How about Pickled Shrimp? They can be done a couple of days ahead. Serve in a pretty bowl with crackers alongside. Pickled Shrimp 7 1/2 cups water 2 1/2 pounds unpeeled fresh shrimp 3 medium onions, sliced Fresh ground pepper Whole peppercorns 4 bay leaves 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled 1 cup cider vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, no more than 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water to prevent further cooking. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on. In a large glass airtight jar (about 1 1/2 quarts *) layer shrimp and onions and top each layer with ground black pepper, peppercorns, bay leaf and a clove of garlic. Keep layering until jar is about 2/3 full. Pour vinegar and lemon juice over layers until jar is almost full. Leave space at the top so you can gently shake jar to remix ingredients. Seal jar tightly and chill for a few days up to 2 weeks. Turn jar upside down to remix every other day or so. Serve chilled as an appetizer. * Note: for larger shrimp you may need a larger jar and adjust ingredients accordingly. PD says they'll keep for 2 weeks. Hugh Acheson in Saveur says a week - http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Pickled-Shrimp. I'd go with a week or less. Here is a link that might be useful: Paula Deen's Pickled Shrimp

another contender ... note the "heads-on" shrimp Barbecued Shrimp The Washington Post, June 27, 2007  Cuisine: American  Course: Appetizer, Main Course  Features: Fast, Kid-Friendly Summary: These are not done on the grill, but rather get their barbecued flavor from the seasoning blend. Because this recipe makes a tasty, butter-rich sauce, serve the shrimp with lots of crusty bread for dipping, or on a platter with cooked rice mounded in the middle and the shrimp and sauce surrounding it. 4 appetizer servings or 2 main-course servings Ingredients:  1 pound (about 2 dozen) large, heads-on shrimp, rinsed and drained  8 to 12 tablespoons (1 to 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter  2 medium cloves garlic, minced  1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning blend, such as Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic or Blackened Redfish Magic  1/2 cup shrimp or fish stock  1/4 cup beer Directions: Pinch off and discard the portion of the shrimp heads from the eyes forward (including the eyes). Leave as much as possible of the orange-colored fat from the head attached to the body. Set aside. Combine 8 tablespoons of the butter with the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and seafood seasoning blend in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter has just melted, add the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking (versus stirring) in a back-and-forth motion. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the stock. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking the skillet. Add the beer and cook for 1 minute, shaking the skillet. Remove from the heat and transfer to shallow soup bowls. Serve immediately Recipe Source: Adapted from chef Paul Prudhomme. 245 calories, 15g fat, 9g saturated fat, 207mg cholesterol, 1073mg sodium, 2g carbohydrates, n/a dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 24g protein.

Saw this last night on the Food channel, watching Paula Deen's Cooking Class. Thought someone might be interested in it. She sure made it sound good! Of course, she makes everything sound good! Shrimp Florentine over Tomato Grits Tomato Grits: 2 cups water 3/4 cup milk 1 teaspoons salt 1 cup quick cooking grits 1 stick butter, plus 1 tablespoon butter 1/3 cup green onions, diced 6-ounce garlic cheese roll 2 1/2 cups Cheddar, shredded 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles 2 eggs, lightly beaten Shrimp Florentine: 2 tablespoons butter 1 clove minced garlic 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 to 2 lemons juiced White wine, for deglazing 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Grand Padana 2 cups fresh spinach, packed down 1 dash ground nutmeg Salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the tomato grits, in a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Add the salt. Slowly add the grits and return to a boil; stir for 1 full minute. (The secret to preparing good grits is the initial stirring of the pot.) Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir the grits and add 1 stick of butter, stirring until it has melted. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and set aside. Saute the onions in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for 1 minute. Add the garlic cheese, 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, and onions to the grits, and stir until cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes and green chiles and mix well; stir in the beaten eggs. Pour the grits into a greased 8 by11 by 2-inch casserole. Bake the casserole for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the casserole for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. To make the Shrimp Florentine, start with 1 tablespoon butter in saute pan. Add minced garlic and shrimp. Deglaze with lemon and wine. Add cream, cheese and spinach. Reduce, season, to taste, with salt and pepper and pour over grits. Leslie

We started grilling pizza this year. We told our friends about it and they had a pizza grilling party about a month ago. The only one that didn't work was the pizza on the open campfire. The cheese wouldn't melt because we had no lid on that one.