Quick Dinners for Visiting Cousins

Last night, my cousins Eric & Linda, who drive a big truck hauling motorcycles all over the country for shows, were in town for a show. Eric is particularly partial to our family's celebratory meal, shrimp in beer. On festive occasions when Lindstroms & Schaffnits gather, we have shrimp in beer. My grandmama always made it and my aunt made it for us last night. There's a cream cheese dip that is officially for the shrimp, but we always dip ruffled potato chips in it, as well. My auntie added a Caesar salad and, since we were going for special dishes, I made Nigella's chocolate pavlova with whipped cream and raspberries. It was my first attempt at any sort of baked meringue concoction, aside from lemon meringue pie, and I was pleased with how it turned out. It was lovely to look at and delicious to eat! Here's her recipe: http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=283 Better yet, just pick up a copy of Nigella Summer. You'll use it again & again.

And my grandmom's for shrimp in beer:
2 lb. shrimp (uncooked, shells-on)
6 12-oz. cans of beer (light beer is not an option! My aunt always uses Labatt's or Molson, I think my grandmom used Budweiser)
1 heaping tsp. salt
2 heaping tbsp. onion powder
2 heaping tbsp. garlic powder
2 heaping tbsp. celery seed
2 heaping tbsp. mustard seed
2 heaping tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. peppercorns or allspice
Dash of Tabasco

Bring beer mixture to a boil. Boil 20 minutes. Add shrimp & cook just until pink. Don't overcook!

Potato Chip Dip (AKA Shrimp Dip):
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
Salt, to taste

Mix together.

This will serve 4 people.

Tonight, my cousin Andy & his best friend since preschool came down from Columbus for dinner. I was happy to have a quick & easy Rachael Ray meal to make. It's perfect for summertime. Watermelon's dessert.

Here's the link to the Rachael Ray recipe:
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Chicken-Sausages-with-BBQ-Butter-Beans-and-Cheddar-Cauliflower

I couldn't find any chicken sausages when I went to the grocery. All of the Aidell's were sold-out. So, I subbed cheddar brats. I used regular orange sharp Cheddar, which I find more aesthetically pleasing with cauliflower. And I chose grill seasoning for burgers, since I couldn't find Montreal Steak Seasoning & had left my bottle of it in Cleveland for J to use until she moves down here.