Just a Quick Little Recipe

Hello Everyone,
I hope you all  had a great Christmas.  We celebrated here in Beaumont with our Kids and Grand kids and extended family.  Now we are gearing up for the New Years Celebration and I was just thinking of what to cook for a mess of people we will be having at the beach this year.   I was thinking of making  a family favorite and wanted to rewrite the recipe since my original is such a mess from using it so often. 

My most requested big pot entree is Shrimp A La Creole.  My Mother in Law shared this recipe with me several years ago and I am hooked on it.   With a name like that it sounds so complicated, but it is so easy and is totally Gluten Free.  I am putting it here so #1 I can share it with you all and #2 it is a place I can find it on my computer in case I don't have my recipe with me (just in case I am called upon to whip out something to eat real fast and I have some shrimp handy).  

Shrimp A La Creole

1.5 pounds of Shrimp peeled and deveined uncooked
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper ( I omit these and we do not miss them at all)
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 Cup Canola oil or 1/4 cup oleo (margarine)
1 4-6oz can of tomato sauce
1 6oz can tomato paste
1tsp sugar
1 cup green onion tops and parsley
1 cup of chopped celery
3 cups water
Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste

Season Shrimp with Salt and Black and Red Pepper and set aside. Heat Oil or oleo in heavy pot over med heat.  Cook onions and celery until onions are translucent.  Add tomato paste and fry another 5 minutes stirring constantly (I have been told that this roasts the tomato paste and enhances the flavor of the dish). Add tomato sauce and 3 cups of water.  Cook about 40 minutes until the oil comes to the top stirring occasionally.  Use more water if sauce gets too think.  Add shrimp, bell pepper, garlic, sugar, salt, black and red pepper. Cook 30 minutes or until the shrimp are done.  Serve over rice and garnish with green onion tops and parsley. Serves 4.

I usually triple or  quadruple this recipe and I love to serve it with fragrant Jasmine rice. I also add fresh finely chopped sweet basil when I have some.  It is delicious and very simple to cook. 

Praying for a blessed New Year full of health and happiness for all of you.  Much Love, Suzy Q

Yeah I'm a QUITTER!

From Merriam Webster Dictionary Online: 'quit \kwit\ :released from obligation charge, or penalty; especially:  FREE

I was thinking the other day what it means to me to be a quitter.  Most people would probably not be so proud to admit that.  My Daughter Rachel is even proud that I'm a quitter and my Hubby is too.  As a matter of fact a lot of people are glad I'm a quitter.  The other day I saw some poor guy standing in the rain, because he would rather stand in the rain than be a quitter like me.  Hard to imagine, I know... 

Really, being a quitter means never having to say your sorry.  You never cause problems in public or face bans or fines or cause your loved ones irritation.  No more worries about long plane flights.  No more hiding from Dad, the Boss or anyone who might judge me.  Those days are gone, gone.  I am glad I can be myself, free from those judgmental stares and those who turn their noses away.  To be free I simply quit! 

Some people never knew this secret about me and would never guess it even now.  Yes, it was something that I tried to keep hidden.   But this secret thing was like a ball and chain around my ankle.  It was so entwined in my daily life that my whole day revolved around it.  I could scarcely make it through the night without it,  needed it at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The worst thing about it was I used it to escape difficult situations.  I would just exit the situation and when I came back, the problem was no longer an issue.  It was still there, just not on my radar screen.  Honestly I do miss that part, not dealing with problems is kinda nice.  But like I said they really don't go away they just pile up.  

I suppose you can guess I was a smoker.  Hard to believe now.  I was thinking the other day that it has been almost 10 years since I kicked the habit.  It just now seems that I am starting to think like a non-smoker.  When I smoked,  the thought of a long plane flight made it impossible to think of.  Now we just got back from an 8 hour flight to Hawaii.  I was trying to imagine a nicotine fit that would last that long.  No Way! An 8 hour plane flight is still no fun but is more tolerable without that monkey on your back. 

Now I must do the disclaimer part.  If you are a smoking person I am only speaking of my own personal experiences.  It was hard to quit and I admit I am glad I was in therapy at the time.  Now I am FREE and I am not going back. 

