The Easiest Way to Host a Casual Dinner

Ever been to a shrimp boil? Crawfish boil? Any kind of boil, really? If you plan to host a dinner party and you aren't caught up in silverware placement and proper napkin folding, a shrimp boil is the best way to go. A shrimp boil allows for easy cooking that won't take you away from your guests for long and (here's the best part) cleanup could not be simpler.

For a proper shrimp or crawfish boil, you'll need:

• Enough butcher paper to cover your entire table(s)
• Plenty of shrimp or crawfish
• Any type of potatoes, cut into eighths if large
• Andouille or kielbasa sausage, or substitute your favorite flavorful sausage here
• Corn on the cob, cut into halves
• Shrimp boil seasoning (it already comes in oil form to drip into the water)
• Lemons
• Large pot for boiling
• a steamer basket is helpful to pull all the food out of the pot, but not necessary
• Lots of moist towelettes!

Basically, you want all pieces to be a size you can easily handle with your bare hands. Yep, bare hands. No utensils here. The wonderful thing about a shrimp boil is that you lay out enough butcher paper to cover your table and just dump all the food directly on it after cooking! Everyone sits around, squeezes whatever condiments they like directly onto the butcher paper, tosses their shells and trash onto the table, and eats with their hands. Such a casual form of eating eliminates all pretenses. Guests feel free to relax, laugh, be loud and enjoy themselves. One of the most successful dinner parties I've ever thrown was a shrimp boil with about a dozen friends. Best part: when all is done, just wrap up all the butcher paper with the trash inside and toss! No more cleanup!

Drop everything into your seasoned pot according to cooking time. Generally, I add everything except the shrimp/crawfish to the post and let is cook together and soak up as much flavor from the seasonings as possible. When the potatoes are cooked through after about 20 minutes, add your shrimp/crawfish and cook another 5-10 minutes for shrimp or 10-15 for crawfish. Squeeze lemon over the top or add to the boil itself.

It's also easy to make a shrimp boil for just two people. So, I've made this for weeknight dinners at home, as well. Honestly, who doesn't have fun playing with their food? Food tends to taste better when eaten with your hands, anyway.

Shirley In Charge

I think I've been staring at this stark, white text box for about 20 minutes now. I keep thinking, "I can write, I can write, I can write." Yet, my fingers fail to dance across the keyboard. Hell, they won't even take a walk over the keys. This? This is me, clumsily tripping over the keyboard. I thought to write about my job, but I prefer to keep my business life off the internet... or at least untraceable to myself. I suppose if I am careful enough, it might not be so risky to try.

I stopped writing in this blog for months, about 2 posts ago. My job had dramatically shifted from Writer to Event Coordinator to Project Lead. As if the jump weren't death-defying enough, I entered the latter capacity for a major client, acting as technical liaison. Three harrowing weeks later, I became Project Lead on a second endeavor. The most surprising part of this is that I've apparently done an amazing job in just the past month. The team I coordinate has been singing my praises and I recently learned that my boss has done the same, which I heard from secondary sources, meaning he isn't just being kind to me in person. Granted, he isn't the type of boss to be gentle with someone if they don't deserve it, but I've also been told by past coworkers that being mad at me would be "like being mad at a puppy" - a useful quality to have, I suppose.

I have gone from being a regular employee in my life to being a career powerhouse. While I may not have the technical knowledge to engage in intelligent discussions with my teams about the proper way to complete a task, I am very detail-oriented and possess strong organizational skills. I'm able to track their schedules, funnel tasks as needed and I keep lesser tasks from falling through the cracks.

Without getting into any more detail about the job itself, I do want to say that I've discovered Shirley, the Careerwoman; Shirley, the Project Lead; and Shirley, In Charge, if you will. All one and the same.

I like her.

I find myself learning more and more about... myself. Strengths, flaws, habits, all of it. We are all changing creatures and self-discovery, though it has a beginning, never ends.

My passion for food is beginning to lie more in learning about it than teaching about it. I have a great curiosity for technique and innovation in cooking, but I am on a path of discovery.  Hence, the shift in this blog's focus. There are plenty of recipe blogs out there and they do an amazing job. I'm sure I will still post about recipes and techniques as we go. There are plenty of other cooking resources that are more knowledgeable than I in that respect, but what I am here to share is more organic than lessons and steps. I want to share my experiences. I want my readers to grow with me, explore with me and occasionally just let loose.

