Barefoot Bloggers - Shrimp Bisque

I seriously considered not posting that picture. I mean, does that look appetizing to you? A bowl of brown, lumpy, well.....I won't go there. But then I went to the Food Network site to get a copy the recipe and saw their picture. Not any better. I figured this was just one of those times when you scratch your head and say, "How could something that tasted that GOOD, look so bad???"

And, wow, did this taste good. So good, that I didn't even mind the partially pureed texture. The only thing I'll do differently next time is roast a few extra shrimp for a topping....just so when I serve it at my next dinner party, people will know exactly what they're eating. And won't immediately push it away because its so damn ugly.

Thanks to Jennifer of Our Blessed Home for this week's BB pick. Great choice. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts this week and especially seeing their pictures!!

Here's the recipe:

Shrimp Bisque

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
4 cups seafood stock
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

TWD - Cocoa-Nana Bread

First of all, thanks to Steff of Obsessed with Baking for this week's TWD. Who knew she'd set off this big debate among the bakers about the combination of banana and chocolate.

I happen to love them together and I never imagined anyone else felt differently, so I was excited about this bread. There was a lot of substitution talk going on the the P&Q...applesauce, pumpkin, etc.....so I'm anxious to read how that worked out for everyone.

So for the taste.....I have to admit that I thought these were a bit too "cocoa powdery" tasting for me at first. The chocolate really smacked my taste buds with not much banana at all, but I had a bite a day later and everything had kind of melded together and I could really taste the banana in the background. Which, for me, is a good thing.

I chose to make four mini-loafs. This way I could give one away and freeze a couple for later. It also cut down on the baking time to about 40 minutes.

While this won't rank in the top 5 for us, I think it's worth a try. Make sure to check Steff's blog for the recipe.

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

I teased you about this a little over the weekend in my Project 365 post. If you're a busy mom with not a lot of time to prepare dinner, you'll be glad you came back here to get this recipe.

Now I'm not trying to steal Rachael Ray's gig or anything, but this falls in the "30-minute" meal category. I know you read "enchiladas" and are thinking "This woman is bonkers (you might be right). There's no way you can make enchiladas in 30 minutes." But the thing is......with this recipe, actually you can! And you never have to stuff and roll one tortilla!!

This recipe is also another reason I'm a huge fan of the rotisserie chicken. I buy at least one rotisserie chicken every week. There are a kabillion, zillion things you can do with one.....besides just eating straight from the bag! Which I've been known to do. I could probably actually dedicate an entire blog to the beloved rotisserie chicken. Hmmmm.

Anyway, try this. You can adjust the seasonings and the cheeses to make it as spicy or as mild as you want. I even added a few canned jalapenos to mine. Yum.

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Cook's Country Magazine

Serves 6

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground chmin

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (I only had room for 8 in my casserole dish)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, and salt and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm

Toss chicken, 1/4 cup sauce, 1 cup cheese, and cilantro in bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 8-inch square baking dish. Stack tortillas on plate and microwave, covered, until pliable, about 1 minute. Place 4 tortillas over bottom of dish and cover with half of chicken mixture. Top with 4 tortillas and half of remaining sauce. Cover with remaining chicken mixture, tortillas, sauce, and cheese.

Wrap with foil and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Serve. (I topped ours with a little extra cilantro and maybe Mr. B threw some sour cream on his!!)

Week 3 of Project 365

This week you find out just how boring my life is! I really struggled to find picture worthy moments. Don't expect to be inspired here!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

I went to watch my tennis team play a match on a cold, dreary, drizzly day. Luckily I didn't have to play so I got to sit out of the rain and watch! Benefits of being the captain, I guess. Good news is that we won!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

You've already seen this picture (unfortunately it's not the only repeat!). Here's the recipe.

Monday, January 18, 2010

I had the exciting task of sitting at Barry and Carly's all day while the painter finished the cabinets. They ended up looking really great. Much warmer, I think.

Here's what they looked like before.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Oh yum. Have you made these yet?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

You need to check back tomorrow for this recipe. Stacked Chicken Enchiladas. Quick, easy and yummy.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Told you I had a boring week. I did get a new lens for my camera and this was the test shot five minutes after I got it out of the box. Exciting stuff.

