Capt'n Jack's seafood cream sauce

http://blog.nola.com/recipes/2009/03/captn_jacks_seafood_cream_sauc.html

Jack Oser, AKA Capt'n Jack, sells soups every week at the Gretna Farmers Market. He shared this rich, versatile sauce recipe that he uses for pasta, fried fish, fried or grilled eggplant, or steamed or grilled asparagus.

His suggestion for a special dinner: Find No. 1 softshell crabs, and make the sauce with a pint of lump crabmeat. Let the sauce sit about three minutes, then serve it over the fried softshells.

Makes 4 to 8 servings

1 stick butter

2 onions, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

¼ cup minced celery

Garlic to taste

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled (or crawfish or lump crabmeat)

½ cup flour

1 quart whole milk

1 pint heavy cream

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup dry white wine (optional)

½ bunch parsley, minced

Salt and white pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1 or 2 bay leaves

Chopped mushrooms (optional)

In a saucepan melt butter and add onions, green onions, celery and garlic. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turn pink. Add flour and stir in completely. Add about half the whole milk and half the cream. Let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Add more milk and cream to desired thickness. Add Worcestershire, wine (if using), parsley, salt and white pepper to taste, cayenne if using, bay leaves, and chopped mushrooms if using. Let seasonings marry, over low heat, about 5 minutes. Stir well.

I just made the BEST dinner. Linked the recipe. I traded out whole milk with skim & heavy whipping cream with Fat Free half and half & real butter with a low fat butter.

Why is there a puddle of water in the middle of the road during this heat wave??

For the past 5 days or so, there as been a puddle in the middle of the four lane road that runs in front of my apartment complex. After telling my mom about it, she tells me to call DOTD. So today I finally work up the courage to call. (I hate calling these types of places because they are usually moody, rude, and very unhelpful... but then I thought about Grey's Anatomy this past week with the sink hole in the middle of the road it helped to summon the courage. haha)
I pick up the phone and dial the 800 number listed on DOTD's website. Once I finally get to the customer service desk and explain the situation they tell me "Please hang up and call this number for Public Works" So I call Public Works and explain everything again. They in turn tell me "Please hang up and call this number." (Public Works only gave a number, no department name.) I then call the department with no name who tells me to call the water company. I hang up again and call the water company. This is when I realize that the only way to talk to someone at the water company without having an account number (which we don't have because the apartment complex pays for the water) is to use the emergency option. I hate the thought of using the emergency option knowing this is not an emergency, but they left me no choice. Luckily, the lady I reached at the emergency line was very nice and understand. She transferred me to Operations where I got to speak with a man who pretty much laughed at me for calling in a possible water leak in the middle of the road.
Makes me wonder why I even bother... Maybe HIM was right when he said "why is it your job to call?" :(

My first ever NFL game!

I went to a NFL game!! HIM got tickets from his boss. I think it was a bribe for him for working 70 hours last week, but I'm ok with that. YAY for Saints tickets and the big paycheck! - The best part (besides finally getting to spend some time with HIM after all that work) the Saints won! But boy was it a nail biter! Geez....
I was also highly impressed with the number of people who showed up! The Superdome was packed!

We had a great time! Of course HIM had to try and explain to me everything that was going on... but I will learn. It was so much more exciting than sitting on the couch watching the game. And the noise that place makes - I was amazed by how loud it gets in there with everyone screaming trying to distract the other team. It was a great way to end the weekend.

I made a hat!

For the past 5 years or so, my sister and I have dressed up together for Halloween. This seems to be getting a bit harder since I have a boyfriend now and finding threesome costumes with two females and one males isn't as easy as you would think. This year I said screw the gender roles! My sister and I will be Mario and Luigi! And what will my boyfriend be you ask? Prince Peach of course!
I have bought skirt overalls and already have a green shirt to wear (I will be Luigi) So this weekend I made this hat from an awesome tutorial I found at Whitney Sews and this is how it turned out...

and I lined it with this cute cherry print I found

It was very easy to follow Whitney's tutorial. Even though I was constantly rewinding the video. (I can be a bit slow sometimes) The hardest part was making it fitting. I should have tried it on before I sewed the brim in and stitched it all the way around... then I wouldn't have had to rip and re-stitch to make it fit.
Anyways, as soon as I get the L on it it will be perfect!

most amazing pan ever

This would be the most amazing pan ever that I was talking about yesterday!

A friend informed me today that "it also has a stand that goes on top of it. Like a V rack." - This sounds familiar... but I honestly can't remember.

Ahoy! Ya horn swollgin' swabbie!

(Hooray for talk like a pirate day!)

Good morning! Wow, what a busy week/ weekend.
Quick recap of last week...
I re-started a blog! (because I want to quit facebook) I will try to write more than once a week. ;)
I started boot camp with my sister! Clarence is great! If you are in the BR area check him out!
Started looking for a new job in the cosmetology industry. By Friday I had an interview at a hair salon. - It looked like a great place to work. However, I don't think it was the place for me.

