Gorgeous Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp & Grits Dinner

I had the very good fortune of receiving a shipment of fresh Louisiana shrimp on Friday from Anna Marie Seafood.  These large, beautiful shrimp were sustainably harvested and frozen all natural at sea.  How cool is that?!  I've never cooked with shrimp this fresh before at home.

One of my favorite all-time shrimp dishes has to be the Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp & Grits from Mr. B's Bistro, located in New Orleans' French Quarter.  They describe this entree as a sauté of applewood smoked bacon-wrapped jumbo Gulf shrimp served with creamy stone ground yellow grits and red-eye gravy.  I went online and found that Country Roads Magazine had the recipe posted on their website, score.  Seriously, my mouth was watering all weekend with anticipation of making this meal with super fresh ingredients.  I'm not sure if the photos do it justice, but my meal tonight didn't disappoint!  Although my belly is stuffed full with shrimp, bacon, red-eye gravy and cheese grits, my mouth instantly begins to water as I recall the succulent, complex tastes. 

Substitutions were made to prepare this meal.  The store didn't have mascarpone cheese so I opted to use Philadelphia savory garlic cooking creme instead.  They didn't have the stone-ground grits either, so I used Quaker's 5-minute grits and prepared them using the Mr. B's grits recipe.  I also used toothpicks instead of the wooden skewers.  It actually worked out really well and look forward to making this meal again.  

Oh, and in case my older sister is reading this post, I'll be committed to Weight Watchers again starting tomorrow!

Shrimp with Red-Eye Gravy and Grits

From Mr. B's Bistro
Serves 4

8 strips applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into thirds
20 jumbo shrimp (12 per pound, about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, leaving tail intact, and deveined
4 large wooden skewers, soaked in water for 10 minutes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 1/2 tsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 cups dark chicken stock
2 1/2 Tbsp pepper jelly
1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
3 cups Mr. B’s stone-ground grits (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp minced fresh chives

Season shrimp with salt and pepper.  Wrap 1 piece bacon around center of each shrimp (reserve leftover bacon) and line up on a work surface.  Skewer 5 wrapped shrimp onto each skewer, leaving a little space in between each shrimp. 

Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until almost smoking.  Add 2 skewers and cook 2 minutes each side, or until bacon gets crisp.  Repeat cooking shrimp in same manner.  Transfer shrimp to a plate. 

To skillet add vinegar and brown sugar and cook about 1 minute, or until reduced by half.  Add stock and cook over high heat until reduced by half.  Add jelly and cook 1 minute, or until jelly is dissolved.  Remove skillet from heat and add butter, stirring, until just melted.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. 

In a small skillet cook leftover bacon until crisp.  Cool and crumble. 

To serve, mound grits (see recipe below) on plates.  Remove shrimp from skewers and arrange around grits.  Drizzle sauce over grits and garnish with reserved bacon and chives.

Mr. B's Stone-Ground Grits

From Mr. B's Bistro
Serves 6

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup stone-ground grits
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan bring cream and milk to a simmer over moderately low heat.  Whisk in grits and cook, stirring often, 25 minutes.  Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Go Bananas

Bananas are probably my all-time favorite fruit.  To me, perfect bananas look like the picture above.  Not too big, not too small, bright yellow with a hint of green, almost on the under-ripe side and very firm.  If every banana stayed like this, I'd eat two of them every single day...I've seen me do it.  The problem is that they ripen way too quickly and that seriously drives me bananas.  I'll get a perfect bunch at the store on a Sunday and by Wednesday they're too ripe and I want nothing to do with them.  I can't stand when they get mushy, start to get those nasty brown spots or begin to bruise.  Why isn't there was a way, short of hitting the store every other day, to have a perfectly ripe banana whenever I want one?  The one and only plus of having bananas that are too ripe is that they make for really great banana bread...another favorite of mine.  So I guess in the grand scheme of things, having over-ripe bananas isn't the worst thing in the world.

Yuck, Yuck!  Who can eat a banana that looks like this???? Not me!

Wanted: True Friend

MWF (Married White Female) searching for a new friend who… 

lives in Bossier City, but will consider candidates who live in Shreveport. 

is planning to live here for the foreseeable future (a plus). 

has their shit together. 

is generally happy, cheerful, and positive.
loves to laugh, joke, and have fun. 

is open and honest. 

won’t get offended if I drop an F-bomb. 

stays current on pop culture. 

is dedicated to personal growth. 

is a non-smoker. 

can carry on a conversation that’s easy and light-hearted. 

is spiritual but not necessarily religious. 

likes to do any of the following activities: eat, shop, get nails done, Sunday brunch, drink coffee, wine, yoga, jog/walk, Zumba, movies. 

