Dinner Club - A Southern Shrimp Boil , my Lemon Ice Box Pie and eveningof fun!

This past Saturday evening was our gourmet dinner club night at our friends "The Artist and Farm Boy"'s house.  I wanted to share the menu and the recipes that others prepared  As well as the dessert we made. The items are highlighted in blue with links to the various website our host found the recipes on.

I was a beautiful evening for the last day of August.  When we arrived at their home we quickly made our way our to their back deck.  The view is beautiful, open farm lands and the hills and the valleys that make up our local terrain.  Appetizers were laid out on the deck made by the host and our foodie friends.  A variety of drinks were offered and served. There was Muffaletta Won Ton Cups with Mustard Sauce  and Cucumber bites with garlic dressing, Corona with lime and Coors beer was in the cooler and then a little evening entertainment. Skeet shooting!  Something I have not tried before.

Our foodie friend hit the first one !

Hubby gives it a try. 

Not much luck, but had fun trying.

As we are trying out the skeet shooting our dinner was cooking in the pot just off the deck.  Our host had prepared the ingredients for the Shrimp Boil and Roast Beef Po Boys with Debris Gravy and we watched as the ingredients for the boil were added over a period of time. Once it was all done the contents of the pot was dumped out on a paper lined table and we lined up with our plates to fill up.  The Po Boys with available for the non seafood eaters as a second entree.  I filled up with potatoes, corn, shrimp sausage and tried out the Po Boys too. 

Nanas Southern Cole Slaw was a side dish to cool us down from the spice infused boil. We all agreed that the sweet corn absorbed most of the spices and was burning on the lips, but we keep feasting.

Our contribution to dinner was a Lemon Icebox Pie.  A very easy and refreshing end to a great meal.  This is definitely a recipe I would make again and I know one that I will have to get my mom to try.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
2- 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
5 thin slices of lemon, cut in half (for garnish)
Fresh mint leaves

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix graham crackers, 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. Press firmly into pie pan.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crust starts browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Pour mixture into cooled pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes.  Cool on wire rack and then refrigerate for 2 hours. 

Whip together the sour cream, whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar with an electric mixer to the consistency of whipped cream. Spread or pipe (with a pastry bag and decrotive tip) cream mixture on cooled pie. Garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves and served chilled.

So as you either prepare for these dinners or sit around a comfy kitchen or dining room table with your dinner companions you realize how food can bring people together.  You also get a chance to experience something new that you might not of made for yourself.  At the end of the evening you have a new set of recipes to use again, you have shared new experinces and a lot a good conversation and laughs.  So Thank You M & J for a wonderful and truly fun evening!