Friday, January 21, 2010

I bought tulips this week at the grocery story. I thought they might make me think that Spring is not far away. It helped a little.

I promise I'll try to liven things up this week.

TWD - Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

I so don't need to be eating these. I'm leaving for Hawaii in ten days, people. Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars don't need to beh in mah belleh. So I just had a tiny bite. Wow. Really rich and crunchy and chocolately. A little bit goes a long way.

The problem is, this recipe makes a TON of bars. I cut these into small bars and individually froze them. Hopefully that doesn't ruin them because these are perfect for Mr. B to snack on. He loved them.

Thanks to Lillian of Confectiona's Realm for this week's pick. Head over to her site for the recipe.

Oh, and I left out the raisins. They're not necessary. Ever.

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

For some reason, the focus in January every year is on getting back in shape and eating healthy. I guess one month out of the year is better than none, but this is something Mr. B and I try to do all year round. Now, don't get me wrong. We're not obsessive about it. We both love a steak and mashed potatoes and a little something sweet, but for the most part we're pretty healthy.

We get some form of exercise in every day and both see our trainers three days a week. That's because of those "little something sweets"!! We eat a lot of seafood and I try to incorporate some sort of grain in most meals.

So when I saw Ina making this lemon pasta on a recent show and then came across the recipe in this month's Food Network Magazine, I figured it would be something hubs and I would enjoy. It really was. Because I'm well versed in Ina's recipes I made a few minor changes to adapt to our tastes. Like the amount of lemon she uses. Mr. B likes his lemon subtle and Ina likes to smack you in the face with it so I halved that. Also lightened up a little on the butter and used whole wheat angel hair pasta.

Ina's method of roasting the shrimp is genius. Quick, easy and really great flavor. If you're looking for an easy to put together weeknight meal that's light and healthy, put this into your rotation!

Here's the recipe:

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

adapted from Barefoot Contessa

2 lbs (17 to 21 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 1 1/2 lbs and bought it already peeled and deveined.....time saver!)

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound angel hair pasta (I used whole wheat)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I used 3 tablespoons)

Zest and juice of 2 lemons (I used 1 lemon)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well, spread them in one layer and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they're pink and cooked through.

Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the angel hair and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Quickly toss the angel hair with the melted butter, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, and about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.

Week 2 of Project 365

Saturday, Jan 9, 2010

I have enough rosemary growing in my backyard to supply the entire restaurant industry of Birmingham. It's about a 60' long hedge. One of Rafter's favorite things to do is rub is face in it! Makes him smell like rosemary for about three days! Which is much better than he usually smells!

And I never have to buy rosemary at the grocery store!

Sunday, Jan 10, 2010

OMG.....remember this post? Well I did make pasta out of the leftover mushroom stuffing. Unbelievable. I just added about two more cups of chopped mushrooms to the stuffing, a tablespoon (or two!) of heavy cream and a couple tablespoons of the pasta water. Then tossed in some short, ridged pasta and topped it with some freshly grated parm. Mr. B ate this for three days!!

Monday, Jan 11, 2010

A beautiful sunset out my back door!

Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010

Tuesday was a catch-up day for TWD. These are the Cafe Volcano Cookies. Interesting. Not my favorite. I'll post about them later.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Girl's Night Out!! Margaritas and mexican with my BFF's!! Fun.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

This is Rafter's Christmas present and it would be an understatement to say he loves it! He no longer wants to get on the couch with us and I have to beg him to get in bed with me! This should probably make me happy, but I like snuggling with him. He's warm!

I got him one for the living room and one for the bedroom and I also got Cody and Buck one too. I hear they're quite enamored, also!

I think they must be comfortable. What do you think??

If you're interested, you can find them at Fetch Dog. Great customer service there, btw.

Friday, January 15, 2010

As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, the pool house is starting to take shape. Here's the progress as of yesterday!

I'm getting excited!

Hope everyone had a great week!

Barry and Carly's House Renovation.....Before, During, and After!!

Unless you're a family member, I'm sure you're thinking, "Who the hell are Barry and Carly and why would I care about their house renovation?" Ummm...they're nobody and you shouldn't!

