Monday, January 24, 2022

Dinner Outside: Shrimp with Cheesy Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes

Dinner Outside: Shrimp with Cheesy Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes

Play video Dinner outside: shrimp with cheesy brussels sprouts and potatoes over the fire
▶️ Play Dinner Outside: Shrimp with Cheesy Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes Around the Fire

A fresh coat of snow has fallen, the clouds have cleared the way for the sun to shine through, it’s about 21°F, life is good. With a fire burning bright and hot in the Breeo Fire Pit, food cooking on the Weber, appetizers and beer being drunk it has become a completely enjoyable afternoon. Toss in some people making circuits on cross-country skies in the Big Playground and sledding on the puny hill back there and you have the making of a proper wintertime wonderland.

Photo taken Jan 23, 2022 at 4:21 PM

Lil and Ken. While the vegetables are being smoked and long before we even think of putting the shrimps on the grill over the fire we have an appetizer of melted cheese and pita crackers.

After our appetizer of cheese and pita crackers and beer we settled in to wait on the veggies before cooking up the shrimp. I decided to make a cheese sauce for the whole thing using leftover cheese soup (based on the recipe from a Townsends video) that didn’t quite end up cheesy enough when first made. I added more cheese to the defrosted mass and when we melted that over the fire it turned out wonderfully. 

Once everything was smoked, melted, grilled, and mixed it was time to eat. The sun was just below the the trees though maybe not quite officially set and the temperature was definitely falling. But with the exception of our toes we were warm and the dinner was ready: time to eat; time to enjoy. We did both.

There isn’t a precise recipe for this meal. I based my spice combination on what my Dad and I (and Lil) like for the shrimps alone sizing it up some to include the Brussles Sprouts (16 ounces) and potatoes (about 2 pounds) and 16 ounces of medium-sized (peeled) shrimps. The sesonings were salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. 

It is always nice to sit around a good hot fire with people you like and a meal you can enjoy. If there is a little adversity thrown in the mix perhaps that justs a bit of zest to the experience.