Favorite Recipe: Shrimp & Sausage Etouffee

All that I can say about this recipe is...YUM! This is an adaptation of a recipe that was published this year in Cooking Light magazine. The spice in this dish is the perfect blend of flavors, and I felt like it was better than any etouffee I have ever eaten...even in NOLA! You can adjust the heat with the amount of cayenne pepper that you use, or you can just drizzle some hot sauce on top.

Normally, I am a fan of the quick meal, but this recipe is anything but a quick one. I suggest doing all of the prep work and measuring ahead of time since this takes up the bulk of the time to prepare. Also, this takes three pots to cook, so be prepared for some clean up. If a recipe was ever worth the extra time, this is it. This would be a great meal to fix for guests, and the sauce freezes well if you want to prepare several meals at once. I also think that this would be just as good if it was served over white cheddar cheese grits instead of rice. Enjoy!

Shrimp & Sausage Etouffee

Ingredients:

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound Conecuh sausage (or plain smoked sausage)

1/3 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 20 shrimp)
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Directions:

1) Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.

2) Slice sausage into bite-size pieces. Cook in a separate small pan over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2) Melt 1/4 cup butter in sausage drippings in the same saucepan over medium heat. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour to pan; cook 8 minutes or until very brown, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat.

3)Add 1 cup broth mixture to pan; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining 3 cups broth mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth; set aside.
4) Melt remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter in a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and bell peppers to pan; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally.

5) Stir in 3/4 cup water, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper to onion mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

6) Add reserved broth-flour mixture and Worcestershire sauce to pan, stirring well to combine; bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7) Add green onions, 1/4 cup parsley, sausage, and shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice.

Yields 6 servings.

Favorite Recipe: Beer Cheese Soup & Fried Green Tomatoes

I decided to try out some new recipes for the new year, and I stumbled upon a couple of new hits with dinner last night. The Husby has been asking me to try making a Beer Cheese soup, so after some research and taking bits and pieces from a few different recipes, I came up with a great soup for those chilly days. Since I want to be Paula Deen when I grow up, I thought the meal needed a Southern twist. What better to make this a hearty meal than some fried green tomatoes with a little bit of remoulade sauce on the side. After The Hubsy went back for thirds, I thought this one should be added to the favorites list. Enjoy!
Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

2 celery ribs

1/2 medium onion

1 Bay leaf

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1-3/4 cups chicken broth

1 (12-ounce) bottle ale (Newcastle or Bass)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

16 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1) Add onion and celery to food processor and blend until liquid consistency. You want the consistency to be as smooth as possible.

2) Melt butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan. Add onion and celery mixture and Bay leaf to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

3) Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle flour over vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.

4) Add milk, broth, and beer, and whisk together. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes.

5) Stir in Worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper.

6) Add cheese by the handful, stirring constantly, cooking until cheese is melted. Let simmer 4 minutes. Discard Bay leaf.

7) Serve soup sprinkled with crumbled bacon.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

4 green tomatoes

2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1) In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

3) Slice the tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices (about 5 slices per tomato). Dip the slices into the batter and coat thoroughly.

4) Cover both sides with panko bread crumbs. Add to oil in pan and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Serve with remoulade sauce on the side.

Remoulade Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon Creole mustard

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped capers

Directions:

To prepare remoulade, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate.

We Must Have Been On the Nice List

I told The Husby a couple of years ago that I would never buy my kids a Power Wheels because I never had one as a kid. Well, never say never. The Barbie Jeep was the one thing that The Fred had been asking for over the past year, and it was also mentioned in the stipulations of our "Potty-Training Agreement." Since we have been diaper-free, even at bedtime, for almost a month, I decided it was time to cave. Of course, there was no way Santa could bring a Power Wheels for The Fred and not bring one for StickyBun-Scotti too, so we put in a request for two of them on our necessary items list to the man at the North Pole. All I can say is...I know two kids that must have been on Santa's Nice List this year. The pics are too cute, and the video includes a clip of The Fred screaming for at least two minutes about StickyBun-Scotti being a bad driver...priceless.

