Ever make something and it turned out horrible? Disgusting? Inedible? The first time I made this soup, it ended up ranking right up there with one of the worst dishes I’ve ever made, maybe even worse than the first time I tried making Yakisoba.
It wasn’t my fault though, no really, it wasn’t. Because I’m a land locked lady, in a not so very big city, I have to rely of frozen seafood. Even the seafood case at the grocery store has finely printed words on nearly all of their seafood: previously frozen. Why in the world would I pay more for seafood that has been frozen and is now thawing on ice and absolutely must be used right away when I can buy vacuumed sealed frozen seafood and pull it out of my freezer when the mood strikes me?
All this is leading up to why; when McGyver and I were at Sam’s Club, we purchased a bag of frozen Paella mix. It had mussels, little octopus, shrimp, scallops, fish chunks and krab (you can read my post on Krab here). At $11.99 for a giant 3 pound bag, it was a deal we didn’t want to pass up. Immediately I knew I wanted to make paella (which would be a first for me) and seafood chowder.
I made that paella, truthfully it wasn’t very good, but I chalked it up to not having the right equipment, the recipe I used and my inexperience. A short while later I made the seafood chowder. I spiced it up a bit by using spicy V8 juice. While it was cooking it smelled great, we couldn’t wait! I dished up the bowls and we sat down to sup. The broth was phenomenal, the seafood, ick. Seriously fishy tasting, so bad I couldn’t choke down a bite. I had thought that the seafood mix in the paella may have been the culprit to the bad flavor of the dish but I didn’t have anything to measure against. This time, there was no doubt why it tasted my dish tasted so bad.
My men were a little braver and sweeter, “it’s not that bad” they claimed. “Boy is the broth great, maybe you can make it again with different seafood?” they encouraged. That was months ago, and I just now have got the bad taste out of mouth enough to have given it another try.
I am so glad that I did, the spicy V8 is such a good pair with the seafood, much like a zippy cocktail sauce. Every bite was a delight, unlike the last time. I served some crusty bread with the chowder to soak up all the spicy tomato goodness. Honestly I could have sucked the broth out of the bread and been quite content.
If you see a seafood deal that seems to good to be true, run away…run away!
12 ounces bay scallops (frozen or 12 oz after shelled)
8 ounces peeled large shrimp
Instructions
In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, cook bacon. When bacon is browned but not overly crisp. Spoon off all the fat except 1 tablespoon. Turn heat down to medium, add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook until softened, stirring occasionaly, about 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, spicy V8 and clam juice. Bring to a boil.
Add potatoes, thyme and Old Bay Seasoning, cook until potatoes are tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add seafood, cover and cook until seafood is done (mussel shells should open, shrimp and scallops should no longer be translucent). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Today, it’s all about the French terms starting with “Au” today. In culinary terms it basically means with, not to be confused with the Element abbreviation for gold: AU.
Au Kirsch. (oh KIRSH). A French term referring to a dish flavored with Kirschwasser, more commonly called kirsch (a German cherry brandy).
Au Madere. (oh mah-DARE). A French term used to refer to a dish cooked with Madeira (a fortified Portuguese wine).
Au Marsala. (oh mahr-SAH-lah). Like au Madere, au Marsala is a French term for a dish cooked with Marsala (a fortified Italian wine, similar to a sweet sherry).
This post has nothing to do with recipes and nothing to do with motorcycles. Actually it’s a baby DIY project that was really inspired by Pinterest. I adore Pinterest. Something about all the stuff that I pin gets my creative juices going!
Many of the DIY projects that I see have chalkboard paint included. Some are painted on walls, inside cabinets and even baby food jar lids that were converted into spice containers then labeled using chalkboard paint. With all that inspiration, I started thinking about my daily workspace. Since I’ve become a “full time” writer I’ve spent a majority of my time at my laptop. I have it placed strategically near my kitchen because that is where most of the action comes from.
Plus 90 % of my photos are taken in my living area because it has a huge picture window…great for natural light. My house is tiny, with the top floor only boasting 900 square foot. That includes: kitchen, dining area, living area, two bedrooms and a bathroom. It was/is part of our downsizing plan.
Downsizing has it’s plus and minuses. Less to clean, but also less storage and working space. We have a finished basement but the one bedroom area is McGyver’s office which has left me no place for an office. We could share but I like to be close to my workspace (read: food). And that is how my laptop/office ended up on the bar near the kitchen.
Blogging and writing has a certain amount of paperwork and deadlines…I needed to file and keep things close by because I am inherently lazy. I have file cabinets and calendars but they aren’t located in my “hot spot”. So I created a little work space. One that works for me. The best part? Using chalkboard paint on a cheap file/magazine holder to give myself a “quick note” place. I also painted the cardboard label paper that came with the box to create an erasable label, then I painted the side for note keeping.
It was simple, I used painters tape to mark off the border so no measurements were required. I added a “Grip it” holder to hold a piece of chalk and voila, papers and notations at my finger tips! I also hung an organizer with 3M hooks (purchased at Wal-Mart) to hold some other stuff. All in all, it’s a small space that works for me. The simple addition of using chalk board paint for notes is da bomb!
When it was all said and done, this project took about five minutes to tape off and paint, then a couple of hours for dry time, then one more coat of paint and dry time. I think I may have spent more time photographing it, and certainly less time creating it, than writing about it!
Confession time. My husband and I started Weight Watcher’s 1 1/2 weeks ago. I haven’t really talked about our change because so many people are on their New Year’s Resolution Band Wagon to get healthy and fit. The decision to do WW isn’t about any New Year’s resolution, it merely was about the fact that we need to shed some pounds, seriously need too.
Have you ever noticed how some foods are just naturally beautiful? Or that the colors of the Italian flag make you hungry? There is something about the red, green and white combination that is so utterly and visually mouthwatering!
Do real men eat quiche? McGyver does, but I’m not sure if a helicopter pilot, retired veteran and biker dude counts as a real man? In my book he is, and he loves quiche. What’s not to love about an egg pie?
It’s been building up for awhile, my dry little cough. Now it’s to the point that I am hacking my lungs out. Oh yes, I’ve been a sick one. I’m pretty sure I know how COPD-ers feel, or perhaps someone who is asthmatic. The gasping for air and the lungs not cooperating. The sleepless nights are the worse, I’ve taken to sleeping on the reclining part of the couch…that’s scored me at least 4 hours of sleep! After I’ve irritated the hell out of my family, with the wheezing, hacking and coughing until I puke, I was told to go see the doctor..shudder, quel horreur!
When I was stationed in England, I was the sergeant in charge of our Oral Surgery department. I worked with two other assistants, both of Hispanic origin. We were a great team, Dora, Gonzo and myself. Gonzo was our muscle (and eye candy); he was also the youngest so he probably got a little more (s)mothering then he cared for.
Dora was definitely a homesick Texan, more than Texas, she missed her family (and their boxers). Dora is also sentimental and a bit traditional in some ways. My home sick Texan/Mexican decided that if she couldn’t be home for the holidays and tamale making, then she would just make it happen there in England.
Dinner in the amount of time it takes to boil water and cook pasta? Oh yeah! This dish is perfect for a weeknight or a busy day when you need something on the plate fast but you want some wholesomeness also.
In the package that I received from Bella Sun Luci were julienned sun dried tomatoes and red peppers. My sun dried tomato cooking usually leans towards Mediterranean cooking, but when I saw this package with the red peppers, I went South of the Border for inspiration.
