Yeah, I’ve got a brand new thing that is totally wasting all my time… so much so, that I do not even remotely want to post another Lobster Bake recipe today… tomorrow, I promise! 

Instead, today I shall tell you about my addiction … AND… we shall have a little give-away.  Sound Fun? YES IT DOES!!!

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Succotash is a hot bean and corn dish that was  popular during the Great Depression because of the ingredients were more readily available than most other foods and relatively less expensive. I’m not a fan of traditional succotash… but turn it into a cold salad with basil dressing, and I’m all in!

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These buttery rolls are surprisingly light, perfect for soaking up the broth from the lobster bake.

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Along with the “stars” of the night… the actual lobsters, the clambake was the main course of the lobster bake evening.  The lobsters can be cooked right along with the whole “bake” but I, for one, don’t have a pot big enough to hold everything. As a result, the lobsters were boiled separately.

Since I wasn’t sure of any of the guests’ dietary restrictions, instead of the kielbasa I would generally use, I found a fabulous spicy chicken and spinach sausage at Costco and used that.  I also separated out the corn and served it next to some potatoes on the buffet, just because this time it fit better that way. But for that added pop of color, I would usually leave the corn in the “bake” as I have pictured above.

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In all honesty, I am not fully recovered from the big weekend lobster bake… still putting away all that stuff I dragged out of storage. Plus, I have been busy making lobster stock from all those shells.  Therefore, we’ll start the week of recipes slowly and begin with clarified butter. This was used for dipping the lobster and other seafood into.

Clarified butter is what is left when melting unsalted butter – after the water evaporates, some solids float to the surface and are skimmed off, and the remainder of the milk solids sink to the bottom and are left behind when the butter fat (the clarified butter) is poured off.

Drawn butter is an American term for clarified butter. It has a higher smoke point than regular butter, which makes it much better for sautéing. It also has a longer shelf life than fresh butter and since is has negligible amounts of lactose, it is more acceptable to people with lactose intolerance.

And just in case you’ve heard of it before and have been wondering… ghee is the East Indian form of clarified butter.

Also note that there is about a 25% loss in the quantity of butter, after clarifying.  You may clarify any amount of butter. I started with 2 sticks (1 cup) but realized that would not be enough for the dinner party, so I ended up clarifying another 2 sticks, or a full pound of butter.

Feel free to save the milk solids you’ve skimmed off.  They can be added to rice, polenta, soups, popcorn, or even your morning toast or oatmeal.  I used them in the boiled potatoes at the lobster bake ~ that recipe will be up in a few days.

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Last night was the big Lobster Bake at the Hopkins’ home. If you weren’t invited, don’t feel bad…. this was a donation dinner from a fundraising event, so unless you were at the fundraiser and had the winning bid…  sorry!

There were eight lovely guests. It is currently 11:30 AM the following morning and Dave and I have just now finally gotten it all cleaned up. Here is a pictorial of the event… recipes to follow.

The lobsters arrive via Fed Ex from Maine.

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Do you ever dream of a new kitchen? I do! Even though I have a very nice kitchen and one that has even been envied by others… the thought of a new kitchen makes me just sigh with delight.

There is a new website to peruse and drool over.

Cultivate.com is Williams-Sonoma’s first-ever design web site focused solely on kitchen design and remodeling. Cultivate is packed full of editorial content, loads of inspiration, plenty of tips, and fabulous advice all about kitchens.

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OK, I give in. Since a couple more people played and a few of you sent me emails – I concede. Here are the answers for the second edition of “What the Heck is That?!?”  And very impressively, this time we had one person get all three items correct. Kudos to my super smart (and super sweet!) friend, Kim!

Object #1

This is a manche à gigot, otherwise known as a leg of lamb holder clamp. Gigot is the French word for leg of lamb or mutton and manche means handle. So this tool is used when slicing leg of lamb. It is attached to the shank and then tightened to provide a clean grip for the carver.

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I know I said that today I would post the pictures and answers from yesterday’s game, “What the Heck is That?!?”.  I’m going to hold off for a day or two. Maybe by then more of you will play the game. (see image above of  a very sad face). To be fair, I have sent the answers to Dagmar, the only participant besides Marissa. Thanks for playing, Dagmar! (happy face!)

So, what to do today… how about I show you my plans for Saturday? A dress rehearsal of sorts. This Saturday I am delivering on an auction donation I made for a very worthy cause. The donation was this.

The winners of the item chose to have the dinner at my house, so I’ve been busy for the last several days trying to find and round up all my “clambake” “beachy” stuff. Turns out I have a whole bunch of it, even though I live in the dry arid desert.  Here is what I was able to find in my cupboards, garage, storage shed, etc.

I know it’s hard to tell what is what in this photo, so how about some closeups? (not as closeup as the photos in the game that I’d love for you to play), but just closeup enough to explain what things are and what I’ve done with it all.

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It’s time to play “What the Heck is That?!?”   Here is a refresher of how it works – I post three closeup photos of items found in my kitchen. You leave a comment telling me what you think one, two, or all three of the items are.  And remember, a wrong guess is immensely more fun for everyone than no guess at all!

As with Round 1, there is one small restriction. Marissa, you may not post your guess or guesses until after 6 PM (Pacific Time). I am fearful of your knowledge of my kitchen. Connor, you can play whenever you want, I have no fear of your observation of my kitchen, nor do I believe you will even see this – until weeks from now… if ever.  Sigh…

I will post the answers and full photos of the 3 items tomorrow. Let the game begin!

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