Christmas Eve and Joe's Crab Shack

For many years, we have had cracked Dungeness crab for Christmas Eve dinner (we've had some interesting excursions finding crab, but that's another story for another time.). Last year, when we were in Mesa, Arizona, I checked a few stores, but could not find any. Then someone got the bright idea that we should go to Joe's Crab Shack.

Bill was fighting bronchitis, so he stayed home. But Leslie came with us along with our friends Tom and Juni who were also spending Christmas where it was warm. We had a great time, eating crab and lobster -- and the best part was that I didn't have to clean the crabs!

So when we joined up with Bill and Leslie here in Florida a week or so ago, we immediately decided that we would be going to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner on Christmas Eve. Leslie had already checked and discovered that there were THREE of them in the Orlando area! Which is sort of funny 'cause there were NONE in the Seattle or Portland area...

What is fun about the Joe's Crab Shack franchise is the variety they offer. You can order King, Queen, Snow or Dungeness crab or lobster or a combination thereof. Then you have to decide what kind of seasoning you want yours cooked with, a range from Cajun to Chesapeake to BBQ. They come in a pot with an ear of corn and a couple of boiled potatoes. There is a hole in the center of the table with a bucket in it for you to toss your shells into. You also get a roll of paper towels to use for napkins and a piece of newspaper for a place mat. If you order crab or lobster, you get a bib tied around your neck and you're given a couple of packets of hand cleaner wipe along with a nut cracker and one of Joe's pry tools (that say "stolen from Joe's Crab Shack on them.).

Bill and Leslie ordered a combination of King and Queen crabs while I stuck with my traditional Dungeness choice. And Forry -- he decided he was going to eat popcorn shrimp tonight! And then as if all the seafood wasn't enough, we all four shared a version of S'mores -- a decadent dessert of graham crackers on a bed of chocolate sauce, topped with a slice of chocolate cake that was topped with gooey toasted marshmallows! Scrumptious!

So after dining at Joe's Crab Shack two years in a row, it is now a tradition, right?

A Sense of Anticipation

I am seventy years old. How could I possibly be feeling like a little kid? But, I do have a sense of anticipation as tomorrow is Christmas Eve! It's not about presents, because we don't do much more then little stocking stuffers (and I find and wrap most of them...). It's not so much about food, though we are planning to go to dinner at Joe's Crab Shop tomorrow night and having Christmas dinner at Leslie's parent's house on Sunday. It's certainly not about a WHITE Christmas, it was almost ninety here in Clermont, Florida today and we actually turned on the air conditioners. It's not about family, as they are sadly all a L-O-N-G way away.

My early memories of Christmas are of driving around town at night looking at the Christmas lights and decorations; of pieces learned and recited for Grange Christmas parties; of Christmas Eve at church and then going to Grandma Kubik's house to open presents -- in the parlor we weren't allowed into any other time of the year.

The constant of Christmas all of my life has been a sense of wonder about the child that was born in the barn -- and laid in a manger. The realization of what a wonderful gift that infant was to be to all of us. So I guess that's what the sense of anticipation is all about. A sense that once more we are celebrating the remembrance of that wonderful present so many years ago that still is with us today!

Joe's Crab Shack

 We need another night in Nashville -- there are still places we need to eat at. Cleon sent me a note about a place that has the "best catfish fillets in America" and Bill sent his list as well.  But tonight we all voted for crab!  We had eaten together at a Joe's Crab Shack last New Year's Eve (Bill was sick, but Leslie got to come.) and had wanted to go back.

Juni had one of the buckets that had three kinds of crab (King, Dungeness and Snow) as well as sausage, potatoes and corn --

Tom had a hot spicy version of the same --

I settled for just the Dungeness crab -- my favorite -- that also came with corn on the cob and new potatoes.  Forry decided that he just wanted to have coconut shrimp.  He said they were really good, but from the look on his face, I'm not so sure...

By the end of the meal, the bucket in the middle of the table was full of shells, corn cobs and a bit of trash...

It was dark out when we had finished eating  The AT&T Building, also known as the "bat" building, is the landmark building of downtown Nashville.

Sister Roxy gave me a bad time last night about eating ribs without her, but the crab was even better!