Sweet Mustard Shrimp on Skewers

Cold shrimp makes for a great summer lunch.  However, most people associate cold shrimp with shrimp cocktail. I like shrimp cocktail, but it's overplayed.

My mom makes a great cold shrimp dish that beats the hell out of shrimp cocktail. Combine 1/2 cup Dijon, 2 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp toasted mustard seeds,  1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp dill, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, 6 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2 tbsp finely chopped red onions. Toss with 2 pounds of cooked shrimp. Marinate for a minimum of two hours or overnight.

Eat with your fingers or serve on skewers. We had this over the 4th and it was the only thing that cheered me up in the 100 degree heat with a newborn and a terrible parade!

DIY Lobster Roll

I have two rules when I go out to eat. I don't order anything I could make myself  (roast chicken) or easily buy for half the price (cheese plate). I try to order dishes like soup dumplings, slow roasted anything or Indian dosas. For years, however, I have been ordering lobster rolls despite the simplicity of the recipe and how overpriced they tend to be.

This weekend Ryan and I changed that trend. Whenever he is up at my parents, he insists on getting his fill of seafood. (If it were up to me I would raid their freezer and spend a week eating Stouffer's chipped beef.) On Sunday we wanted to treat my parents to a special dinner to thank them for the help with the kids. Yes, that's plural. Gulp. Anyways, we bought a pound of lobster meat for $40 and some hot dog rolls for $2 and easily made six hearty lobster rolls. We opted to skip the mayo and instead heated half a stick of butter with a pinch of paprika, oregano and salt. We then tossed the melted butter with lemon and the lobster. Amazing. Take that you $22 NYC lobster roll!