{"id":2903,"date":"2023-05-29T14:08:01","date_gmt":"2023-05-29T18:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=2903"},"modified":"2023-05-30T21:17:26","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T01:17:26","slug":"classic-cocktail-sauce-or-what-to-cook-when-moving-and-cleaning-out-your-fridge-and-freezer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=2903","title":{"rendered":"Classic Cocktail Sauce Or What To Cook When Moving And Cleaning Out Your Fridge And Freezer!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Classic homemade cocktail sauce<\/span>
with wild Gulf shrimp<\/span>
Porcelain bowls by Kevin Caufield<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seasons come and seasons go. That is the rhythm of the year. For me, opposite of most people, the hardest transition is spring. I love the coziness of winter, the fresh, crisp, sometimes bracing cold air, baking bread, steaming bowls of soup and the openness of the sky with no leafy canopy of leaves to obscure it. Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2014spring is beautiful with all the verdant greens and continual parade of colorful blossoms and flowers. I just know the heat and humidity that is lurking ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Spring tulips<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And what to cook and eat in spring is less clear. Of course, fiddleheads and asparagus and soon strawberries will be abundant. This year is a little more complicated as we are packing to make our 10th move in three years and there hasn\u2019t been a lot of time to browse cookbooks or flip through recipe files. Mostly I am trying to use up the contents of our current freezer and fridge as much as possible so we have a little less to move. It is a good practice to add to your spring clean anyway, as food wasn\u2019t meant to be stored in there for years!<\/span><\/p>\n

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A good fresh horseradish<\/span>
makes a big difference in flavor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Add your favorite hot sauce to<\/span>
spice things up<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This week as I fill and weave amongst the moving boxes, bins and IKEA bags, we will be eating pasta with pesto, both the regular basil as well as a tub fennel pesto<\/a> I unearthed at the bottom the freezer. I will simmer sliced carrots and celery, perhaps with some mushrooms, onions and leftover rice, in the defrosted jars of chicken stock, topped off with the remaining half bag of frozen peas. The frozen berries and bananas will get blended with the yogurt and kefir left in the fridge for breakfast smoothies. Finally, the pound of wild gulf shrimp I stashed away when it was on sale will get boiled and chilled for a giant, old school shrimp cocktail. I gave up jarred cocktail sauce long ago because of all the added sugar, often high fructose corn syrup, and because I can make it exactly the way we like it, full of fresh horseradish and lemon juice. Many of you probably make your own already. If you like it spicy, as we do, add hot sauce or tabasco. Whip some up (takes only a few minutes) and serve with shrimp, lobster, oysters or even crudit\u00e9s for the gorgeous week ahead. Then enjoy your tidy freezer and have a happy Memorial Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Classic cocktail sauce with shrimp<\/span>
Bowls by Kevin Caufield<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CLASSIC COCKTAIL SAUCE\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stir together just to blend:<\/span><\/p>\n