Summer: Eric's Birthday and Frogmore Stew

We celebrated Eric's birthday with friends in California.  I made something called "Frogmore Stew" for the party.  I found out about the idea from a facebook friend and Googled the recipe.  I have made this twice now:  for Emma's birthday last year and for Eric's birthday this year.  Everytime I have made this I get strange looks from the people I have served it to because the presentation is so quirky.  However, once the eating gets underway, everyone ends up having a great time and becomes convinced that it is "okay".  Contrary to its name, this stew contains no frogs.  Its called "Frogmore Stew" because the creator of it is from Frogmore, South Carolina.

To make this you choose a selection of sea food.  I selected shrimp (with shells on), snow crab, clams, and scallops.  You also choose a sausage (I chose kielbassa and bratwurst).  Corn and red potatoes are also included in the mix.  You cook these in a big pot of water with Old Bay Seasoning.

Poor Marianne!  The crab was "really fresh".  (She's a good actress, don't you think?)

Once everything is cooked, drain the liquid (I reserved it the last time for clam chowder) and then dump the whole mess on to an unset table covered with newspaper.


Supply each end of the table with a roll of paper towels and place condiments in dishes along the table.  I used ketchup and mustard for the sausage, butter and lemon for the seafood, and salt and pepper for the potatoes and corn. If you serve crab legs, it is helpful to have some pliers to crack them with.

Click here for a recipe and a little history of this delicious dish (like I mentioned, I used a wider variety of seafood than this particular recipe calls for).

Here is the cake that Emma made.  Eric loves VW Bugs.

The birthday hat is courtesy of some silly girls and a father willing to humor them :)