If you need to be free just keep on trying.  If one thing does not work try something else.  Just keep trying. You can do it if you want to...

The Coolest Shoes EVER!

This is a short little story that I just had to tell about my Uncle Stuart Law Jr.  He is my Mothers brother.
The photo shown here is one that I came across today as I was sorting through my Grandmothers photos with my Sister Jennifer and my Mom Eleanor (that cute girl in the photo there). 

My Grandmother Jacque Law passed away in January at the age of 96.  Most of us had been gathered at her bedside for several days prior to her passing.  It was quite something to be together again with some of my lifelong favorite people after so many years of being apart.  It seems that we all just picked up where we left off. 


During those days we spent a lot of time talking about all the times we had together.  Our family is known for it's quick wit.  My Grandpa had a very sharp sense of humor and MiMi was always doing something silly and always knew a good joke.  I think that is where my Mom and Uncle Stu get their wittiness from.  They are some seriously funny people.  One of these times my Uncle started telling the story of his favorite shoes.  It was so funny I had to call him and get him to tell me again.

I will paraphrase this just as close to the way he said it as possible.  " I never really had shoes growing up living in the country.  We just ran around barefoot most of the time.  But I remember my first pair of tennis shoes.  They were the ones I had been wanting for the longest time "PF KEDS".  When they gave them to me I thought they were the most wonderful things I had ever seen. " (I think he said they were red) "Those were some fine shoes.  I immediately put them on and they were 2 or 3 sizes too big but I didn't care.  They were so fine.  I ran to the nearest mud puddle I could find and walked backwards through it so I could see the tracks.  It was amazing.  I wore those things so long I wore holes in them and they had a little round emblem on them at the ankle that used to say PF Keds.  By the time I had worn them for a while they said PF___s.   I still remember those shoes like it was yesterday."

Somehow I don't think they make shoes like that anymore.  They don't make KIDS or KEDS like that anymore...  Today when I found that photo and those shoes were in it I had to share the story.  I guess maybe you had to be there.  But it's had me in stitches all day.  Thanks Uncle Stu for sharing that with us.  I will never forget it.  You are one of a kind.     


   

The Party is over but the fun just beginning!

Last night we attended the Texas reception of our Nephew Cody and Niece Amanda Heironimus.  They had a destination wedding in beautiful Hawaii and wanted to have a reception for friends and family who were not able to travel to Hawaii.  It was a first class affair with fancy table cloths, covered chairs, sit down dinner, and great DJ with music videos and state of the art lighting.  The Cakes were something quite special for sure. It was so beautiful.




I must say it was so beautiful and so nicely done, I wanted to give credit where credit is due.  First of all the location of the reception was Butch and Carolyn Arsement's Rockin A Restaurant and special events center on Cardinal Drive in Beaumont, Texas.  There is a large room built on to the side of the restaurant which is the perfect venue for all sorts of events.  Butch and his crew also catered the dinner.  Hawaiian Chicken, Pulled Pork, mashed potatoes, green beans, Asian salad (made in cooperation with the Grooms brother, Brent who is a chef in training and is currently attending Culinary Institute of America), homemade pineapple mango salsa, and of course the homemade rolls.  It was delicious to say the least.

The DJ Crew was phenomenal!  Pro Motion DJ Service had all sorts of neat gadgets that they set up with the Groom and had a really nice light show.  They had music from all decades including music videos on the big screen behind the dance floor. I was shocked to see some awesome vintage 70's videos on the screen,  they also had all the new stuff too. What a blast!  Those guys showed up early and stayed late.  They were professional in every way, hire them, you will not be sorry.

This expansive room was decorated to the 9's by Kathy Pitree and her able crew.  They set up the most gorgeous round tables with crisp white linen tablecloths with chocolate brown accents and fresh floral centerpieces. Kathy prepared the most beautiful area for the Brides cake.  It was wrought iron frame complete with a chandelier draped in lovely lights and sheer fabric.  It was like a fairytale.  She also did a beautiful job with the entry tables which were lit underneath so the skirts of the tables glowed a golden color.  I have never seen a reception that was done so beautifully.  A nice addition to the decor were live palm trees from Al Cook Nursery which lined the walls.  As a little extra for his new Bride the Groom stayed up until  3 am working on pink up-lighting on the walls.  It was simply maaavelous.


