BOW-TIE SHRIMP

Rained all day here in East Tennessee and we laid around most of the day watching things from Comcast’s ON DEMAND. Late in the afternoon we began to get hungry, so I went over the inventory.

I found some frozen medium sized shrimp, a jar of Bertolli’s Mushroom Fettuccini, a box of bow-tie pasta, some sun-dried tomatoes, some garlic, an onion, and fixed me a drink of my Christmas present – George Dickel Barrel Select! Man was that Dickel smooth!

I fixed the pasta according to box directions (salted and added a touch of oil to the water), diced a small onion, and put the fettuccini on low heat to simmer.

I then ran cool water over about 24 shrimp, pulled off the tails, and cut them into three pieces each.

Once the pasta was finished, about 10 minutes, drain it and set it aside. Turn on the heat under some olive oil, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the onions. Sauté this mixture until the onions were slightly limp and dumped in the shrimp. I salted the top of the shrimp, and sprinkled in plenty of fresh ground pepper (I recommend lots of pepper).

I did not have bacon or bacon bits, but if you do, add them at this point for more flavor!

When the water from the shrimp boils away, dump the mixture on top of the pasta and then the hot Bertolli!

Mix it up and serve hot! Bread is optional!

This plus a little George will warm you up on a cold rainy day.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

It has been a tradition with us to take our granddaughter Christmas shopping just before Christmas. She is fourteen years old, going on thirty-five! Thus far, her parents give her money to buy them presents. Every year she says the same thing, “It seems strange for you to give me money to buy you presents.” Well, yeah, but until you get a job, that is the way it will stay!

She is, if I do say so myself, a lovely thing with a sweet heart. However, she often misses out on our “reindeer fun” and “boomer” senses of humor. We have tried for the last eight or ten years to get her to relax and have some fun, but it appears we only embarrass her. Take for example today when I met these lovely ladies in Victoria’s Secret (see my other blog). She would not even stand with us for a photo opportunity. Somehow, women, scantily clad was more than see could take, or maybe it was the fact that her Papaw kept trying to pick them up in front of her Granny. The child just does not know how to have fun!

We do have our moments together as a family and I am saddened when I think that we may only have a couple of more years to enjoy this tradition. Soon, she will be running around with friends or worse yet, a horny, pimply faced young man who wants to buy her things other than perfume in Victoria’s Secret!

By the time we made it to Wasabi’s for an early supper, she had calmed down enough that me taking pictures of my plate for my blog did not seem as embarrassing to her. Maybe it was because she had her mouth full!

Anyway, this is my favorite part of the Christmas Season.

LAYER DESSERT

Layer 1:
- 1 cup flower
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
- 1 stick margarine (melted)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Mix and spread out in a 9X10” baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350. I prefer a glass container so everyone can see all the layers. Let it cool when finished.

Layer 2:
- 1 cup Cool Whip
- 8 oz. cream cheese (soft)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Mix and spread over 1st layer when cooled.

Layer 3:
- 1 pkg. chocolate pudding (instant)
- 1 pkg. vanilla pudding (instant)
- 3 ½ cups of milk
Mix as directed on pudding box and spread over the second layer.

Layer 4:
Top with the reminder of the Cool Whip.

Place in the refrigerator until served (best served cold with hot coffee).

BREAKFAST IN PARADISE

Just returned from Key West where we had a real feast. Our primary objective seemed to be to have a beer in every bar there, which is impossible (See Mushy’s Moochings for a round up of the most popular watering holes!).

Here were had a very relaxing breakfast at the Westin Key West Restaurant and watched the latest cruise ship passengers disembark. This spot, just south of Mallory Square, is a very lovely spot with a view of the Gulf, and in the evening, enjoy a spectacular view of the sunset with your meal.

The meal is simply a baked potato smothered with scrambled eggs, cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, and fresh green onions - with bacon, fresh orange juice, whole-wheat toast, and fruit on the side. This one stayed with me until mid-afternoon.