Recipe of the Week - Shrimp Etouffee

 

I found this recipe in one of the cookbooks that June gave me last year.  She's cleaning out her collection and I always welcome new additions to mine! This is definitely a homemaker's version of etouffee, but it turned out delicious and I will definitely make it again! Enjoy!

Shrimp Etouffee

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 1/2 cups chopped green peppers

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 stick margarine

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small bunch of green onions chopped

1 small bunch of parsley, chopped

1 lb. cleaned cut up shrimp

Cook chopped onions, peppers, celery and garlic in margarine until soft.  Add shrimp and cook 20 minutes.  Add soups, green onions and parsley.  Cook 20 minutes over low heat.  Serve over cooked rice.  Serves 4-6.

Shrimp Etouffee over rice with steamed broccoli and jalapeno cornbread

Thought of the day

 

I know that one of my daily challenges has been to get more aerobic exercise into my daily regime, but it is time for me to seriously look into losing weight.  I know a lot of the reasons that I have gained so much weight since October.  I won't go into them now but just know that I am highly aware of them.  Let's just say that the time has come to shed the unwanted pounds.

This morning, I am planning my grocery store run.  I need to fill my cart with fruits and vegetables!  I definitely need more salads and fresh vegetables in my life.  That and smaller portions LOL I am one of those people, no big shock here, that doesn't throw things out when they're still of good use. Use being the important word there.  I have so many clothes that are good that I simply cannot fit into anymore.  I will ultimately donate them if I have to, but I would love to be able to fit into them again.  My wardrobe has become very limited because of my weight gain.

Yesterday, I went to visit with my Dad and June.  When I was getting ready, I tried on a pair of shorts to wear.  I had not worn them since last year because there had not been a great need yet.  Now that the weather is warmer, that has changed.  Well, I couldn't even get the button anywhere near the buttonhole.  It was rather pathetic to me.  I got very frustrated but let it go because I was on a time clock to get out the door.  And I like these shorts.  They have plenty of wear left in them!

During our visit, Dad and I went to lunch.  I could barely squeeze into the booth at the restaurant.  That was embarrassing.  I managed to push the table towards Dad as much as I could without him being pinned in.  At least I was able to breathe even though my stomach was still touching the table LOL  Took them a cake, like I always try to do.  Dad had a piece.  June had 3 pieces, so it was good. I declined. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Ah, well.

Time to get off my butt and do something about this.  Who knew being able to look down and see my shoes would become a life goal!  That is all.

Golden Girls collectibles

 

If you know me at all, you know I love The Golden Girls.  I have loved them from the beginning when the first episode aired on September 14, 1985.  That began a tradition of Saturday night appointment television.  How I miss those days! As I grew older, my love for them has grown.  One reason is that as an adult, I have a better understanding of their situations, and their humor hits on different levels.  It's brilliant writing. I remember being so excited when they began releasing the seasons on DVD.  This was before streaming and you had to catch reruns when you could.  And that really began my collection of Golden Girls stuff!

And one of the best things about this collection is that almost all of it came from friends.  My friends know of my obsession. 

I have often said that Dorothy Zbornak is my spirit animal and that is so true! I have received wonderful GG items for Christmas, for birthdays and sometimes just out of the blue.  I have figurines, Christmas ornaments, puzzles, magnets, books, etc.  It's just something that fills me with such joy that it never gets old to me!  Now, I wonder what my next item is going to be!!  Let's have some cheesecake and find out!

Quote of the Week

 

Going into the weekend, I just liked what this quote has to say!

Needing Some New Shelves

 One of the purposes of my one drawer at a time exercise is to think about how things are organized.  Right now, I am working in my laundry room.  As I have said before, there is stuff all over the place in there. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it definitely can be better organized.  I have two shelves full of different kinds of things.  There are lots of cleaning supplies on both shelves.  I have chargers for tools, batteries, tools, light bulbs. They just are not well organized.  Groups of the same types of items are in different places and often it takes a while to find something because I am looking in the wrong group of items.  I need to get them together!

So, I am looking at some new shelves for my laundry room.  One of the shelving units I am using right now is very old.  It came from the laundry room out of my great grandparents' house.  I love it. It's really more like a bookcase the way it is shaped.  But it holds a lot of stuff, that's for sure. It is just not practical. I have more wall space along that wall that could be better utilized. I need a shelf that is about two feet wider than what I have now.  And I could also go up at least another foot.  That would give me more room to get everything together and organized.  I can find a use for the antique shelf somewhere else; I've no doubt about that.  So, it's time to start looking for some new shelves and saving up.  I like when things are organized, and it will do me good. 

Jesus is the Song - David Danner, arrangement by Mary McDonald

 

I first heard this around middle school age. The North Carolina Baptist Association Men's Choir, made up of ministers of music from across the state, came to our church to perform a concert. This is one of the anthems they performed.  While it couldn't find a men's choral version, it's still a beautiful anthem. Mom bought their cassette tape (yes it was that long ago) after the concert and this was one of her favorite tracks on the album.  It's a beautiful anthem and I always enjoy hearing it.

Daily Challenge - pedometer

 

This morning, I uploaded a pedometer app onto my phone.  I used to have one years ago on an older phone and never put one on this one.  I think it is going to be a good way for me to keep track of my aerobic exercise.  At least it will be during the day. Now that I am doing a lot more walking at work, it will be interesting for me to see exactly how many steps I am taking in each day.  One of my friends told me yesterday that he tries to get in at least 10,000 steps each day. I don't know if I will make it that far, at least in the first few months, but that is a great goal to have.  I do much better with things like this if I can see the numbers of how I am doing, and this pedometer app will definitely help me to track that.  I will probably start recording some of those things here so we will see how it goes!!