Congrats Alexa!!!! What a great accomplishment. I'm smoke free 10 years last month. Like FOAS says it gets easier especially once you start hating the smell of smokers ! I posted a very easy "Greek" Scampi recipe on the New recipes thread. I think it would make a great starter. Ina's Scampi is delish too. For the entree I would go traditional surf and turf . The Iceberg wedge with Blue Cheese is so retro, fits perfectly with Surf and Turf. If you want beyond decadent I had lobster mashed potatoes at a sea food restaurant that was to die for! Very smooth, creamy mashed potatoes with lots of fresh ground pepper, chive snips and chunks (no shreds , chunks) of lobster. Now you have me jonesing for lobster! Broiled Greek Scampi 1/2 stick butter 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice 1 TBSP minced garlic 1/2 tsp dried dill ( I omitted) salt and pepper to taste 2TBSP fresh bread crumbs 1 TBSP grated Parmesan 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp paprika 10-12 extra large shrimp, deveined, peeled, tail on ( butterflied) Preheat broiler with rack placed 6-8 inches from broilers Melt butter in large sauce pan. Stir in lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Let stand off heat to steep. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, oregano, and paprika. Set aside. Coat 2 6 oz casserole dishes with non stick spray and place on baking sheet. Arrange shrimp evenly on each dish. Divided butter mixture evenly between dishes. Top with bread crumb mixture. Broil until shrimp are cooked and topping is golden brown ( about 5 minutes) Let cool one minute before handling Baked Shrimp Scampi 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved Serves: 6 servings Ingredients 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell  3 tablespoons good olive oil  2 tablespoons dry white wine  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature  4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)  1/4 cup minced shallots  3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  1 teaspoon grated lemon zest  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice  1 extra-large egg yolk  2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)  Lemon wedges, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined. Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute

I forgot to add: The Grissle from the meat collects on the Beater. Takes it out of the meat When all the dry ingredients are mixed with the bread crumbs first, it is distributed evenly throughtout the meat. Food on: I don't use much Oregano and Black Pepper. Anyone can tweak the amount of any Spice in the Recipe, to their own taste. Teresa: I mixed the meat; a little first, to blend the Sausage and Ground Beef. Then I divide the meat while in the bowl and put the Crumb mix in between before mixing. Had this saved in my Micro Soft Works. Should have checked it out better, before Posting. Thanks for the tip!!! Lou

Dragonfly, my co-workers loved them. I'm surprised they made it in. I'm so clumsy that I'm shocked I didn't drop them. I was on the way into the timeshare office I work in and I was stopped by three housekeepers who begged to see what I had in the carrier. They started reaching for a biscuit and then remembered to say, "Cud we tra won?" Well of course I couldn't say no. They along with my co-workers said that the biscuits tasted just like the ones at Red Lobster and they were grateful for me bringing them. I gave the recipe (with a bit of hesitation, I didn't want them to know how easy they were to make, I wanted them to think I slaved for them!) to 4 people. Thanks again Dragonfly... this really must be the best forum on the net!

You can get cold water lobsters any time of year but they are most plentiful (and I think cheapest) in the summer months. Scallops are in season through the winter months-- December until March/April if I remember correctly. We always have scallops for Christmas because they are so fresh and so good then! I would strongly recommend getting fresh/live lobster in order to make your lobster rolls. You can generally get frozen lobster tail anywhere but it's just not going to taste as good as you are remembering! I frequently buy precooked crab meat but I just wouldn't do it with lobster. If I opt to go with presteamed crab and shrimp, it will have been done that day-- the crabs will be fresh. We have plenty of local businesses that will gladly do both. What they won't do is clean the steamed crabs as my dad and grandfather used to do for us when we were growing up. They'd get bushels of crabs, steam then and clean them all out before serving them on the picnic tables. I was an adult before I knew that you have to clean your own crabs!