We don’t need to be BFF’s, but good friends would do! 

Writing this "want ad" (which no, I'm not ACTUALLY taking out an ad for a friend) was inspired by a book I recently finished reading, MWF Seeking BFF. It was a very thought-provoking, true story about making new friends and friendship. There were many parallels that I could draw to myself since I also moved to a new place a few years ago and would like to make more local friends. Reading the book and thinking about my own life, has really invigorated me to put more effort into meeting/making new friends. It was also the impetus for the opportunity to join a book club that was reading the book this past month. I had a blast at the book club meeting this past week, met some really cool girls and even got to Skype with the author, Rachel Bertsche! How cool is that? I love the trailer she made for her book; it really explains the premise well.

Pizza Margherita from "John the Simple Minded Chef"

Talk about a very easy, fast, and simple recipe for a deliciously light and tasty Margherita pizza.  My dad's friend, John the Simple Minded Chef (well...simple minded when it comes to recipes), gave him this recipe and was passed along to me.  I made this today for lunch and after eating...without speaking one word during the meal...my husband exclaimed, "Solid!"  What was great is that it took less than 30 minutes to prepare, cook, eat, and clean up!

1. Start oven preheating to 400F.
2. Coat the top of an extra large store bought flour tortilla with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Yes, a store bought flour tortilla - I used zesty garlic herb wraps by Mission.
3. Place sliced mozzarella cheese, separated by about 1/2 inch. Arrange very thin slices of Roma tomato (about 1/8" thick). Tip: They look better sliced lengthwise.
4. Sprinkle "just a pinch" of salt, no more. It makes the taste richer and lessens the acid taste of the tomato. Sprinkle basil on to pizza (either fresh or dried).
5. Put the pizza in the oven on a cookie sheet and reduce the temperature to 350F. This may not be necessary but it makes you feel like you're doing something important!
6. Bake until the cheese bubbles and the edges start to brown, about 12-15 min.
7. Enjoy!

Meet Butch and Lola Mae Brown

It's my distinct pleasure and honor to present Butch (a.k.a. Butchy-Pooh) and Miss Lola Mae Brown to the blogosphere, my almost 6-month-old English Bulldog puppies. Yes, they are brother and sister and couldn't be better friends. The picture above was taken this afternoon after a short walk --- very short distances wipe these guys out like nothing else. I've never had my own dog and having two puppies has been quite the treat. Even when they're bad, which is a daily occurrence, I can't stay mad once they give me their adorable puppy-dog eyes. I'm a sucker, what can I say. My only complaint is that they get big waaaaay too fast. Here's a picture of them the first night in their new home. Aren't they just the cutest things ever?!

I'm in the Game!

Over the past couple of months, Mad Money with Jim Cramer has been added to our nightly TV rotation --- God bless the DVR. Clearly, I thought this was initially a mistaken recording, but soon learned that it was strategically planned by Ray.

If you've never tuned in, Jim has quite the shtick. I'm shocked to say this, but he actually makes learning about stocks and the market very fun and interesting. During the show's intro he welcomes you to "Cramerica" and encourages viewers to "Get in the Game!" My favorite part of the show is the Lightning Round where he answers many questions from viewers in quick order. I love when he walks us through if a viewer's portfolio is diversified and helps break everything down.

Well folks, this weekend I took the steps necessary to officially GET IN THE GAME. I was questioning what my strategy should be once my first stock doubles and so I tweeted at Jim Cramer (@JimCramer) and asked him. He responded within 15 minutes!!! Funny enough, this was the highlight of my weekend. His advice, "Bulls make money, bears make money, Pigs get slaughtered!" Sage advice.

31 and Still Learning Lessons in Life

In celebration of my 31st birthday yesterday, Ray wanted to take me out for dinner. We got all gussied up and headed out to one of my favorite spots in town so I could get some seafood. Unfortunately, we learned upon arrival that they are closed on Monday & Tuesday. Ugh, it's so tough when my stomach is set on something in particular to switch gears. We decided to try out another steakhouse that we had never eaten at before.

Prior to entering the restaurant, I checked out the menu and said that the only thing that really jumped off the page were the Alaskan King Crab Legs, served by the pound with drawn butter and lemons at market price. Ray also said that he could find something on the menu. When we sat down at the table, I looked more closely at the menu, and again nothing else sounded quite as good - except maybe the Surf & Turf which was a 7oz filet & 1lb of the crab legs for $60, but knew I wouldn't be able to eat that much (not to mention spend that much on a meal).

