Friday, August 13, 2010

Shrimp Boil


In the spirit of summer and shrimp, we recently cooked a shrimp boil feast with Old Bay Seasoning. It was quite good, and we had plenty of leftovers. The recipe below says to use uncooked and unpeeled shrimp, which we did, but I hate peeling shrimp, so for the leftover version, David peeled all the cooked shrimp (bless him), and I added a few more unpeeled ones we bought. Both versions were quite delicious.



Recipe from Old Bay's web site

Ingredients
4 quarts water (16 cups)
1 can (12 ounces) beer (optional)
1/2 cup OLD BAY® Seasoning
2 tablespoons salt
8 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 large onions, cut into wedges
2 pounds lean smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, shucked and halved crosswise
4 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp (21 to 25 count)

Directions
Bring water, beer, OLD BAY Seasoning and salt to boil in 12-quart stockpot on high heat. Add potatoes and onions. Cook 8 minutes. Add smoked sausage. Cook 5 minutes. Add corn. Cook 7 minutes.

Stir in shrimp. Cook 4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Drain cooking liquid. Pour contents of pot into large serving bowl or platter. Or, mound on paper-covered table. Sprinkle with additional OLD BAY Seasoning, if desired.

Enjoy!

Monday, August 09, 2010

A visit to Daniel Boone's Tavern


During a recent trip to Kentucky to explore possible job opportunities, we stopped at the historic Daniel Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea, Kentucky for lunch. According to its web site, the hotel was built in 1909 for $20,000 and is named for Appalachian Revolutionary War hero Daniel Boone. The "tavern" part of the name is from the historic definition that refers to a public inn for travelers rather than the modern definition related to the sale of alcohol.


The hotel is beautiful on the inside and out. It has a modern historical look and feel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily, and the food was delicious.


The tavern is also is part of Berea College, which is rather unique. It is a liberal arts school, and students who are accepted do not pay tuition but are required to work on campus as part of the college's Labor Program.


Many of the tavern's servers are also students at Berea, and our server is a recent graduate. My sandwich was served on Amish pretzel bread, which was very good. There is an Amish store and deli in Berea, but we didn't stop there this time. I have a feeling we'll be back.