Shrimp!

Shrimp is one of my favorite foods. I find that they go everywhere chicken can go, but they're bettter tasting and faster cooking. Like my mom, I've grown addicted to eating a large salad topped with shrimp for one or more meals per day.

But man, buying frozen shrimp is expensive! I decided, in the interest of significant cost savings, to purchase shrimp with the shells still on and do some of the disassembly myself. Shells are no big deal for me- I picked up the shrimp and got those suckers off in a heartbeat. The vein, however, is another story. My concerns are twofold:

First is the wimpy excuse- they call them veins, but those nasty tubes running through the shrimp aren't veins, they're digestive tracts. So the stuff that's inside them ain't blood, people. Gross!

Second, I'm not the greatest with knives, and it takes just a bit of trickery to get those puppies out. Dave often marvels at my ability to get dinner on the table nightly without losing a finger, because I tend to be a bit cavalier with the cutting.

I am pleased to report, however, that I just finished peeling and deveining a pound of shrimp for dinner. The veins are gross looking, but you get used to them pretty quickly and they're surprisingly easy to remove. I only poked myself with the knife once, causing a very minor flesh wound.

So if you're interested in saving about 6 bucks per pound of shrimp, try doing the legwork yourself. If I can do it, anyone can : )