December 31
New Year's Eve 2002
Menu
- Old Bay Shrimp [View Recipe]
Quick View
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp
- 2 ounces Old Bay Seasoning
- salt
Instructions
We begin by defrosting the shrimp in a colander in the sink under cold running water according to the package directions. We pour about 1.5 cups of water into a large pot and fit in our collapsible metal steamer. We want the water to just come up through the steamer holes so that the shrimp can steam instead of boil. We place the pot on the stove, over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
We fill a medium sized bowl with ice and cover with saran wrap so the cooked shrimp will get cold but not directly touch the ice.
When the shrimp are defrosted and the water is boiling, we place half of the shrimp into the steamer in one layer and sprinkle on a tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. We cover and cook for 2 minutes. We remove the lid and check the shrimp. We turn the shrimp over with tongs and cook for another couple of minutes until the shrimp are bright red and feel firm. We remove the cooked shrimp to the bowl of ice. We sprinkle with more Old Bay and some salt.
We continue with the remaining shrimp. While the next batch is steaming, we turn the cooked shrimp over with clean tongs and sprinkle the other side with more Old Bay. We remove these to a serving platter. When all the shrimp are on the serving platter, we cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. We want the shrimp to be served cold with cocktail sauce.
- Cocktail Sauce
- Cheesies
- Crackers and Brie
- Crudité with Graul's Veggie Dip
- Alaskan King Crab Legs [View Recipe]
Quick View
Ingredients
- 6 pounds crab legs
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- salt
- 1 medium lemon (squeezed)
Instructions
We begin by pre-heating the oven to 400 degrees. In a small pot we melt the butter with the garlic and a pinch of salt over low heat. We then add the lemon juice and keep the pot on very low heat.
We put the frozen crab legs exposed crabmeat up into two 9 by 13 inch pans and brush them all over with the melted butter-lemon juice mix. We put the pan carefully in the oven, the legs are BIG, and bake for about 30 minutes brushing the exposed crabmeat a couple of times with the butter mixture. We want the crab legs to be heated through. We do not use all of the butter, we have about 4 or 5 tablespoons of butter remaining which we divide among small prep bowls. We serve the legs with the butter for dipping.
- Lemon Slices
- Mushroom Risotto
- Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
- Popcorn Balls
- Ginger Shortbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies
- Beer
- Veuve Clicquot Champagne
That's quite a menu, but as feasts go, this was relatively easy to prepare. No, really. The shrimp and cocktail sauce were both prepared early in the afternoon. There isn't much preparation for crackers and dip. The cookies were all prepared a day or two ahead of time.
Of the remaining items, Chris lent a rare hand by making the cheesies and the popcorn balls. The crabs, although the centerpiece to the meal, were very easy to fix.
The risotto was probably the most difficult item to prepare. Fortunately, Eric offered to do the necessary stirring. As sous-chefs go, he could stand to listen to directions better, but still did a solid job.
After dinner, over coffee and dessert, we play board games until well after midnight. New Year's Eve 2002 will be remembered for the Simpson's Clue tournament, which introduced the "Sarah defense" - dragging Marge (Sarah) between two rooms. It might seem unsportsmanlike, but believe us, it's the only way to beat her. We enjoyed ourselves so much we barely noticed the passing of the 2002. We're already looking forward to the end of 2003!