows - bunny shapes
Chocolate coating (I used Wilton chocolate candy melts)
Vegetable oil
Lollipop Sticks
A Styrofoam block to hold the dipped chocolate
A deep bowl for melting chocolate (microwave safe)
Craft Tweezers
Nonpareils (I used Wilton Spring Nonpareil Sprinkles)
Rounds for nose (I used the eggs from the Wilton Colorful Egg Mix)
Pearlized Sugar Pearls for eyes and ears
Green Jimmies for whiskers (I used the ones from the Colorful Egg Mix)
Ramekins
Paper plates or bowls
Paper towels or cloths for wiping

Method:

Set up your work station:

Have Styrofoam block(s) ready with pre-punched holes (stick the lollipop sticks into the block to pre-punch)
Put candy decor in individual ramekins for easy access - the candy for the tail needs to be in a low-edged wider bowl.
Melt chocolate in microwave at 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth - add a bit of vegetable oil if need to thin it out.

Dip 1/2 inch of lollipop stick in chocolate and insert into the middle bottom portion of the marshmallow bunny.  Be careful to center it - I didn't pay sufficient attention to that and have a few lopsided rabbits!
Put the bunny upside down on a plate or in a bowl. (Straighten out the shape as they are wocky in the bag.
When you get several - place the plate or bowl into the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes or until you can see the chocolate has hardened and the bunnies are chilled.
Remove and dip into melted chocolate, rolling to coat if necessary.  I used a spoon to help the covering process along.
Tap off excess chocolate using the edge of your hand instead of the rim of the bowl - turning and allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.  Be patient.  Use a toothpick to pop any little bubbles that form.  Check the crevices - I found many bubbles there.
When it seems like all the excess has dribbled off - turn the bunny upright.
Using tweezers, decorate the bunny's face.  I tried eyes on the sides and on the front.  I tried not decorating the ears, but ended up liking some pearlized sugar pearls to accent the ears....and I liked eyes on the front better.  I struggled with the nose too...I tried jelly beans cut in half, I tried large sugar pearls, I liked the little egg shape best.  There are so many sprinkle options...I am sure you can find something that suits your taste.

Carefully coat the back cottontail section with nonpareils or glittery crystal sugar
Place stick in styrofoam block to dry.

I put each one in a treat bag and tied it with curly ribbon.  They are a cute little edition to the Easter goodie collection...and I didn't have to make homemade marshmallows,
which made clean-up a heck of a lot easier. :-)

Fun crafts with food...it's fun to play!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

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BOILED EGGS? EASTER APPROACHES!

A perfectly boiled, peeled egg!

My son called and said "Mom, how do you boil eggs so they don't crack?"  That was last Easter...he and the girls were continuing the time-honored tradition of decorating and dying Easter eggs.  It sucks when you do a big pot of them and several are cracked!

My sweet high school friend, Wanda, posted on FB that she was having trouble peeling her boiled eggs and was doing a shout out to her FB friends for solutions.

My reply actually solves both of the problems above.  My way has never resulted in a cracked Easter egg shell, makes for the easiest peeling, AND the yolk does not have the "greenish-gray" ring around it when you open it to eat it. (that's apparently caused from over-cooking the boiled egg - see this link for explanation)

No grayish-green circle around my egg yolks!

People say "what's the big deal...it's a boiled egg", BUT if you don't know...then you don't know!  I didn't learn this trick until I was in my late 30s.  I endured cracked eggs (made lots of egg salad at Easter) and ugly deviled eggs from having the gray-green circle around the yolk as well as gouged out whites.  So... I'm gonna do a post on boiled eggs.  If you already know...well, then you don't need to read it :-)

So, I almost always have two cartons of eggs in my fridge.  One, you will notice has an older expiration date than the other.  Boiled eggs are easier to peel when they are older - nearest their expiration date.  It's true!  They taste fine, I've actually gone beyond expiration date, and no problemo.  Apparently, from my limited understanding of the science behind this, is that eggs, as they age, they get more of a little air bubble in their innards and the ph balance is slightly higher which causes an effect on the membrane.  So, for boiled eggs - slightly old is better than fresh.  I found a blog that referenced a book which explains it all.  If you want to know more, link here.  I don't have to know more...I just know it's true.

I use the older eggs for boiling and the freshest eggs for baking.  My son takes boiled eggs in his lunch a couple of times each week...so I boil enough for the week and get them real dry, and put two of them in a snack size Ziploc.  Store in fridge and they are ready for lunches and anything I might need them for as well.  I used to do this when I lived in Austin too.  My older son remembers me bagging up a bunch and putting them in the fridge for snacking.  He would ask "why did you boil all these eggs?"  I said, "If I boil them, they will get eaten"...sure enough, I'd see people in the house grabbing boiled eggs for snacks or for a quick meal in the morning or lunch as they rushed out the door.  I also saved all those little salt and pepper packets that come with food service packaging - kept them in a little bowl so folks could grab their seasoning of choice to go with their boiled eggs.  It's better than them grabbing a candy bar, that's all I can say.

Okey dokey - back to the "how to" part....since I've said more than you likely want to hear about the "why" part!

• Step 1 - have eggs that are at least a week to 10 days old.

• Step 2 - fill a sauce pan halfway with cold water and gently place the eggs in the pan in a single layer
• Step 3 - put on stove and turn on high heat - bring eggs to a boil
• Step 4 - as soon as they are at a boil, put a lid on the pan, and immediately remove from heat
• Step 5 - set timer for 15 minutes (18 minutes if you use extra-large eggs...I always use large eggs)
• Step 6 - after the timer dings, drain the hot water from the pan and refill the pan with cold water
• Step 7 - add a lot of ice cubes to the water
• Step 8 - set a timer for 15 minutes
• Step 9 - after the timer dings, drain the cold water from the pan

• Step 10 - gently shake the eggs in the pan to crack the shells - don't be vigorous or it will crack the egg white inside the shell - you want a lot of little cracks


• Step 11 - turn on a slow stream of cold water at the tap and peel the eggs under the water...allow the stream of water to separate the boiled egg white from the shell.

• Step 12 - have paper toweling or a clean cloth ready for the eggs to dry on
• Step 13 - place in Ziploc bags or covered storage container and place in refrigerator

These will last about one week in the refrigerator (unless you are in my house and then you are lucky to make it a couple of days before they are all eaten!)

Obviously, if you are doing Easter eggs, stop at the end of step 9 and gently dry eggs and refrigerate, either in original egg carton or in a bowl until you are ready to dye them...might layer the eggs with some paper toweling to prevent them cracking against each other if you are using a bowl.  Remove from fridge about an hour before dying so the eggs are not so cold that they get condensation on them when the kids are trying to decorate the egg shell with waxy crayons!  The wax doesn't stick very well when the shell is wet.

I love deviled eggs, egg salad, tuna salad with boiled eggs, potato salad with boiled egg, diced or sliced boiled eggs on a salad, and just eating a boiled egg out of hand with a bit of salt on it.  Yum... didn't the egg council have a commercial that said "the incredible, edible egg!"  I certainly concur :-)

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!