Cocktail Sauce

One of my favorite pleasures in life is shrimp.  Oh, how I love the large shrimp!  And, I like them best with Cocktail Sauce.  Sure, you can buy the bottled kind, but I like mine homemade.

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 Tbsp horseradish
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 dash hot  sauce

Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl and stir to combine. Let this marry in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

Broccoli Salad

Are you looking for a signature dish to take to a potluck?  One that will wow everyone there?  This is it.  It's a winner every time I take it.

This recipe is a change from the normal Broccoli Salad recipe and will be memorable to anyone you share it with.

3 bunches of broccoli
3/4 cup shredded carrots (you can shred your own, but it's easier to buy them already shredded)
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup Craisins
1 lemon
1/4 red onion (sliced very thin)
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt


Cut the Granny Smith apple into bite size pieces and place in serving bowl
Cut lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice over the apple pieces
Add shredded carrots
Add Craisins
Slice red onion and add to the bowl
Trim broccoli to bite-size pieces and add to bowl
Combine Miracle Whip, Sour Cream, sugar, red wine vinegar, and sea salt.
Stir to mix well and top salad.
Stir all together and refrigerate for at least one hour to combine flavors.

Good 'Ole Fashioned Shrimp Boil

I was looking for an original and interesting birthday lunch idea for my mother-in-law, Blanche, for her 81st birthday.  The kids and grandkids were going to be at the house to help us celebrate, so lunch needed to appeal to a wide range of ages.

A shrimp boil seemed to be the obvious choice. It covers so many food favorites in one pot.  It looks great and it tastes great.

This time I decided to try a new recipe instead of using a Shrimp & Crab Boil spice packet.

4 quarts of water
1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
2 Tbsp sea salt
1 can of beer (Bud Light, of course)
8 medium red potatoes
2 Vidalia onions
2 lbs Smoked sausage
5 ears of corn (I like the bi-color best)
2 lbs of shrimp  (I like the peeled and deveined - tail on -- lots less work!)

In a 10 - 12 quart stock pot, combine the water, beer, Old Bay seasoning and sea salt.  Bring this to a boil.

While waiting on the mixture to boil, wash and and quarter your red potatoes.  I didn't peel them.
Peel and quarter the Vidalia onions.
Cut the smoked sausage into 2" pieces.
Shuck and wash the corn.  Break the ears in half.

Once the mixture boils, add the potatoes and onions.  Boil for 8 minutes.
Add the smoked sausage and boil for 5 more minutes.
Add the corn and boil for 7 minutes.
Add the shrimp and boil for four more minutes or until shrimp is pink and opaque.

Drain your boil and pour into the middle of you table.  I used my Pampered Chef bamboo cutting board to pour it out onto.  You could use newspaper or anything else that is food safe.

Serve this with sour cream, cocktail sauce, and butter on the side.  I served fresh fruit and crusty bread with this to round out our lunch.

My grandson, Christian told me this was the best corn on the cob he'd ever had.  He is six so that's a compliment I'll take.