Spanish Seafood Lovin'

Last night, my aunt hosted dinner for my dad's side of the family. I have no shame in admitting that I had more fun than I often do in a bar with my friends!

Amazingly, my parents and I were the first to arrive despite usually being the last! Pre-dinner I had a ton of roasted nuts, and a bunch of salt and vinegar chips with delicious crab dip.

The dip was so good, especially with the salt and vinegar chips- really tangy and flavorful, without the heavy mayo taste that overpowers so many dips. (I found the recipe she used and included it at the bottom of this post.)

I could have eaten that stuff all night, but I reminded myself to save room for dinner! We started off with salads:

And then moved onto the main attraction.

Paella, made by my uncle. Saffron-infused rice filled with chicken, chorizo, ham, scallops, shrimp, scrod, squid, mussels and clams.

As a seafood lover, I was obsessed with this dish. I passed the meat parts onto my dad, then ate every bit of seafood on my plate. It was amazing, especially the scallops, shrimp and squid. After this dish and the crab dip, I think I might grow a shell today. Shellfish is my favorite!

Along with our paella, we enjoyed homemade sangria.

I've never had sangria without the chunks of fruit in it, and I think I actually preferred it this way. Fruity and sweet with a hint of cinnamon.

And of course, cake for dessert.

My grandparents really loved the presentation, and the cake itself seemed to make a hit- even if I didn't get to try any!

Aren't they sweet?

The best part about the evening was definitely just sitting around the table talking, though. I haven't laughed so hard in awhile...especially when my mom impersonated the screech foxes make when they're mating. Don't ask.

After a late bedtime, I woke up this morning totally thrown by the time change. I think I may be the only person on the planet who actually prefers it to be lighter in the morning than at night.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

* * *

Lemony Tarragon Crab Dip with Salt and Vinegar Chips (from the Cookbook Proposal)

 - 1/4 c cream cheese

 - 3 T finely chopped onion

 - 2 T mayonnaise

 - 1.5 T lemon juice

 - 2 t chopped fresh dill 

 - 1/2 t lemon zest

 - 8 oz. crab meat

 - 1/4 c finely chopped cucumber

 - salt and vinegar chips for dipping

Simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with chips. (The chips really made the dip stand out to me!)