Just kiddin, Barry and Carly. They're family and they are one of the four people that read this shizzle. Actually Barry is Mr. B's son and Carly is our niece. Barry recently moved to Birmingham to be owner/operator of the newly acquired Splash-N-Dash carwash and Carly is finishing up her senior year at UAB. And they both happened to be homeless!! And single. And it's the South and they're cousins......oh even I can't go there.

The truth is, Barry needed to buy a house and Carly's former roommate had gotten married and moved out of town so she needed someplace to live for a year, so......we helped them find something that would work for both of them.

And we did, but it was in dire need of a little fixing up.

We're talking built in the 50's. Probably last renovated in the late 70's. Lots of baby blue carpet in addition to the ever chic avocado appliances. I know, right?

Well, let's just take a look, shall we.....

This is the front. A little lacking in the landscaping, don'tcha think? It's been a little cold around here so that part's not starting until next week.

The good news is that it has a great fenced in back yard. They both have dogs. You've seen them......Buck and Cody.

This is what I saw the first time I walked in the front door. I dove into my purse for my sunglasses. The baby blue was blinding. On a side note....check out the traffic patterns in the carpet. Do you think the owner had moved her furniture in the last 40 years?? Also, take special note of the walls. There's a lot of them and I hate walls!

Awww....panelling. 70's panelling. We had this in my house growing up. Don't need it in Twentyten, people. And how about that faux stone fireplace. Taking up 40% of the room. If you love it, SORRY. It's gone. Oh, and more baby blue carpet.

Check out that wood toilet seat!! Saweeeet!

This is what will be Barry's bedroom. That's not wallpaper....it's stenciled paint! I think we should bring it back. I'm a little sorry I got rid of it. ;)

And if the baby blue carpet wasn't enough, we color-matched the walls. Another thing that needs to re-appear in home decorating this century.

So chic.

I have nothing to say about the bathroom. EXCEPT. I love the bubble curtains on the FAKE window. Seriously thought about keeping that.

And the walls.....come tumbling down....and the walls....come tumbling, tumbling..... I love John Cougar Mellencamp, don't you.

That walls a goner, too.

Oh...that used to be the kitchen. A little outdated. Imagine.

See. I told you the walls were coming down.

Hate walls. That's Carly trying to figure out what the hell this mess is gonna look like and have her Aunt and Uncle gone MADDDDD.

Nope. We have vision.

And we don't like baby blue.

We like neutrals....earthy tones. Something representing this century.

And hardwood floors. Although I was clinging to the baby blue carpet as they were hauling it out.

Ahhh....new, modern cabinets. And electricity. Updated electricity. Which we need to do a little more of so the inspector will let us get new light fixtures. I don't like inspectors. They ruin my vision.

Can you see where this is heading?

Are you feeling me, yet??

The warmth, the inviting , homey vibe?

The open, airy, sunshiny feeling?

You didn't see this coming, did ya? Admit it. How did we ever get from baby blue to this?

Yup. All those walls are gone.

That 30 year old carpet.

That awful wallpaper and faux painting.

That dark, stifling, choking paneling.

On to light colors.....

Sunshine coming through the windows....

happy colors on the walls....

and big open spaces.

There are a few finishing touches yet to be completed....like these cabinets. We're going to tone them down a bit from the stark white and make them a little softer.

And light fixtures. They all need to be replaced.

But for the most part, Barry and Carly have a new beautiful home.

Carly has a room to study in (which should mean another year of great grades!)

An awesome bedroom...

and new....non blue....bathroom.

And then there's Barry's man cave. He's still got some cardboard motif to deal with!

But all in all....I think it turned out great! And, by the way, so do they!

A huge thanks to H2G Husbands who were our general contractors. They did a fantastic job and we can't say enough good things about them.

And our plumbers, SOS and Phillip Contorno. If you've ever renovated an old house, you know how important your plumbers are! These guys are the best.

And Anthony Davis, who built and installed all of our kitchen cabinets. This guy's a master. He also built my entire wine cellar so there's nothing this guy can't do!

Email me if you're in the Birmingham area and need some genius help!! I recommend them all!