I placed my order for the Alaskan King Crab Legs, Ray ordered a wedge salad and soup, we both had water to drink and didn't feel like an appetizer. I could not believe my eyes when they brought out my platter of crab legs; there had to be three pounds on there! And of course it was accompanied by a vat of melted butter that I could have happily drowned myself in. They were very tasty and had plenty to share with my man.

Before the bill arrived, we played the 'what do you think market price is currently' game. We figured somewhere around $45, especially since the Surf & Turf was $60. Well, we were completely off the pace. Can you believe that my meal alone (no sides, JUST the crab) was $80.00?!?!?! WTF?????????????????? You know, I've had A LOT of crab legs in my life and have never spent close to $80! I mean they were good, but not $80 good.

Another lesson in life learned, I will now always ask "what is the current market price" on the food that I order and will also be sure to ask "how many pounds of crab are included in an order?"

A year older and now a tiny bit wiser.

Nice Shot

This past week I had the honor & pleasure of escorting five journalists around north Louisiana, showcasing a number of the beautiful State Parks and partaking in various outdoor activities. The 3-day itinerary included fishing, golfing, hiking, birding, mountain biking, canoeing, an air boat ride, a hay ride, and my personal favorite - skeet shooting! It was my first experience shooting a real gun, and you know what, I was a pretty good shot. To be honest, I was nervous to even pick up the gun. But after I shot it the first time, I really had a blast and felt like a natural. The guys kept calling me Annie Oakley, which I'm told is a compliment. Shockingly enough, I have to admit that I'd love to go again. By the way, the caption to the photo above is me saying, "Ohhhhh YEAH!"

Rebel Red

When this bottle of wine was spotted at the local wine store, I couldn't help but stop and take notice. Although I'm a middle sister, at time fancy myself as a bit of a rebel , and yes I do have red hair, by no means did I think there was a wine named after me! Obviously, the bottle had to be purchased and promptly tasted. You know what, it was very smooth and quite tasty. I've since learned that it has won "Best in Class" and a Gold Medal at the San Franciso Chronicle's International Wine Competition. If you're looking for a nice, inexpensive table wine, you won't go wrong by picking up a bottle of this.

Unbeknownst to me, there is a whole line of Middle Sister Wines including Wicked White, Drama Queen, Forever Cool, Mischief Maker, and Smarty Pants. I quite enjoyed reading Middle Sister Wines website description of Rebel Red: "Did you know that birth order is commonly believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development? And that the middle sister has a greater chance of having a special wine named just for her? A sassy blend of our three favorite red varieties perfect for sipping before, during and after our favorite family meals. Some people are just born lucky. Now give me back my blouse."

I Can See Clearly Now!!!

After more than 17 years of wearing contact lenses and glasses, I gave myself the gift of sight this year for Christmas! I had LASIK corrective eye surgery this past Friday afternoon and the result has me absolutely dazzled. My favorite game this weekend has been testing my vision. The follow-up doctor appointment yesterday morning confirmed that indeed it worked...I'm already seeing better than 20/20 in each eye! Modern medicine and technology is truly amazing.

The photo above was taken moments after the procedure was completed when I was pumped full of Valium. I had kind of a strange reaction to the medication. It is supposed to really calm you down and mellow you out to create a state of relaxation prior to the procedure - it had quite the opposite effect on me. It really got me jacked up and anxious. I also don't think the local numbing pain drops that they used on my eyes worked very well on me either because I basically felt the entire procedure. I'm told that this is not a normal reaction as most people feel no pain or discomfort whatsoever. Regardless, looking back now it was 100 percent worth the discomfort to be able to see. I would do it again in a heartbeat and strongly encourage LASIK to anyone who is dependent on glasses or contacts.

"Take The Pedi Back"

Following a late night after a big win and workout at the gym this morning, we stopped by the new nail salon that opened right down the street. Ray wanted to make sure that his "man card" would not be revoked, so he watched his Direct TV football package via live feed on his iPhone. I love that he does not have a problem with getting pampered, please don't get me wrong - he's 100% MAN! He later said, "I don't know how the female gender has kept the pedi from men for this long. Men should unite and take the pedi back." I can't argue with that!

Momma D.'s World Famous Banana Bread

Ray's mom taught me how to make her World Famous Banana Bread when she was here for a visit last year. There were a few ripe bananas laying around the kitchen and decided to make a loaf this evening. A telephone call was made to obtained permission to write this post get clearance to publish Momma D.'s super secret recipe. It is the best & easiest banana bread that I've made and turns out delicious every time.

Ingredients:
3 or 4 ripe mashed bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bread pan. Stir all ingredients in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon, do not over stir. Pour batter into bread pan and bake for 1 hour or until center is done.

