Time To Fess Up

By now, all of you know how much I value all of my fans and loyal readers. I repeatedly say how each and every one of you are like family to me. And I have always lived by the adage that family doesn't keep secrets. It's always been that way in my family, and I'm not willing to stop now. See, I've been keeping a secret from all of you and it's time for me to come clean. For the past 2 weeks I've been communicating with you, sharing with you and doing this "EMM thing" from the comfort of a lounge chair over looking the Atlantic Ocean! That's right, we have been enjoying our annual family vacay at New Smyrna Beach for 14 days, but now, alas, it's time to face reality and return home. Our vacation is always the time we use every summer to reconnect, just the 3 of us, and "recharge our batteries" if you will. Days spent by the pool and walking in the warm sands of the beach and evenings eating yummy food and soaking up every last minute of fun. And since we are so lucky to stay in our family's condo each year, I can keep right on cooking, creating new recipes and blogging like I always do. I apologize for not being up front about where I was and what I was doing, but for safety reasons we never advertise the fact we aren't home. I don't even post it on my personal Facebook page!

 This recipe came about one night when I had planned on cooking at "home", and Adam wanted a little treat for himself. See, my husband loves raw oysters. Yep, a little hot sauce, or lemon juice, and he "shoots" them just like a tequila shot! Usually he will get them at a restaurant while we are out, but this year he decided to visit one of the many seafood markets and enjoy them at home. So while he was buying his 2 dozen fresh oysters, he saw some very nice fresh shrimp and thought they would be great with the barbecued chicken I was making. And oh how they were! So fresh, and delicious. It was our fun twist on "surf and turf".

Another family vacation has gone by, and now it's back to the real world. But each year when we are looking back on all the fantastic memories we've made (including all the yummy food we are lucky enough to enjoy) we are so thankful for the time we shared, the laughs we had, and the knowledge we get to do it all over again next summer! We are truly blessed in every sense of the word!

That is one HAPPY Monkey!!

Barbecue Shrimp with Raspberry Balsamic Dipping Sauce
1 lb. 41/50 count shrimp, shell off and deveined
1 TBS Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 c. Jack Daniels barbecue sauce, or your favorite brand, plus extra for basting
2 heaping TBS prepared horseradish
1/4 -1/3 c.. raspberry balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl combine cleaned shrimp, seasoning and barbecue sauce. Mix well. Marinate for 15-20 minutes. Preheat grill to medium. Spray grill w/ nonstick spray. Cook shrimp about 3 minutes per side until pink and opaque. While cooking, baste with extra barbecue sauce. In a small bowl, combine horseradish and vinegar until desired consistency. (I like mine a little thinner than traditional cocktail sauce)

Shared on The Country Cook July 7, 2012
Shared on Make Ahead Meals July 9, 2012

Shrimp at Very Good Recipes

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