The Cakes were impeccably done by Something Special Bakery.  The Bridal cake was done in white fondant with hand made hibiscus flowers and green satin ribbon.  The Chocolate grooms cake was done using playing cards and edible poker chips, in honor of Cody and Amanda's
Las Vegas Honeymoon. 




Guests were treated to a video done by Roger Reiner from California who produced a Video for the couple which had childhood pictures and interviews which were done in an entertaining "He said, She said" format.  There was also a slide show of the wedding in Hawaii and a really funny shoe game played by the Bride and Groom. 

The entire Bridal party was dressed as they were for the Wedding in Hawaii, right down to the hair, the Girls all had beautiful up-dos done by On Stage..  They toasted the new couple and wished them well.  The Bouquet was tossed and the Garter was thrown. We all danced till midnight and had a grand time.  Lets see who walks down the aisle next... 

It was a wonderful night of fun and celebration for a very special couple near and dear to my heart.  May God Bless their union and keep them the best of friends forever.  Congratulations Cody and Amanda.

Aloooooha!

We just returned from beautiful Hawaii.  We went for the Wedding Ceremony of our Nephew Cody and the most lovely of all Brides, Amanda.  Those 2 have been together so long that we feel like she is already a part of our family.











The Wedding was held at a beautiful place on the Island of Kauai called Plantation Gardens. We traveled there with a party of about 20 people including the Bride and Grooms' Parents, Grandparents, Aunts Uncles, Cousins, Brothers, Sisters and Friends.  The Bride and Groom coordinated the travel arrangements with the help of Donna the Grooms' Mom.  The Bride was only reduced to tears over this once that I know of.  That must be a worlds record.  I would have been running around with my hair on fire...  




Somehow I was convinced to to the Wedding photos.  This is a job I generally turn down flat.  But I said I would do it for them so they would not have to pay photographer to fly over.  It was after all in beautiful Hawaii, and I felt I needed to experience what it was like to do a destination wedding.  Besides with a backdrop like Hawaii, how could I go wrong???




The day of the wedding arrived and of course dawned beautiful and perfect.  We all got our stuff together and headed to the beauty salon for the coiffing of the hair (or haa-i-r as we say in the south).  We had a nice bottle of champagne while the girls where getting their do's done.  My granddaughter Julie was the flower girl and she also got her hair done.  She was incredibly patient for a 7 year old.  She is also a diva and enjoys sitting before a mirror (if I was that doggone cute I would too).  

With the hair all coiffed and the veils all donned, we took off to grab all the wedding accoutrements and head for Plantation Gardens.  It is a beautiful drive especially when you can see a thunderstorm brewing right over the outdoor wedding venue.  The bride was still calm.  I was a wreck.

We arrived at the Gardens and exited the car in a light refreshing rain only to find the first available door occupied by the GROOM.  We were forced to take a winding pebble lined path( lugging all our equipment) that seemed like it was about a mile and half away from the designated changing place.  My expensive  40 pound Tamrac (supposed to be rolling) rolling case was leaving a path where it was dredging through the pebbles like a dozer.  Every now and then I had to pick it up and over the wall of pebbles it was collecting.  We arrived at the room and the sky opened up in earnest, just in time.  The Bride was a little antsy.  I was glad for the rain to put the flames in my hair out.


The bride and her ladies in waiting were real troopers and set about getting dressed.  They were dressed and ready in no time at all.  We were running a bit late.  It was 5:45, the wedding started at 5:45 and the sky was still leaky, but surely we thought, the wedding could not begin without the presence of the Bride. We were trying to figure out how to get the Bride back down that winding path in the rain in her beautiful flowing full length sequined gown with train and 4 inch Jessica Simpson heels.  A plan was hatched to take the bride over by car so while the car was on its way, I took off running with my case and found a shortcut to the Garden. Thankfully I made it there before the Bride.




















The rain stopped and a rainbow appeared just as the Bride arrived.  God is the great decorator who provided that part.  Everything was beautiful and perfect.   It was a sweet ceremony, and I can't remember a couple who were ever more perfect
for each other.  

Welcome to the family Amanda, and Cody you're a very lucky guy! Congratulations!