Then this potty training thing is just the pits. No one ever told me how much patience you have to have as the parent. Today, I had to clean poopy drawers and the poopy was a little moist. Yuck! Then she had the nerves to start crying. I told her her that I should be the one crying! She has learned a new word...Mickey Mouse and she asks to watch Mickey Mouse all day long! Of course, I don't let her watch it all day, but she will continuously hand me the remote control throughout the day and say, "Min Mouse!". Then, she will throw a tantrum when I don't let her watch it. Mickey Mouse has become my worst nightmare. I think if I ever go to Disney World, I would find Mickey and hit him in the throat!
On a brighter note, I have lost 5 pounds in the month. I have really commited myself to working out and tracking all of the food that I eat and it is working. Now, If I can lose another 20lbs, I would be back to my fine, sexy college body. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Somehow, through everything that I have to get done throughout the day, I can always find time to cook a meal. I always focus on using fresh ingredients to maximize taste and flavor. Today, I made Shrimp Etouffee. I think I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website, but it is delicious. Cutting all of the fresh ingredients is a little tedious, but well worth the work. If you can't find fish stock at your grocery store, you can substitute with clam juice. Enjoy!
Shrimp Etouffee
The perfect accompaniment to étouffée is a heaping mound of sautéed greens and okra. Add a nice cold beer or a glass of iced tea and for dessert, key lime pie.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup white wine
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup fish stock
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup white wine
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup fish stock
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
Method
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add yellow and green onions and cook until fragrant. Add bay leaves, thyme and wine. Cook down for 5 minutes, then add bell peppers and celery. Reduce heat to low.
In a separate medium pot, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in flour until smooth. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes, until roux is dark brown. In a bowl combine fish stock and tomato paste, then whisk the mixture into the roux. Pour this into pot with onion mixture and stir well. Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, tomatoes, parsley and shrimp and cook just until heated through. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve étouffée over steamed white rice, if you like.
In a separate medium pot, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in flour until smooth. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes, until roux is dark brown. In a bowl combine fish stock and tomato paste, then whisk the mixture into the roux. Pour this into pot with onion mixture and stir well. Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, tomatoes, parsley and shrimp and cook just until heated through. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve étouffée over steamed white rice, if you like.
Nutrition
Per serving: 180 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 130mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 16g protein
