Shrimp Bisque

This is a slightly "slimmed down" re-make of a recipe my mother-in-law gave me several years ago.

Ingredients


1/2 stick of butter
1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
2 Russet potatoes (peeled & chopped into bite size pieces)
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream of shrimp soup
16 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
2 cups 2% milk
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (cubed)
1/2 tsp. crab boil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
2 lbs shrimp, cooked and peeled (it takes about 2 1/2 lbs. of uncooked shrimp)

Directions

Melt butter in large stock pot, add the green onions & simmer until done.  In another pot, boil the potatoes until tender and then drain.

Once the green onions are cooked, add the rest of the ingredients except for the shrimp.  Stir constantly until everything is well blended and the cream cheese has melted.  Add shrimp.

Consumer Alert

I wanted to spread the word about a company of ill repute that I crossed paths with.  On Monday, I had a man knock on my door.  I answered it, with my feisty little dog in my arms.  I've learned to do that because she will bark and snarl for a while and I want to let a stranger know that I have a dog that doesn't seem too friendly.  I don't like door-to-door salesmen.  They disrupt what I'm doing, and I NEVER want what they have.  In this day and age, the whole concept seems rather unsafe.  They might be at your door just trying to get inside so they can assault you.

Anyway, the name of the company he was with was called "Hague Water."  He said that his company had recently gotten reports about excessive sedimentation in the water.  He wanted to know if he could get my name and number so he could schedule a time for one of his employees to do a free water test.  I thought he might have been a contract worker for the water company, so I gave him the info.  But, I had my doubts.  After moving to the STL area, we did our own reading about the water supply, and found at that it is CLEAN.  The water here is better than I can remember it being anywhere else we have lived. 

James did some research on Hague Water company.  It is a nation wide company.  A few years, they were involved in a lawsuit with the MO Attorney General's office, and they lost.  They are not interested in doing water quality testing.  From what we've read about them, they will come to your house and work some hocus-pocus with a sample of your water & make you think that it is full of toxins.  Then they sell you a water treatment system for your home - which happens to cost several thousand dollars & is a faulty piece of equipment.

This morning, I called our water company to let them know about what Hague water doing.  They confirmed that Hague water is not an affiliate, and that there is nothing wrong with the water supply.  They will be mailing a letter to all the water customers in my county explaining what is going on.

I also called the attorney general's office.  There have been 25 complaints filed about this company recently.  They are well aware of what it going on, but they do not have enough evidence to pursue legal action at this time.

I also called the senior center in my city.  The elderly are at the highest risk for falling into these traps.  They are home during the day when the salesman knocks on the door, and they may not have the ability to research the company like we did.  They hear that their water might be bad, and decide to buy the $$$$ water treatment system.  I asked the lady at the senior center to post a notice to warn people of the scam that Hague Water seems to be running.  She seemed appreciative of the phone call.

The people of Hague Water should be ashamed of themselves.  Please warn anyone that might fall victim to them that this is NOT a business to trust.

Seven Layer Dip

With Bowl Season just around the corner, I thought I'd share this recipe.  I found it a few years ago on allrecipes.com.  It is easy, and very good.

Ingredients

• 1& 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 4 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 cup guacamole
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Set aside to drain and cool to room temperature.
2. Spread the beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch serving tray that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of beans. Sprinkle beef on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top.
3. You can serve this dish immediately, or refrigerate it over night and serve cold. I think it tastes better at room temperature.

Christmas Decorations

After I got off work on Friday, I stopped by Lowe's to get some Christmas lights for the yard.  I was surprised at how little selection was left, but I did find some cute things.  When I got home, I took the Thanksgiving decorations down and boxed them up.  Saturday morning, while we were waiting for the Christmas tree lot to open, we started putting our outdoor lights up.  Then we went to get our tree. Here are a few pictures of our decorations.

In the kitchen

In the foyer.  I've been collecting this nativity set over the past eight years or so.  I've been given several of the pieces as Christmas gifts.  I like the simplicity of it.  Mary and Joseph were not rich, and couldn't have afforded the expensive clothing that they are sometimes depicted in.

On top on the china cabinet.

The dining room table.  While my family was here on Wed., we went to Old St. Charles, and did some shopping.  I got the tree and the large ornaments that day.

On our back door.  My mom made this for me a couple of years ago.  It makes me smile.

The mantle.  Yes, the dogs have their own stockings, and they do get little Christmas presents - mostly just doggie treats and toys.

Our tree.  It is an 8 foot Frazier Fur.  We had a Blue Spruce last year, and it made a huge mess.  We've had Frazier's before and they hold their needles well, and the needles are soft.  Some of the ornaments are old, some new.  We have a lot of Hallmark ornaments that were a gift from James' parents, but we didn't use those this year.  We used them last year, and I like for the tree to be a little different each year.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We had 13 people over for dinner.  My parents and my grandmother came, and we had a family from church and 2 international student from a local university.  James cooked the turkey and dressing, and he made sweet tea.  My mom and I took care of the rest.

The table after it was set.

The mantle

The foyer 

 

Time to fry the turkey.  The Cajun injection goes in first.

 

 

Into the pot!

James with some of our guests

We all helped with the clean up - even the dogs.  Lily is at James' feet licking a pot that had soup in it.  It was thoroughly washed after she got finished.

Daisy helped lick up the soup too, and she got some on her!

Happy Thanksgiving

As is the case every year, we have so much to be thankful for this year.  Here are a few of things I am thankful for this year.

• God provided the resources that we needed to start the adoption process and He gave both of us a heart for it.  There has never been a question between the two of us as to whether or not we should adopt.
• We have been blessed with overwhelming support from our families, friends, neighbors, & coworkers. 
  
• We have a wonderful social worker who is helping us sort through all our adoption paperwork, and I am thankful that we are almost finished with it!
  
• I'm thankful for my husband and the relationship that we share.
  
• We're both still employed, which is not a given these days.
• I'm thankful for God's mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love.
  
• I'm thankful for the families we have met who are also going down the same path (adopting from Ethiopia) we are walking down.  It is helpful to talk to some else who is right where you are in life.
  
• I'm thankful for our church and the wonderful teaching that we have received there.
• I'm thankful that our new house feels like our home now.
  
• We have good relationships with our extended families, and we do our best to keep in touch even though we don't live nearby.
  
• I'm thankful for our dogs.  They are so much fun.
  

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. I Chronicles 16:34

Thanksgiving Recipe #4

Cranberry Spritzer

3 cups water
2 cups cranberry juice
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup Equal® Spoonful (May substitute 12 packets Equal sweetener)
1-1/2 liters diet lemon-lime soda, chilled
Lemon and/or orange slices (optional)

Combine water, cranberry juice, orange juice and lemonade concentrates. Stir in Equal® until dissolved. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Stir in soda just before serving. Garnish each glass with a lemon or orange slice, if desired.