It's Been Way Too Long

I'M BACK! I just got a new battery for my laptop. It's been dead for quite some time, which required me to be near a power source. I haven't been on my computer much when I'm at home...there's always so many other things that need to be done.

We had some tornadoes blow though town on Thursday. Man those things are powerful. I was in my office which is on the 10th floor when the F2 came through downtown. It was pretty crazy to feel the building shake & sway a bit. We quickly made our way down through the stairwell to
safer ground, but by the time we made it to the ground floor it had all blown over. I snap the picture below of an apparent industrial size air conditioner cover that blew off the roof & landed in the street.
It took me more than 1.5 hours to make it home, usually a 25 minute drive. There were trees down everywhere, roofs ripped off houses, power lines in the middle of the road, fires, and power outages. I had the radio on during the drive and heard that the steeple of the church downtown was blown off from the tornado and landed on a car. I later learned that the person in the car (who is miraculously alive and recovering well) is a good friend of ours.

On Friday our office was closed. Lucky for me because our street was flooded (see photo below taken Friday afternoon). Had I tried to drive through it in my low-riding car, I surely would've ended up with water in my car.

Mother Nature is an amazing chick! This October was the wettest in recorded history in northwest Louisiana! I'm glad it's November and haven't seen a drop yet.

Getting The Run-Around

My sister Suzanne and I registered for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon taking place in Phoenix, AZ on January 17, 2010 and training is well underway! Long-distance running somewhat "runs" in my family. Two of my sisters and I ran cross-country in high school. I remember my Dad running marathons growing up and going for 2-3 hour runs on Sundays even in the dead of Illinois winters. Dad trained people to run marathons and helped coach my cross-country and track teams.

January will be my third time running this particular race and I don't remember the training being this hard on my body the last time around. Ray keeps saying that this is what happens when you get older and to get used to it, but I don't want to buy into any of that. I talked to my Dad about all of my aches and pains last weekend and he recommended the first thing I do is buy a new pair of running shoes.

After a tough 5-mile run yesterday, I headed to Sportspectrum in Shreveport to check out their selection. They had a HUGE wall of shoes to choose from and the picture above only shows a fraction. It was really cool; they had me stand on a pad that measured how I distribute my weight on my feet, watched me walk, and recommended the type of shoes that would be best for me. I tried on several pairs, but none of them felt quite right. They were out of my size of the pair that I was certain would have been "The One." Apparently, this is the time of year that manufacturers release the new models of shoes. Due to this, the store will not be receiving another shipment of this particular model.

I'm torn! Do I locate the pair online that I think will work and hope for the best, or wait for the new models to arrive in a few weeks and try them on before buying?

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid!

I was brought back in time on Friday night to a wonderful part of my childhood. My inaugural trip to the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport was to see "The Rock-afire Explosion," a documentary about the animatronic robots that played in Showbiz Pizza Place from 1980-1991. If you recall, The Rock-afire Explosion were different characters, from a dog to a gorilla, who performed music and even told jokes during shows on three stages.

The official press release says: “The Rock-afire Explosion” is the story of a small-town car salesman, a struggling inventor, and an animatronic rock band, that quickly becomes an eccentric portrait of childhood memories, broken dreams, and the resilience of the human spirit.

The documentary featured Chris Thrash, a die-hard fan and "preservationist" of The Rock-afire Explosion. He saved his money for years, working multiple jobs to purchase an original Rock-afire Explosion show to have at his home! Yes, this guy is very kooky but fun loving. It also featured Aaron Fechter, creator of The Rock-afire Explosion, as well as some of the remaining Rock-afire Explosion fan base. Two of the people featured in the documentary drove into town to attend the special two-night screening! Billy Bob, the Showbiz mascot bear who interacted with kids, was even there to great people who came to the screening. The DVD is set to be released on September 29, 2009. If you have fond memories of going to Showbiz Pizza Place, I recommened addidng this gem to your Netflix queue.

Do you remember Showbiz Pizza Place? I grew up going to Showbiz as a kid and it was A MILLION times better than what Chuck E. Cheese is now (the two companies merged in 1991-92). Thinking back now, I can give some credit to Showbiz for getting good grades -- they gave kids free tokens for each "A" earned on a report card. My mom would take me & my sisters there the weekend we received our report cards so that we could celebrate and play. My mom reminded me today that my dad would celebrate his birthday at Showbiz because he knew it would make his kids happy! Great memories and I am thankful that they were brought back to life through this documentary.

Seriously! I Mean, Seriously?!?!

