This recipe is absolutely delicious! As long as you don't hurl the pan of shrimp and rock salt onto the floor, it is realatively easy to clean up, as well. Do try to find shrimp with the heads on, as it helps them retain the moisture.
I highly suggest giving this a try!
4 pounds rock salt
1 pound jumbo shrimp (20 to 24 shrimp per pound), with heads on
Directions
Divide salt evenly among 2 (9 by 13-inch) metal pans. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F and put the pans of salt into the oven to heat. When the oven reaches 400 degrees F, allow the salt to continue heating for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, put the shrimp on top of the salt in 1 of the pans. Then cover with all of the salt in the second pan. The shrimp should be evenly and completely covered. Roast for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and check 1 shrimp for doneness. The shrimp should be opaque and white and pink in color. If not done, return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Rinse off the salt in a collander. Serve immediately.
Thanks to Alton Brown!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 15, 2009
If only they could feed me to the bears …
I am sure they would. Though you may think Yellowstone National Park exists for the enjoyment of Americans and visitors from far and wide. My recent trip there, however, revealed that instead the park is opposed to the interference of human beings.
Why do I conclude thusly?
Well, it started with the $25 entrance fee. This seems outrageous to me as Mt. Rushmore was $10 and Custer National Park was $12. The outrage doesn’t stop here, friends.
The hotel room which was almost double what we generally pay for a night. Even though we are at a resort, there isn’t any air-conditioning, TV, or wi-fi.
The eco-friendly restaurant boasted sustainably harvested meats, and other “kind” jargon that I don’t put much salt in. The final straw, however, was laid when the bill arrived. We were charged a 4% “Utility Fee.” Allow me to share with you the text from the brochure they furnished upon my inquiry:
To help you fully enjoy this area’s recreation and beautiy, Xanterra Parks and Resorts works in partnership with the National Parks Service to improve facilities. We are deeply committed to environmental stewardship, and to help with the rising costs of servicing our numerous guest facilities, an energy surcharge (wter, sewer, and electricity) of 4.0% is added to your meal.
Further research at the bar (hey, I must be thorough, right?) and guest reception revealed that this charge is added to all purchases at the park.
I leave it to my reader to decide their opinion on this, but to me it smacks of Communism. Thus, after every bill I wrote boldly: “SAY NO TO COMMUNISM.”
I’m sure they leftists pushing this ridiculous hyper-environmentalism would rather just feed people to the bears, whales, wolves etc. One by one, there would be less carbon footprints for the greenies to worry about.
After all, the animals were here first.
Why do I conclude thusly?
Well, it started with the $25 entrance fee. This seems outrageous to me as Mt. Rushmore was $10 and Custer National Park was $12. The outrage doesn’t stop here, friends.
The hotel room which was almost double what we generally pay for a night. Even though we are at a resort, there isn’t any air-conditioning, TV, or wi-fi.
The eco-friendly restaurant boasted sustainably harvested meats, and other “kind” jargon that I don’t put much salt in. The final straw, however, was laid when the bill arrived. We were charged a 4% “Utility Fee.” Allow me to share with you the text from the brochure they furnished upon my inquiry:
To help you fully enjoy this area’s recreation and beautiy, Xanterra Parks and Resorts works in partnership with the National Parks Service to improve facilities. We are deeply committed to environmental stewardship, and to help with the rising costs of servicing our numerous guest facilities, an energy surcharge (wter, sewer, and electricity) of 4.0% is added to your meal.
Further research at the bar (hey, I must be thorough, right?) and guest reception revealed that this charge is added to all purchases at the park.
I leave it to my reader to decide their opinion on this, but to me it smacks of Communism. Thus, after every bill I wrote boldly: “SAY NO TO COMMUNISM.”
I’m sure they leftists pushing this ridiculous hyper-environmentalism would rather just feed people to the bears, whales, wolves etc. One by one, there would be less carbon footprints for the greenies to worry about.
After all, the animals were here first.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
I can't make this stuff up!*
In this journey I have encountered some very interesting phrases and overheard some hilarious conversations. Allow me to share a few with you.
In Jamesport, Missouri:
(Man 1 and Man 2 sit outside antique store while the wives were inside shopping)
Man 1: "I hope my wife doesn't spend any money in there, because we don't have any."
