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Tuesday night my husband and I hosted for his Karen and her husband, his sister Amy and her mother-in-law and his cousin and wife at dinner at Colington Cafe in Kill Devil Hills. We were a group of 8. Angela, of Colington Café, had us seated on the second floor. We started off with a seafood appetizer platter that included coconut shrimp, rumaki and crab cakes. The cafe’s rumaki was made with a scallop wrapped in bacon, topped with a teriyaki ginger sauce. The restaurant also included warm Brie cheese served with French bread, chutney and thinly sliced apple for the table.
For entrees, four in the group had the Nightly Special Mixed Grill which was cobia fish and shrimp; it was delicious. On Wednesday night, all the nieces and nephews arrived for a gathering at our rental home. Our group came from Monticello, Georgia, North Carolina (Winston-Salem, Asheville, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Raleigh) Winchester, Virginia, and our group from New Jersey. One of our nieces was disappointed that I didn’t prepare an Italian meal, however, we were a group of 24 that included 6 kids under 8, 1 vegan, 1 pescatarian and 1 vegetarian. My sister-in-law Karen made a vegetarian/vegan entree while the rest of us enjoyed a barbecue meal catered by High Cotton Barbecue of Kitty Hawk. I ordered hand chopped pork, fried chicken, St. Louis cut ribs, sliced beef brisket, chopped slaw, baked beans, green beans and hush puppies. The chopped pork came with a vinegar base BBQ sauce and the ribs had a thick, rich sauce. The baked beans were delicious, but my husband is still raving about the green beans. My daughter thinks it was the freshly ground pepper that made them so good. I’m going to reach out to them to see if they’ll either share the recipe or the ingredients. For dessert, I brought homemade Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies so the kids could make ice cream sandwiches and the rest of us enjoyed oatmeal cookies. Other places where ate and recommend are Cravings in Duck. Prior to our departure I caught an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy Fieri visited here. It was perfect for us. My daughter, granddaughters and I just finished the wild horse tour and we met my son and his family and my niece. We were able to call ahead to place a takeout order and ate across street at a park that had picnic tables and a small playground for my grandchildren to burn off some energy. My daughter tried the Pickled Brined Chicken Sandwich (crispy fried chicken breast, with lettuce, tomato and pickled). I selected the fish and chips and the kids had chicken tenders and fries. The food was excellent and most enjoyable. One afternoon my husband and I took a ride up to Duck for a little shopping. I found a branch of The Spice and Tea Exchange and stocked up on bourbon infused honey and bourbon infused maple syrup, whole nutmeg ($0.50 each), Chesapeake Bay seasoning for the seafood bake and both ancho and chipotle pepper powder. For lunch, we revisited the Sanderling Resort, where we stayed 15 years ago for another family reunion. Lunch was al fresco at the Lifesaving Station. It was a warm, sunny afternoon and we sat on the deck enjoying a light breeze while viewing the sound. My husband had the wedge salad made with iceberg lettuce, cherrywood smoked bacon, lardon, heirloom tomato, blue cheese dressing and grilled chicken. I selected the blackened tuna sandwich that included lettuce, tomato, smoked bacon and a spicy Wasabi Aioli…delicious! Before my daughter and her family left, we joined them for lunch at Greentail’s Seafood Market and Kitchen in Nags Head. My daughter and her husband had the special of the day, Crispy Bluefin Tuna Burrito with Mexi-street corn spread, cheese blend, pickled onion, coconut rice and beans. They both devoured it in no time. My granddaughters shared a Greentail Fried Shrimp basket. The girls loved the hush puppies that accompanied their meal and the shrimp had a light, crispy coating. My husband had the Fried Shrimp Po Boy with lettuce tomato, malt vinegar, aioli, sriracha on a hoagie roll. He also thought the shrimp were delicious. I chose the “Dewey” which was local seared tuna steak with pickled cabbage and pineapple teriyaki glaze…outstanding. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick up some fresh North Carolina shrimp before our departure. My brother-in-law suggested taking a ride to Wanchese and purchasing our shrimp from O’Neal’s Sea Harvest. They are both a wholesaler and retailer. They have a wide variety of fish available year-round. Soft-shell crabs which will be in season from April through October, blue crabs March through December and scallops June through August. Although they had frozen five-pound packages available, I decided to get fresh, heads off so that I could make smaller packages. I purchased 15 pounds of shrimp, five pounds for myself and the balance shared between my son and daughter. The shrimp were marked $10.75/lb., however, they were $2.00/lb. off if your purchased fresh.. Aside from eating and the beach, I took my daughter and granddaughters on the Corolla Wild Horse Tours. It’s two-hour tour in an open-air safari-style truck. While the weather was sunny and bright, it was chilly riding in the truck. They do provide blankets, but you’ll need to prepare for the elements. The drive started along the beach before we cut into the marsh area. A stallion and two mares where sunbathing in the backyard of a home. We drove north through the marshes looking for more horses. Altogether, we saw seven horses during our tour. My granddaughters are 6 and 3 and they needed their car seats for the truck. My daughter also packed snacks for them. There are no bathroom stops during the tour. It is a pricey adventure, but the girls enjoyed it and it makes for a wonderful memory for them. Overall, all the families had a wonderful time seeing each other, reminiscing and catching up. The weather was perfect for this time of the year. Wonderful memories were made.
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