Ryan's Birthday Dinner

Riley giving the po'boy a try 

For the most part our family follows a vegetarian diet. Ryan is the only one who eats meat with no reservations. And on occasion we will indulge in some tasty shrimp, usually adding it to pasta or stir-fry. Since shrimp happens to be one of Ryan's favorite foods, I often make some fancy shrimp dish for his birthday. In last months issue of Everyday Food, Martha and her team provided an awesome recipe for Shrimp Po' Boys! In case you dont know, a Po'Boy is a traditional submarine sandwich from New Orleans, and just so happens to be one of my favorites! So as soon as I saw the recipe I knew I just had to make them! They are really simple and super tasty! Unfortunately my four year old dislikes fried food...I first noticed this when we took a trip to San Francisco last summer and she peeled all the "fried parts" off her shrimp at Bubba Gump ...I thought it was kinda crazy because really, what kid hates fried food?! but apparently if you limit junk food from a kids diet they ultimately dislike it..who knew! Anyway..she did try it, but in the end she informed me she did not like the "fried" and thought next time I should just make it "regular". She ended up eating a "pickled asparagus sandwich" instead. I guess I wont be making these again anytime soon, but YOU should!
Happy Cooking! -Jess

Shrimp Po'Boys 
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food


ingredients 
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (homemade or store bought)
6 Tbsp. chopped cornichons or dill pickles 

3/4 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided
1 cup organic cornmeal
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 hoagie rolls, split
1 medium tomato, sliced
8 leaves butter lettuce
lemon juice from half a lemon


*just so ya' know: I didnt have pickles so I used some pickled Asparagus I put up last month, also this is the recipe as it is in the magazine (minus the lemon) and although it says it makes 4 servings we were able to make six sandwiches. oh and we did NOT add tomatoes, Ryan is deathly allergic :D  

birthday boy satisfied with his meal :)

stir together mayo, pickles and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper in small bowl and set aside. On a plate, combine 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, cornmeal and salt. In a medium skillet heat oil over medium-high until it reaches 350 on a deep-fat thermometer. Coat shrimp in cornmeal mixture, shake off excess, and carefully add to hot oil in batches. Cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.Sprinkle with lemon juice. Spread sauce in rolls and fill with tomato lettuce and shrimp.