Ah, thank you, Linda and Mitch...love all those suggestions and will probably include them all. There will also be a veggie platter, so they can dip those, also....This business of becoming a Grandmother is taking its toll on my thought processes, I think! Too exciting!!! ;-) Many thanks...Lynn!

Well I'm really sad because I can't find the poached shrimp recipe; I can "see" it and it's in a mag I must have tossed. But this sounds extremely close to what I remember. From Cooks Illustrated. I'll have to try it myself - the interesting part is making stock with the shells rather than cooking them in shells: 1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20 count), peeled, deveined, and rinsed, shells reserved 1 teaspoon table salt 1 cup dry white wine 4 peppercorns 5 coriander seeds 1/2 bay leaf 5 sprigs fresh parsley leaves 1 sprig fresh tarragon leaves 1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 small lemon 1. Bring reserved shells, 3 cups water, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until fragrant, about 20 minutes. Strain stock through sieve, pressing on shells to extract all liquid. 2. Bring stock and remaining ingredients except shrimp to boil in 3- or 4-quart saucepan over high heat; boil 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in shrimp; cover and let stand until firm and pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain shrimp, reserving stock for another use. Plunge shrimp into ice water to stop cooking, then drain again. Serve shrimp chilled with cocktail sauce. And the grilled shrimp I absolutely love - haven't made it in a while so it's more involved than I remember. But brining then marinating really makes it great. ingredients 1 quart water 1/3 cup salt 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 1 1/2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, unpeeled 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons dry white wine 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper Roasted Garlic-Herb Sauce (you can get the link from Epicurious.com - I made it the first time and thought nothing of it. The shrimp are delicious by themselves.) preparation Stir first 3 ingredients in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Add shrimp. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Drain and rinse shrimp. Using shears, cut shrimp shells down center of back all the way to tail section. Using sharp knife, cut shrimp in their shells along the full length of the back (do not cut all the way through). Remove vein and pull off legs. Open shrimp. Whisk olive oil, white wine, garlic, parsley, and crushed red pepper in clean medium bowl. Add shrimp and stir; let stand 30 minutes. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place shrimp, flesh side down, on grill. Grill shrimp until pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and serve, passing Roasted Garlic-Herb Sauce separately. Bon Appétit, July 2001

We had Christmas dinner with Jimmy and Maartje, and so I have energy for New Year's Day. We went shopping at Ralphs today and found fresh okra, and so I decided to make seafood gumbo, which is one of my top five favorite dishes. It will include fresh frozen shrimp, Alaskan King Crab, and Maine lobster. I made some stock from the leftover Cornish game hen bones from Christmas dinner, but I may or may not use this stock, as I like for the seafood to dominate. I plan to start cooking early because I want to use as much of the seafood shells for stock as possible. I only add the seafood meat at the very last minute before serving, and I plan on freezing a few servings for later. We got the refrigerator cleaned out on Sunday, which was the first we had to go through and sort everything for the past month or so. I'm very happy with the new space that I recovered and pledge to keep it. Lars

Here is a recipe for shrimp soup that I like: SPICY SHRIMP SOUP WITH LEMON GRASS The most popular soup in Thailand. A classic Thai seafood soup of excellent taste. Minutes quick for easy preparation. Lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves are there for flavor, but not to be eaten. 1/2 pound shrimp 4 cups water 1 stalk fresh lemon grass, sliced 1 can (8 oz.) straw mushrooms, drained 2 kaffir lime leaves (or regular lime leaves or 1 tsp lime zest) 1 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce * 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 green onions, sliced 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 to 4 red chili peppers, seeded and chopped or 1/2 teaspoon red chili paste Garnish: Cilantro sprigs Devein shrimp; leave shells on for color, if desired. Bring water to a boil. Add lemon grass and straw mushrooms; immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes; stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, and red chili peppers, if desired. Remove lemongrass and lime leaves and serve hot. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Makes 4 servings. Note: Fresh mushrooms can be substituted for the canned mushrooms, but add at end of cooking time. Idea: Spicy Thai Vegetable Soup can be prepared by substituting tofu and mixed vegetables for the shrimp. Use 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of the fish sauce. *The amount of fish sauce used in this recipe depends on the brand selected and personal taste. This is an old recipe (from the 1980s) but I still make it. I never used canned mushrooms, however, and generally use Kaffir lime juice. Use your shrimp stock for part of the water, and the flavor will be improved.