Shrimp Boil

We had my parents over for dinner on a recent Sunday and I wanted to do something different. When I was a kid my mom would make artichokes and the three of us would sit around the table peeling off the leaves and dipping them in melted butter. Since I've been on an artichoke crazy I thought it would be a fun trip down memory lame (and a chance for SP to experience a real artichoke).


These were a little small, which ended up working perfectly as an appetizer before dinner. I started by cutting the end off the stems and then peeling the outer layer off so we could eat them later. I cut the very top off the artichokes and then trimmed the top off each leaf. Once they were trimmed I put them in a pot with a steamer basket and cooked them for about 45 minutes.

For the shrimp I left them in the shell and used the recipe on the back of the Old Bay seasoning - water, vinegar, Old Bay and shrimp boiled together for about 5 minutes.


I also cooked 4 ears of corn that SP asked me to cut in half to more closely resemble a true shrimp boil. We layered newspaper on top of the table to keep with the same theme. It was a ton of fun!


My plate with some shrimp, corn and a baked potato:


I baked the potatoes at 450 degrees for about an hour.

My stepdad made dessert:


... brownies with ice cream topped with a raspberry. I was so full by the time we got to dessert that I couldn't finish my entire serving, but it was delicious.