I want to exercise my writing muscles.

Most importantly, I am learning that wanting and wishing is all good, but none of it matters until we DO. If I want to be a better writer, I need to write more. If I want to be a great Project Lead, I need to be confident about it rather than apologetic.

I need to act like the thing I want to be would act. I am the epitome of "fake it 'til you make it," but the faking portion is much shorter than you'd think. Soon enough, you believe it and become it, whatever "it" happens to be. It takes work and opportunity. Find windows where there are no doors. When even a slight chance to accomplish a goal comes along, grab it before you start second-guessing yourself. There will be plenty of time for second guesses later, as I most certainly took advantage of for the first three weeks of my new position.

Enough self-help. This is not what I am about. In fact, when all else fails, just have fun with your life. You may only get one. Don't. Regret. A thing.

Damn. I should really make a bucket list and ride this "I am the master of ANYTHING!" wave.

An Otherworldly Experience @ The Ravenous Pig

Two nights ago, I had the opportunity to eat dinner at The Ravenous Pig, here in my home base of Orlando, Florida.

I was worried the atmosphere would be a little too upscale for me. While I love extravagant food, I hate the stuffy feeling at many high-end restaurants. I want to enjoy my meal with my elbows on the table, dammit! The Ravenous Pig has done a surprising job of blending both upscale food and service, with a remarkably comfortable atmosphere. I wouldn't call it casual, as the restaurant is packed with well-dressed patrons ready for a night on the town, but there are a few people in shorts and I doubt they feel out of place. There are three rooms, seamlessly separated by partial walls. It feels like one cohesive restaurant, while keeping dining areas to a homey size. There are good things to be said for wide open restaurants, but I prefer to feel safely coddled by my table. Brick and dark woods comprise the decor of this American Gastropub; the hard elements broken up by strategically placed light curtains. Really, I think, one of the best designed restaurants I've visited in Orlando yet.

Enough of that. I'm here for the food. Everything on the menu looks amazing, but two dishes spring to my eyes immediately. I order the crispy Mangalitsa pork belly appetizer and the duck breast for dinner.

I've never had crispy pork belly and I've heard entirely too many good things about it to pass it up the first time I meet those three elusive words on a menu. Mangalitsa is a breed of pig known for having fat that is more unsaturated than normal pig fat, creating a lighter and cleaner flavor. Pork belly at the Ravenous Pig is served on a lemon-dill aioli with cucumber relish. It doesn't sound like the kind of accompaniment I expect on a pork dish, but it was genius. The tangy lemon, dill and cucumber cut through the richness of the pork belly, creating a quite light and balanced combination. The belly itself is crispy on top and the fat is sinfully extravagant. It's tough not to feel bad for eating a giant hunk of fat, but it is so much more than that. It is perfect.

I'm eager for my entree now. The pork belly was seductive and I need more.

When my duck breast arrives, I'm not certain what to think. It's a colorful melange of components. The duck sits atop a polenta cake made of organic heirloom grains. There are bright green fava beans, warm apple slices, a salad of what looks like cabbage, microgreens and smoked local honey. The duck itself has rendered its fat and the skin is crisp on top. It is a gorgeous shade of pink.

I start with a tentative taste of the polenta cake. I don't know what it is about this polenta, but it has soaked in some smoky duck fat and honey. The result is a lovely, sweet yet earthy flavor. It's so good, I would bathe in this polenta if given the chance.

All of the pieces to this puzzle seem odd to throw together, but when I take my first complete bite - a little bit of everything on a single forkful - it all makes sense. There is a beautiful symphony of flavors in my mouth. The skies open up and angels sing and hundreds of ducklings fly down to thank me for eating them.

At this moment, I am certain I could die happy.


Get it on @ The Ravenous Pig

Repurposing

This blog is going to start being a little more personal. I'll continue posting useful information, but since it's a little tough to keep that up with my current job, which is both wonderful and challenging, I'll be posting some non-cooking related posts as well. Honestly, it's a blog. I plan to have fun with it and I hope you do, too!