Shrimp Bisque

I made this bisque for my retirement dinner party. Twelve of my girlfriends joined me to celebrate the start of my stay at home mom journey. Two of my guests had my Tomato Basil Soup, I have a friend with a shellfish allergy, so I try to be accommodating for her. This soup is very rich, but isn't that what bisque is all about?

Shrimp Bisque
printable recipe

2 pounds unpeeled large shrimp
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
10 cups water
2 bay leaf
2 fresh thyme sprig
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cream

Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Coarsely chop shrimp. Cover shrimp and chill.

Heat a stockpot coated with oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until shells turn pink. Add water, bay leaf, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Drain the shrimp stock into a sieve over a bowl; discard solids.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine sherry and flour, stirring with a whisk to form a slurry. Add slurry to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add shrimp stock, salt, and pepper; bring to a simmer. Cook 4 minutes or until bisque starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in cream; serve immediately.

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Baguettes

I am hosting a dinner party tomorrow night to celebrate my "retirement" from being a civil engineer. I am going to have the privelege of being a stay at home mom to my precious daughter and I couldn't be more thrilled. Two weeks ago, after finally realizing that homemade breadmaking was beyond my skillset, I decided to get a bread machine. I found one for $50 on Amazon.com that had reasonable reviews, so I went for it. It arrived two days later (thanks to Amazon Prime) and it has been working hard in our home ever since. Much to C chagrin, apparently, he hates the smell of fresh baked bread. Yes, he is insane. I needed a baguette for the goat cheese marinara dip and artichoke parmesan dip, so why not make it with the bread machine?

French Bread
printable recipe

3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water

Place ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturers directions. Start machine on dough setting. When dough cycle is complete, remove dough with floured hands and cut in half on floured surface. Take each half of dough and roll to make a loaf about 12 inches long in the shape of French bread. Place on greased baking sheet and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, turning pan around once halfway during baking. Remove baked loaves to wire racks to cool.

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Chicken, Pineapple and Peppers

My old roommate and friend, Lori first made this recipe and I have been making it ever since. It is a really quick and easy meal to throw together, the longest component is cooking the brown rice, but you can always use white rice if you are short on time. Miss F adored the pineapple!

Chicken, Pineapple and Peppers
printable recipe

1 onion, chopped into bite size pieces
1 lb chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped into bite size pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can pineapples (in juice, not syrup)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can fat free chicken broth
2 tbsp corn starch/ 3 tbsp water

brown rice

Sauté onion, chicken, bell pepper, garlic and ginger in EVOO over med-high heat until chicken is cooked through. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pineapples, tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring back up to a boil, the sauce will thicken up. Serve over brown rice.

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