Since I had the BBQ going, decided to fix a meal with a little more zip than nomal and grill some shrimp to go with the steaks we were having for dinner. It doesn’t take shrimp long to cook over hot coals so I didn’t put them on until about 8 minutes before I severed dinner.    They had previously been marinated in a mixture of the Grill Mates Mesquite marinade along with 1/4 cup of Bourbon (reduced the water to compensate for the Bourbon). Skewered them (sans shells) and cooked them for about 3 minutes on each side (turning once). They were delicious.

By the time we finished eating the meat was cool enough to package for freezing. I love using the vacuum bags since it helps reduce the freezer burn problem. However when you suck the air out – the area where you write gets all wrinkled making it hard to read what’s written there. My solution is to  write the name and date on a piece of colored paper (large print with a black marker) and stick it in the bag before sealing so that I can read the info or at the very least see the color. I use different colors for different meats – pink for beef, yellow for chicken, blue for pork, green for seafood. This way I’ve got a 25% chance of pulling the right package out of the freezer.

It’s off to the store tomorrow to look for cranberries. I’ll be making my sugar free cranberry sauce next few days – so if you’re looking for a sugar free recipe- please check back. And if you haven’t tried the Eggnog Ice Cream yet – you’re really missing out. We’ve almost become addicted to it – I’m thinking of moving it out to the freezer in the garage so we don’t have such easy access – just too tempting having it inside!!!!

Looking back – I should have made more of the shrimp-gumbo soup for today. It is still raining, overcast and quite cool as was the whole weekend.

That being said – we didn’t get very much accomplished – outside anyway. David is using some leftover radiant barrier to insulate his red barn. When we had the roof on the house replaced a few years back we had them install radiant barrier under the metal roofing. It is a reflective product that reflects the heat and helps keep the house cooler. It does work and has made a significant difference in our utility bills – as have the solar screens we installed right after we moved up here. The front of the house faces west so in summer we get lots of the very hot afternoon sun that used to really heat up the den and kitchen area. The solar screens have stopped that completely and have also added to reducing our utility bill They do obscure seeing outside just a bit – but for the savings I can live with it. . . and I really don’t even notice it anymore. Another benefit is that while we can see out – people outside cannot see in! We had the screens custom made for each window using 80% screening vs. 90%. We were told that the 90% – even though it stops more heat – is also more likely to tear and not have the life of the 80%. Knock-on-wood . . . after 12 years the screens are still in excellent shape. I can’t imagine anyone that lives in Texas – or for that matter  anywhere it is hot - and not have solar screens. We feel like they have more than paid for themselves many times over.

Now for the soup – it is made with canned soups but tastes homemade when you finish. For 2 servings you will need 1 can of Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo soup, 1 can of any chicken broth, 1/2 medium sized onion (chopped), 1 tablespoon oil, 12 medium-sized raw shrimp (cleaned), 1 medium tomato chopped (optional), 1 cup cooked rice.

Saute the chopped onion in the oil over a medium heat until soft. Add in about 2/3 of the can of broth, the can of Chicken Gumbo (do not add the additional can of water) and chopped tomato. Cover and bring to a slow boil. Add in the raw shrimp, cover and cook for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink. (Do not use cooked shrimp as the flavor will not be the same.) Add in the cup of cooked rice, cover and continue to heat on low for another 2-3 minutes – do not allow to come to a boil. Remove from heat. You can serve or store for the next day (recommended). If you like okra, add in some extra cooked okra – David doesn’t like okra so I don’t put any in – but would if I could. This soup is really good served with hot, crusty bread and butter.   Check out the  Coupon Page - I’ve put up a link to get Campbell’s soup coupons online.