(Man 1 gets up to spit in street, returns to original bench near Man 2)
Man 1: "Is there enough room for me?" (Although Man 2 has not moved an inch)
Man 2 shuffles to one side and says, "I think so"
Unique saying from Lineville, Iowa: "Crazier than a pet coon"
A new noun encountered in Missouri and Iowa: "stool," another name for the toilet
Corydon, Iowa: boasts one hotel named Nodyroc. The Nodyroc hotel is the town's name spelled backwards.
See folks, I can't make this stuff up. I hope it gave you a chuckle.
*Without the help of an additive.
In Jamesport, Missouri:
(Man 1 and Man 2 sit outside antique store while the wives were inside shopping)
Man 1: "I hope my wife doesn't spend any money in there, because we don't have any."
(Man 1 gets up to spit in street, returns to original bench near Man 2)
Man 1: "Is there enough room for me?" (Although Man 2 has not moved an inch)
Man 2 shuffles to one side and says, "I think so"
Unique saying from Lineville, Iowa: "Crazier than a pet coon"
A new noun encountered in Missouri and Iowa: "stool," another name for the toilet
Corydon, Iowa: boasts one hotel named Nodyroc. The Nodyroc hotel is the town's name spelled backwards.
See folks, I can't make this stuff up. I hope it gave you a chuckle.
*Without the help of an additive.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tourist traps
Corn Palace. Wall Drug. Mt. Rushmore.
There's just not a lot to say about the great American tourist trap. I'd love to thrill you with amazing photos of Mt. Rushmore, but the clouds and rain block the view.
One striking aspect Mt. Rushmore is the amount of foreigners working here. Most of the employees here are Indian or European. Yes, that also means they don't speak English. I guess it is too early in the season.
There's just not a lot to say about the great American tourist trap. I'd love to thrill you with amazing photos of Mt. Rushmore, but the clouds and rain block the view.
One striking aspect Mt. Rushmore is the amount of foreigners working here. Most of the employees here are Indian or European. Yes, that also means they don't speak English. I guess it is too early in the season.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunshine and shadow
“It was a long story, filled with sunshine and shadow.”
Today I unexpectedly fulfilled a childhood dream: visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home. De Smet, Iowa is located 55 miles off I-80 but well worth the trip. At the site, $8 allows the visitor to drive a Conestoga wagon, make your own corncob doll, and see the home Laura lived in as a child.
The center also explains the Ingalls’ many travels. Now that I am nine days into my trip, it is a little less fun. My moderate frustrations, however, pales in comparison to the arduous journey a family travelling in the 1800’s faced. I breeze along the highway at 85/mph while they travelled 15-20 miles per day. At night, I have a comfy hotel room, rather than sleeping under the wagon.
Anyways, it was great to have a taste of pioneer life. If you ever find yourself on the way to the Corn Palace, do stop at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Styx at first glance
I really don’t know where to begin. I have been in Iowa since Friday and there is much to recount.
I stayed in a little town called Lineville, named for its proximity to the Iowa-Missouri border. No cell phone reception, no internet, no Wall Street Journal – not even any Fox News.
Lineville, however, was not my original destination. I had planned to stay at the Nodyroc Hotel in Corydon, IA. After a brief but horrid encounter with insects in the bed, I decided to stay with our friend in Lineville, IA. Population: 300.
It is interesting to see what a town boils down to: a church, cemetery, school, gas station/convenience store, saloon, and diner. And that’s what I’d like to focus on in this post: what a teeny town in the sticks has to offer.
Though initially convinced I was in the Styx, a little humility took me a long way. The people are decidedly simple. They use cash instead of credit, own modest homes, and live day by day. In the restaurants, they don’t have TV’s. Instead, people sit and talk after dinner.
Though I am a confirmed city girl, it was refreshing to see this unique and simple lifestyle.
I stayed in a little town called Lineville, named for its proximity to the Iowa-Missouri border. No cell phone reception, no internet, no Wall Street Journal – not even any Fox News.
Lineville, however, was not my original destination. I had planned to stay at the Nodyroc Hotel in Corydon, IA. After a brief but horrid encounter with insects in the bed, I decided to stay with our friend in Lineville, IA. Population: 300.
It is interesting to see what a town boils down to: a church, cemetery, school, gas station/convenience store, saloon, and diner. And that’s what I’d like to focus on in this post: what a teeny town in the sticks has to offer.
Though initially convinced I was in the Styx, a little humility took me a long way. The people are decidedly simple. They use cash instead of credit, own modest homes, and live day by day. In the restaurants, they don’t have TV’s. Instead, people sit and talk after dinner.
Though I am a confirmed city girl, it was refreshing to see this unique and simple lifestyle.
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