My number one, biggest pet peeve is when someone does not follow through on a promise or service. Period. Today I was very disappointed and found myself quite upset when I drove nearly 40 minutes to attend my Sunday afternoon yoga class, waited in my car approximately 25 minutes, just to find out that the instructor would not be showing up. The problem was not that class was canceled, but that she failed to let myself and the other 7 people who showed up know that she would not be coming!

You see, I really enjoy this particular class and have been scheduling my entire Sunday around it. Between the drive there, the 75 minute class, and the drive home, it is almost a three hour commitment. Ray has been gracious enough to go grocery shopping while I attend class so that we can spend as much time together on our day off.

Needless to say, I was fuming on the 40 minute drive back home...not very Zen. I sent the instructor a very nice email (since I knew that I'd be seeing her next week) as soon as I got home expressing my disappointment and let her know how committed I am to her class. The e-mail explained my personal situation clearly and recommended that perhaps she prepare a communications strategy so that this wouldn't happen again.

The other issue is that this is a second time occurrence for me. The first was about 6 months ago and the result is that I stopped going to class - I just missed it so much that decided to give another go at it. I'm not sure what is so difficult about sending an e-mail to her approximately 20 students saying if class is canceled? I'm still not sure why that would be so difficult.

I had to find the good in this situation, otherwise it would've ruined my day. I guess the upside was that I ended up getting in a run this afternoon, albeit in the rain, but it felt great nonetheless!

How Young is Too Young?

It is amazing how many kids have their own cell phone these days. What shocks me are the young kids with smart phones. I was at a boutique yesterday and there was a girl, probably 15 years old, who was texting friends on her iPhone the entire time she and her mom were shopping. The store owner said, "my high school son would be so jealous if he saw you have an iPhone." Mom spoke up quickly and said that her daughter paid for the phone herself and is responsible to pay for the monthly insurance plan. At least this is learning responsibility and has to work for things.

What really got me was today during lunch at the Olive Garden. There was a kid, no older than 9 years of age, who was texting on his iPhone! This was clearly his own personal phone, which prompted a conversation about how much things have changed since when I was growing up (yes, this talk made me feel old!). As this was being discussed, I looked a couple tables down and there was a two-year-old child talking on a cell phone!!! No joke. I about fell out of my chair laughing. I mean seriously, isn't that a bit young? Stephanie, do either of your kids have a cell phone?

Why Women Stay Single

Thanks for sending me this video, Lesley. Classic!!!

Monday Night Sushi Club

A wonderful new sushi joint just opened a couple of weeks ago in North Bossier, just a few miles from my house. The sushi and rolls are out of this world. Check out the name - Avocado California Roll & Sushi - it's a mouthful. The first couple of times we dined there the service was really - I MEAN REALLY - slow, taking about two hours to finish dinner. But the food is so incredible that we had to go back for more. I have had sushi all over the globe and I'm putting my stamp of approval on this gem as the best I've found!

This restaurant was founded in Wylie, Texas, and there are currently ten locations. Alexander, the founder, greeted us last week and even showed us that he has a roll named in his honor. How cool is that? The menu is like no other Japanese restaurant I've been to either. There are pictures accompanying each of the dishes...genius. So often I won't try something new because I don't know what I'm getting myself into. This takes all of the guess work out of it. However, it looks like someone needs to go through and spell check the menu - check out item #19 below.

Last Monday, four of us (Ray, Steve - pictured below, and "Sugar") met up for a sushi dinner. Yes, the service was slow yet again - but the food is beyond...I mean it's BEYOND! We decided to make it a Monday night event. It was great having something to look forward to throughout the first day of the work week. I am very happy to report that the service has picked up quite a bit and only took an hour - in and out. We all really hope this place will make it here.

Next Monday = same time, same place.

New Guilty Pleasure

A few weeks ago, some ladies at work turned me on to "Whatever, Martha!" I find the show to be quite hysterical. In case you are in the dark, as I have been for the last year, these half-hour episodes feature co-hosts Alexis Stewart (Martha Stewart's daughter) and friend Jennifer Koppelman Hutt (who happens to be the daughter of the chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia) . The premise is that the co-hosts watch old, archive episodes of Martha Stewart's show and critique, mock and provide commentary of what they watch. They make fun of Martha's clothes, rip into her guests, and mix in sexual innuendos whenever the opportunity presets itself. It seems that nothing is off limits to what they joke about. They also attempt to make some of the crafts or meals during real-time while watching the show. I've read that Martha created the show after watching reruns of “Mystery Science Theater 3000." Genius if you ask me! If you are intrigued and have a DVR or TiVo - record a few episodes and check it out for yourself. Apparently they also have a radio show on Sirus Satellite Radio. Here's a sample of the show below, what do you think?