Low Country Boil: Guest Post by Taking On Magazines

Easy to make, delightful to serve and delicious to eat! This Low Country Boil will impress your family and guests!

Welcome to Week #2 and Day 5 of Seafood Week. My daughter and myself are allergic to shellfish, so this is a cool way to give you seafood recipes without an allergic reaction of epic proportions. I am digging these themed weeks way too much. I mean seriously, how else can you take time off to watch Netflix and make all your best friends do all your work for you. It's pure genius right. I should feel bad really, but I'm having way too much fun.

Today we're hitting the barn, not literally of course, that would hurt. We're buzzing out there to meet the farrier. Ginger needs new shoes. Earlier this week Ginger needed to see the vet. So let's just say Ginger is cutting into our "first week of mini-me's vacation fund" at this point. We had plans to hit a bunch of movies but have scaled it back to one. We'll be hitting the theatre tomorrow. Any recommendations for flicks for us? I'm so out of the loop on current movies these days. Funny how obsessing about The Walking Dead exclusively can make you lose touch with reality. I almost care but then I'm like "hey look, Daryl Dixon is flexing his arm candy again".

Today's guest post comes to from my gal pal Christiane from Taking On Magazines. I adore this lady so much. I met Christiane through a foodie group years ago called Foodbuzz. We've stayed great friends ever since. Christiane is one of the most supportive people you could ever meet. She really wants the best for the people she cares about. She is kind, warm, and generous. I love her for that. Plus I dig her writing style, the way she spins tales of her family life draws me in. She talks often about her daughter, Dudette, and I have to say she reminds me so much of my own daughter. I am endlessly entertained by family's adventures in, and out, of the kitchen.

I've been to Canada once. And, surprisingly, it had nothing to do with a visit to Niagara Falls. Sure, I've been there, but I stayed on the U.S. side so the closest I got to Canada was peering at it through the mist.

No, my sole foray onto our northern neighbor's soil was when I was a much younger and way more impetuous me. A friend and I headed to Lake Superior up around the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and enjoyed a few hours along the water, but then got bored and decided to drive.

That was the extent of our planning. Drive. And, we did. After a really, really long time in the car, we had left Michigan and were weaving our way around the 10,000 lakes that make up Minnesota.

We thought we had hit the northern end of no where when we passed through Grand Portage, but since the border to another country was just about in spitting distance, we drove just a little longer and ended up in Thunder Bay. Canada.

So you see, Kim, I've been to Canada. Not only have I been there, but I've visited your province. Granted, we were on the opposite side from where you live, but it has to count for something, right?

The Process:

When Kim asked me to help her celebrate a week of seafood, I jumped at the chance to make my most favorite southern flair. Even though she can't eat the shrimp, I'm hoping that she'll pull up a chair and snag a few pieces of sausage, corn and potatoes.

This amazing meal couldn't be much easier. It's perfect as a fun family meal but also works well for large crowds.

Amounts don't really matter. What does count is the timing. It begins with boiling a big pot of water generously seasoned with your choice of seafood seasoning. I use Old Savannah, but Old Bay would work just as well. Zatarain's makes a packet that can just be thrown in also.

Once the water's boiling, the potatoes are tossed in and cooked for a 5-7 minutes. They shouldn't be cooked entirely, but be well on their way to soft. Add the corn, onion wedges and celery and set the timer for 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook 5 minutes more, then throw in the shrimp. Simmer for 2 minutes, turn off the heat and let it all sit so the shrimp can finish cooking to perfection.

I love throwing newspaper on the table and just pouring out the drained pot of goodness in the middle of it all. People can just grab what they want and it looks so fun.

When Kim asked if I'd share in the fun of seafood week with her, I was thrilled to be given the chance to spend some virtual time with an awesome friend. This low country boil is such a fantastic party meal and I can't think of anyone that would be more fun to party with than Kim. Thanks for letting me visit Canada again, Kim. I've had a ball.

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Low Country Boil

Easy to make, delightful to serve and delicious to eat! This Low Country Boil will impress your family and guests!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 celery stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 onions quartered lengthwise
• 4 garlic cloves smashed
• 2 tablespoons seafood seasoning plus more for serving
• 1 pound red new potatoes
• 3 ears corn husked cut into 3 pieces
• 1 pound kielbasa cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1 pound large shell-on shrimp
• ¼ cup melted butter

Instructions

• Add the seafood seasoning to a large pot with 10 cups water. Bring the liquid to a boil.
• Dump in the potatoes and reduce to a quick simmer. Cook the potatoes until they are almost tender, 5-7 minutes.
• Add the onions, garlic, celery and corn to the pot. Return the liquid to a simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Add the kielbasa and cook for 3 minutes more. Finally, add the shrimp. Cook the mixture for an additional 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let stand for 2 minutes more, or until the shrimp are fully cooked.
• Drain the water from the pot, then pour the melted butter over everything and carefully mix to coat.
• Before serving, sprinkle everything with a little more of the seafood seasoning.

Notes

Recipe and Photo Credit to Taking on Magazines

Thanks so much to Christiane for guest posting for me today. I seriously cannot wait until we get to meet in person. Hopefully this fall if all goes well. Hopefully I get to meet Christiane's daughter, Dudette, as well. I feel like I know her already. She sounds so much like my mini-me. Love kids with spunk. They keep us endlessly entertained.

Be sure you swing on by Christiane's blog, Taking On Magazines so you can stay up to date on the latest and greatest recipes. There's also a Subscribe option on her blog so you can get updates sent to you by email. You can follow her on Facebook so you can get all her recipes in your facebook feed. She's also on Twitter so be sure to follow along so you get all her tweets. Of course you can find her on Pinterest too, which is a fabulous way to follow blogs.

As promised I shall continue to embarrass myself with old, silly photos of my youth. Enjoy it while it lasts. I may need to move away and change my name after today. I hear Hawaii is nice.

Some days I question my parent's judgement:

So this is what happens when you bring your daughter to her brother's graduation high as a kite. I had my appendix out but insisted on going to Ken's grad. I'm thinking someone should have said no!

More evidence of how much they enjoyed our antics: 

My parents: "Hey Kim, why don't you go pose gracefully in the snow in B.C. with your brothers?" M'kay. Scott watches me slide off and take out Ken out on the way while my Dad takes pics and Mom laughs.

 I think they were justified for laughing at us for this one:

We'll call this one "bored, pale Irish kids" Look at all that pasty skin, not a tan in sight. And seriously what the hell are we doing? We used to do this in our pool, did we think the lake was going to whirlpool?

More Seafood Week Recipes from my Awesome Buds:

Movita Beaucoup’s Lobster Pasta Salad

Cooking in Stilettos’ Coconut Almond Crusted Cod

Dinners, Dishes and Desserts Brown Butter Seafood Risotto

Crazy Foodie Stunts Braised Salmon with Mushrooms, Potato Purée and Watercress

Crumb’s Saganaki Shrimp

That Skinny Chick Can Bake’s Sea Bass with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

Try Anything Once’s Stuffed Clams

Curry and Comfort’s Shrimp and Asparagus Biryani

Rants from My Crazy Kitchen Cajun Crab

It's Yummi's Crab 'n Bacon Pepper Sliders

Toodles and smoochies! xx