30 Things To Do With Your Kids: Day #2

Since the Wonder Pets is one of our favorite shows, I decided to take advantage of some of the craft projects on NickJr.com. This project was a lot of fun and provided plenty of laughs. Enjoy!

Wonder Pets Christmas Schoolhouse Puppet Theater

Sit Still for the Christmas Card...

I knew that it was wishful thinking to ever dream that I would be able to get both of the kiddos to sit still long enough to take pictures in front of the tree this year. Luckily, TerriblyShy is "quick-draw-McGraw" with the camera, so she was able to grab a few snapshots of The Fred and StickyBun-Scotti in front of her tree. The "Popeye-style" picture of The Fred is my fave!

30 Things To Do With Your Kids: Day #1

 

Since I will be home with the kiddos for the next 30 days, I thought that it would be fun to try a different craft or activity every day for the next 30 days. For our "Day One Project," we decided to build and decorate a gingerbread house that we received as a gift from TerriblyShy and The Boy Dentist. With the Kwik Build Gingerbread House Kit, I was confident that even I could build a pretty cute looking gingerbread house in just a few minutes. The kids were very excited about this project. Who could blame them? How often do you get to be creative with three of your favorite things: cookies, icing, and candy?

I do have to say, the end product came out much better than I expected. The kids were great helpers with the decorating, and as long as we worked faster than the candy was being eaten, we would have plenty of candy left for decorating. After dinner, we each enjoyed a slice of our gingerbread house masterpiece!

Today, we will be making Wonder Pets Christmas Ornaments...stay tuned!

Pillowcase Dress How-To

I have a stack of cute pillowcases that I have picked up at sales over the past couple of years, and I am finally going to sit down and try to put some of them to good use. I have shared these instructions before, but I thought I would share again in case any of you have a stack of pillowcases waiting on the shelf in your linen closet too. I put these instructions together several years ago for a friend, and they are easy enough for the sewing beginner. Once your girls are older, the pillowcase dress instructions can be edited to make a top instead of a dress, and these dresses are also great over a long sleeved shirt for the colder weather too. Enjoy!

From Pillowcase Dress

From Pillowcase Dress

From Pillowcase Dress

From Pillowcase Dress

From Pillowcase Dress

Is It Really Over?

To say that the past few months of school have been stressful, would be an understatement. Today, I am finished with the semester. Done. Finito. Fini. Terminado. I have a whole month to spend devoid of mental stimulation, if I so wish. My children couldn't be happier to have me all to themselves, but I keep telling them that in 30 days they will be tired of me again. I plan to spend my time doing the things that I don't normally have the time to enjoy...sewing, reading, and napping...and of course, updating my blog.
I need the time off. My friends may be starting to wonder about me due to my absence from the social scene. If I have to turn down one more e-vite because I need to study, I may soon find myself without any messages in my inbox. All I can say is...Happy "I Have A Whole Month Off From School" Day!!!

Favorite Recipe: Beef Tenderloin with Mustard & Herbs

With the holiday season under way, we all have plenty of opportunities to showcase our culinary skills for family and friends. Here is a recipe that is sure to please the masses for a formal gathering or your holiday cocktail party. Enjoy!

Beef Tenderloin with Mustard & Herbs

Ingredients:
1 (2 1/2-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Prepare grill.

2. Lightly coat beef with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Reduce heat to medium. Grill 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145° or until desired degree of doneness, turning to brown on all sides. Let beef stand 10 minutes.

3. Sprinkle parsley, thyme, and rosemary in an even layer on an 18 x 15–inch sheet of plastic wrap. Brush mustard evenly over beef. Place beef in herb mixture on plastic wrap; roll beef over herbs, pressing gently. Slice beef.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)