Be My Guest

I'm really not a big fan of the term Sister in Law. That's probably because I am really close with my sister in laws and I've always felt that the "in law" part of that description makes them sound like forced family rather than chosen friends. I was actually good friends with all three of my sister in laws before I even got to know my husband. Because of that, they usually take my side in domestic squabbles :)

My SIL, or rather, my dear friend, Kate had us over last week to celebrate her dad's birthday. I was curious about what she was going to prepare that was going to be easy to make since I knew they had plans all day. I was wondering if it would be something that would please both the kids and the adults. I thought she might go crock-pot but it was a pretty hot and sticky day so I didn't know if that was an option, and they recently had a deck built so I wasn't sure if the grill had made its way up to its new home. Yes, I think this deeply about what is for dinner.

She totally surprised me with this one and it was AWESOME! It came together in 15 minutes and there was something in it that everyone could eat. I totally loved this idea for entertaining, so I made a batch last night for my fam to try it out. I wouldn't add this into my weekly rotation ONLY because EZ peel shrimp is a bit on the expensive side, but I would serve it to guests for sure. Non-shellfish-allergic guests that is.

However I totally lucked out because when I went to Teeter to shop for ingredients, the EZ peel shrimp, corn, AND kielbasa were all on sale so the dish ended up being affordable as well. Cheap, easy and yummy... gotta love it.

Kate's Super Simple Shrimp Boil

(I looked up a few recipes that all had too many ingredients. The more straightforward, the better, in my opinion)

3 potatoes

4 ears of corn

2 onions

2 Turkey Kielbasa Links

1 bag of Frozen EZ Peel Shrimp, thawed (I think it was a 2 lb bag)

3/4 CUP, yup a cup, of Old Bay

1 lemon

First and foremost, get your biggest pot and fill it with water about 2/3 full. Wait for it to get to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, shuck your corn.

And break it in half. First I tried cutting the corn in half with my big knife but who knew? It is WAY easier to just break these in half with your hands.
Quarter the onions
Skin and quarter the potatoes
and the Kilebasa
When the water is boiling, add the potatoes. Boil for 5 minutes then add the corn and onions.
Add allll the Old Bay
Stir it up and let it come back up to a boil. About 5 minutes. Then add your kielbasa... I was looking around for one but couldn't find any :)
A few minutes later add the bag of shrimpies
After about 5 minutes you will want to drain the pot. My drainer is flat and I love it, but I had to use two hands so I couldn't really photograph it.
Just dump onto one of those huge oversized platters you got for your wedding that you never use, and throw lemon slices all over it!
I had a ton leftover, but since all the ingredients are pretty straightforward it will be easy for me to reuse the ingredients in other recipes this week. PLUS there's nothing bad about having some finger food for the babe ready to go.