Shrimp Scampi

Everybody loves shrimp. Well, unless you have a shrimp allergy or an aversion to shrimp based on religious belief, the chances are pretty good that you like well prepared shrimp. Whether it is an appetizer or a main course shrimp is usually a hit.

There are exceptions to the everybody loves shrimp rule. I hate shrimp that has been overcooked and getting shrimp cooked right can be a challenge. There is something about the frozen shrimp appetizer ring that is sold in supermarkets across the land that drives me screwy. Now while I am a big fan of bringing an app that is easy, bringing a water logged, tasteless, boiled shrimp just doesn’t cut it.

Following is a recipe that is a sure winner. Whether you serve it with toothpicks as an appetizer or as a main course, the chances are you will be delighting your guests. There are several reasons that this recipe works so well;

Brining the shrimp adds to the flavor and texture
Using the shells and wine to develop a stock adds dimension
Poaching the shrimp briefly in the stock reduces the risk of overcooking and adds flavor
The combination of garlic and lemon is delightful
The use of cornstarch adds fat like lubricity (Try the recipe without butter.)
The shrimp and sauce can be made in advance and added together at the last minute

Give this recipe a try for your next wine group.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Little Miracles

These are tough times. It is easy to get a little down with all the changes the coronavirus has brought to our world. My mom lives in an assisted living facility in New York. The other day she was telling me about all the Little Miracles in her world.

She loves something sweet with her toast at breakfast and the kitchen that makes her breakfast keeps forgetting to get her jelly or honey. That day in the mail she received a jar of organic honey from my cousin in Hawaii. It was a Little Miracle.

She loves the FaceTime calls with her great grandchildren, Emma and Declan on weekday mornings. To be able to watch and interact with them is a Little Miracle

At nights when it is quiet in her room pictures and videos of her great grandchildren Max, Dylan and Hadley will pop up on her iPhone. She doesn’t know how they get there she just loves it when they do. It is a Little Miracle.

Mom gets her focus on the positive from her father. My Gramps had every right to be a bitter man, but he was one of the most positive people I have ever known. He was an orphan, he was a major amputee losing his leg in WW1, He was a widower at an early age.

I remember visiting him when he was 90 years old and him telling me: “Paul, don’t get this old”. At first, I thought he was depressed, then he followed up with a chuckle saying: “Yup, there is more of me out of bed than in the bed when I go to bed at night. I take off my leg. I take out my teeth. I take off my glasses. I have this plate in my head from that boat accident, but I can’t take it out… He founds ways to be a positive influence on all of his 10 grandchildren.

I am a little sad seeing pictures of the drive-by hello at mom’s assisted living facility on Mother’s Day, but I have to channel a little of my inner mom-mom and Gramps. Heck, they could put Prozac in the water-system and it would not offset the negativity of the nightly news. These are tough times. We all need to focus on the positives. We all have lots of Little Miracles in our lives. I am just one very lucky guy to have had Mom and Gramps in my life. It is more than a Little Miracle.

Do You Like Social Distancing Over An Appetizer?

Like it or not, we will take it. The elevator pitch for my book Impromptu Friday Nights: A Guide To Supper Clubs started with the question:

Do you like to socialize over a meal?

Of course, the answer is yes which led me into the speech about supper clubs being the panacea for young professionals and all other demographics as a great way to have a good time. A small confession here. The title phrase (Do You Like Social Distancing Over A Meal?) is from my daughter. Poor Jenn has heard my elevator pitch way too many times.

Times have changed. None of us could have predicted a few months ago how drastically our worlds would have changed. As we get through the first two months of the coronavirus world we are learning about social distancing and trying find ways to be safe and have a good time. Virtual cocktail hours via zoom are great, but there is something lacking. There is nothing like face to face contact with friends and family. There is also something about sharing food.

We have taken to DRIVEWAY SOCIALS using Costco/card tables to ensure social distance and provide a platform to share an appetizer. Socializing over a meal in the driveway…isn’t going to happen, but sharing an appetizer with social distancing works. It has become our new evening ritual.

My go to appetizer this week has been freshly baked focaccia’s and grilled pizzas. A few of our friends are vegan/vegetarians (prefer plant based, but love cheese) and these appetizers work well. There is another reason I have been making a lot of pizza and focaccia. Because of the virus I have 6-year supply of yeast. All of our local markets sold out of yeast at the start of the pandemic. I bought yeast through Amazon and wound up with way more than I historically use. The net result…let them eat bread! Besides, we are all easing up on our low carb discipline in these trying times.

Focaccia Recipe

Pizza Dough Recipe

Grilled Pizza Recipe

By the way, my next book is being built around the concept of BRING A BOTTLE AND AN APPETIZER. Preparing a dinner party is just too daunting for many of us. My thought is that everyone can make or buy an appetizer. And, everyone likes to social distance over an appetizer!