My weekend started off bringht and early... at 6:30 in the morning (HIM was not a happy camper) with cleaning a house, as usual. The good and badabout that... The bad: My mom wasn't there to help me out this weekend becauseher mom and sister were in town from FL for a Scentsy Party. The good: I madeall the money and didn't have to share. :) and I got to see my grandmaw. <3
After cleaning the house I had to rush home and cook some lunch (beans andfranks!) and shower because HIM's parents were coming in town for the Scentsyparty. I barely had time to get out of the shower and throw a dress on beforethey were there. I dried my hair for all of 5 minutes (and when you have 2.5 feetof hair that isn't very long) and HIM's mom and I were off to my mom's for theparty. - I should probably interject here how much I dislike these parties. Ihate begging my friends to come to my house so they can be bombarded by a pushy sales person who is not only tryingto sell stuff, but also trying to make you become a sales person under them.With that being said... I am also a sucker to help out a friend/ family member.So I end up having/ going to lots of these parties. – The Scentsy party wentmuch better than expected. My aunt probably sold around $500. I of course hadto buy a ton of stuff including:
For the office: Chateau Mid-Size Scentsy Warmer

For my home: Graphite Mid-Size Scentsy Warmer
For Halloween!!: Jack O' Lantern Full-Size Scentsy Warmer
And because I am so indecisive... a ton of different scents. I hope I like them all.
This is my aunt Grace's Scentsy Site.

After all that smell good stuff, HIM's parents took us out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. Then HIM and I returned home to crash and get ready for moving furniture on Bogalusa on Sunday.


My great aunt and uncle both died within the past year and my great (?)cousin recently sold their family home. So we volunteered to go down toBogalusa and pick up some of the family heirlooms and other knickknacks/ keepsakes we wanted before it was all sold in the estate sale. The one thing Ifound and could not live without… A broiling pan! I know you are thinking that’ssilly, broiling pans are a dime a dozen. NOT this pan, trust me. It is a pain Ihave been scouring the local Good Wills and Salvation Army’s for, for a longtime! And not too long ago I had actually found the top part but not the bottomso I had bought it… but now I have the complete pan! Oh the joys that will comefrom my kitchen now. - No worries I will take a picture of the pan and post it as soon as I think about it.

After all was said and done HIM and I relaxed on the couch and made a 90's play list on Spotify. - Which totally made my weekend awesome. I love when we can sit together and enjoy each others company.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

“Today is the first day of the rest of my life.” - Do you know how many times a year I say that? Probably around…. Ummm….. 365 times?

I really hate first post. I have so much to tell and feel very scatter brained in trying to get it all down in a semi-flowy way.

About me:

I am 28 (geez when did I get so old!). And I have been blogging since I was 17.

I live with my boyfriend of almost 2 yrs in a two bedroom apartment. (We are slowly learning to live together. HAHA)

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA.

I am 5’7” with giant hazel eyes and long hair that changes color fairly regularly.

As I mentioned earlier I am currently working on losing weight and then keeping it off. I joined Weight Watchers in July and have lost my first 10 lbs. Today I have signed up for a “boot camp” work out class. I am embarrassing out of shape for someone who use to play soccer in high school and was able to run a 7 minute mile.

I went to Cosmetology School. Graduated, but didn’t do hair for long.

I am currently “enrolled” at the local Community College. – I have not taken a class in over a year and a half. I tried to schedule classes this year but forgot to turn in my financial aid in time.

I have been at my job for 3 years as an administrator. – I use to love my job, but that was before the other administrator started having an affair with one of the bosses and made everyone’s lives hell.

I am passive aggressive and can be overly negative.

I am a control freak. – I don’t know exactly when this started, but I think I am starting to have an idea. I am hoping my meditation with help with this. – I am working towards achieving this quote “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

I am highly competitive, in a weird jealous sort of way. – This too is a recent thing and I am sure I can kick to the curb.

I am a procrastinator.

I am a nerd.

I can be overly compassionate and helpful. Especially for the underdog… but unfortunately not the homeless.

I hate cleaning my own house… but clean house for other people on the weekends.

I love owls (and always have).

My favorite colors are purple, grey, and black.

I have a Yorkie named Harley (whom I love more than anything), who lives with my parents. – Another long story.

I love Grey’s Anatomy, 500 Days of Summer, anime, cartoons, Law and Order SVU, Zooey Deschanel (and I can’t wait to see New Girl!!), Dr. Who, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, Eureka, Psych, and others I can’t think of right now.

I am actually out to change quite a few things before 2012. On the short list there is:

1.       Lose weight (starting weight 230 - goal weight 150-145)

2.       Not be so negative

3.       Learn to meditate

4.       Learn how to be more personally accountable

Other things I want to do (but I know it will take time)

1.       Knit something more useful than a wash cloth

2.       Spend more time crafting and less time watching TV

3.       Read more

4.       Run a 5k

5.    Complete some of the DIY projects I have laying around