Preppy Runner – Theodora Blanchfield

I’ve had some pretty freaking cool experiences since starting this blog, but Fresh Direct helped me pull off a really cool one last week.

A few weeks ago I was driving back from the Hamptons, and I got an email from the FreshDirect PR people asking if I wanted to participate in a lobster party with them. IS THIS REAL LIFE? WHAT IS MY LIFE? immediately went through my mind, and I emailed the lovely lady back as soon as I stopped, saying “I am obsessed with lobster, so yes please!”

I really like entertaining, but it also makes me really nervous, so I just wanted to plan something small with my closest friends. I was dumb and originally planned on hosting it the night after the NYC Tri, but, LOL no.

FreshDirect provided me with gift cards to pay for the entire experience, which was really nice. I logged on earlier in the week and reserved my lobstahs, and updated the order the night before when I was sure what my menu would be.

On Friday, I anxiously waited for a call/email from my doorman that I had a delivery.

Oh, did I have a delivery! (The other two bags are tangentially related but were not part of the order.)

I brought the boxes upstairs and was TERRIFIED to open them. WHAT IF LIVE LOBSTERS JUMPED OUT?

Thankfully, Lacey came over soon after and was a tremendous help, as she always is when I have a party. Just when I start freaking out, she steps in and helps me project manage.

We’d gone to Uplift the night before, and I’d warned her that she’d be doing any lobster-killing. Luckily, I had checked that I wanted the lobsters split/cleaned (which I think was an extra $1 or so per pound – WELL WORTH IT.)

I’d decided on an easy menu since the lobsters would be the stars of the show: roasted red potatoes and Mexican corn. (I found that recipe because I googled “Mexican corn no grill”, because, NYC. I don’t have a panini maker, either, so we boiled the corn and then cooked the rest of it in the broiler.

Just cheesin’.

And yes, of course I wore my lobster dress.

Props to my mom for bringing me these plates, and props to Emily for having fabulous hair. (Oh, and being a fabulous friend, too.)

FreshDirect sent over a Lobster Party Kit with some tips and recipes.

No, Alex, let’s pretend to be serious here for the picture, ok?

When it came down to it, the lobster prep was actually pretty easy, since they’d already been cleaned and split. (Ain’t nobody got time for dirty lobstahs.)(And I just watched this lobster-splitting video…and it looks terrifying.)

I got 8 lobsters, so we had 16 halves. We cooked them by throwing them in boiling water with some tarragon, lemon, salt and pepper and cooked for about 8 minutes per pot. They provided Homarus lobsters; FreshDirect is an exclusive retailer for the lobstahs which come straight from Maine, where all good lobsters come from, and are sourced straight from Homarus’ dock. They have a slightly softer shell, so they’re much easier to crack open.

Hi guys!

WAIT, WHAT? They were alive??

Ta-da!

Like chicken of the sea, right?

He was not allowed lobster.

We also made some drawn butter to dip the little guys in. (And yes, I do have a lobster print on my wall. Thank you for asking. I cannot fake this level of love for lobsters.)

Sides!

True Life: I Live in an NYC Studio So My Dresser Doubles as a Buffet and the Lobsters Did Not Try to Steal My Jewelry.

I should also note that Fresh Direct has a decent wine selection; I was PSYCHED to find my fave, Babich, on their site.

Do you want to have your own lobster party?? Of course you do. Fresh Direct is currently having a KILLER sale — $4.99/pound!!!

If you have your own lobstah party, I’d love to hear about it! Use @freshdirect #FDlobsterparty to…join the party! There’s also a lobster hotline if you’re “in hot water.” 1-844-4LOBSTA. Without Lacey, I sure as hell would have called it.

Thank you so much to FreshDirect for hooking me up with this! I now: want to cook more lobster, entertain more, and uh, just cook more.

Do you like lobster? How do you cook it? Do you entertain often?