CAJUN SHRIMP CASSEROLE (*Yum!*)

It's starting to get *COOOOLD* here in PA and for us, that means warm, hearty, comfort food.  For weeknight dinners, nothing fits that bill (in my opinion) better than a casserole.  Combine a few fresh, delicious ingredients; bake in the oven, and then relax while the warmth and the aromas fill the kitchen.  Mmmm, mmmm! 

I made the following recipe recently and we LOVED it.  Of course I tweaked it a little (I'm notorious for that!)  I added some kielbasa and crawfish along with the shrimp, I increased the "heat" level with additional ground and fresh hot peppers, and I used brown rice instead of white.  But other than that, I followed the recipe "as written", and the reminiscent-of-jambalaya casserole that we were rewarded with was simply wonderful.  Serve with a simple salad and hot crusty bread. 

CAJUN SHRIMP CASSEROLE
2 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1/4 cup butter
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen sliced okra
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp soup (or cream of mushroom)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in okra, lemon juice, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in soup and next 4 ingredients until blended. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Recipe (and photo) from  Myrecipes.com   

LOL!

PITTSBURGH - #1 Best Place to Move (WooHoo!)

As a Pennsylvanian (and native Pittsburgher) I was pretty jazzed by this recent article which names Pittsburgh as the #1 American city to consider moving to! 

The article reads, in part:

What people are looking for when they relocate changes from time to time. In the 90s, it was a city with low crime. Then, it was places with good schools.

"These days, you want a job and to make sure you can get a house there," said Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, which helps people find the best places to live, work or retire.

Sperling crunched the numbers to find the 10 best cities to relocate to today. The list takes into consideration all kinds of data points from cost of living to crime rates, the number of colleges and how healthy the population is, as well as access to museums, shows, sporting and other events. Plus, one you might not think of - stability.

"We're a big believer in the concept of stability, where there is modest, controllable growth," Sperling explained. "Big booms lead to disruption, and ultimately big busts. Neither is good for livability."

Here are Sperling's Best Cities to Relocate to in America - Why they're the best and who's hiring there.

1. PITTSBURGH, PA
Pittsburgh, like Buffalo, has also made a major transformation from an industrial town - in Pittsburgh's case, steel -- into the 21st Century as a hub for education, health care and the arts.

Yet, it's still surprisingly affordable: The cost of living is 12.2 percent below the national average and the average home price is $116,400, well below the national average of $171,700.

It's repeatedly ranked as one of the most livable cities: The crime rate is low, it ranks high on both arts and colleges, and it's at low risk for a natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane or tornado.

It's also repeatedly ranked as one of the best sports cities, with the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. You would be hard-pressed to find a city with more loyal sports fans - a fact that should not be underestimated when it comes to quality of life.

The unemployment rate is 7.8 percent, well below the national average of 10.2 percent. Indeed.com has named it the No. 18 job market, with two applicants for every job available.

Companies that are hiring now: HCR ManorCare, BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, Ernst & Young, Westinghouse Electric Company, and UPMC, according to Indeed.com.

As for me, I happen to LOVE Pittsburgh.  I think it is a beautiful, culturally diverse, exciting and just-plain-*FUN* city.  We live about 2 hours away now (out in the country) -- but going to Pittsburgh for the day (or the weekend) is still one of my favorite things to do!

Sooooo, anyone out there thinking of relocating?  Well then, I urge you to consider PITTSBURGH!

Oh FYI, the other top 9 "best cities to move to" are:
# 2 Buffalo/Niagara Falls NY
# 3 Omaha, NE/Council Bluffs, IA
# 4 Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
# 5 Austin-Round Rock, TX
# 6 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
# 7 Madison, WI
# 8 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN
# 9 Denver-Aurora, CO
# 10 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN.

(Pittsburgh at night photo credit: HERE)

Talented Young Artist...

*Fair warning!*  This post is going to be a shameless plug for a talented 13 year old artist and animal lover in Ohio named Linda.  She is currently offering to draw our favorite pet (cat, dog, rodent... you name it!)  for a VERY reasonable fee.  Don't you just LOVE an enterprising, enthusiastic, hard-working young person?!  I know I sure do!

Linda recently drew pictures of Bentley and Boo, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  I excitedly share them with you below:

BENTLEY:

BOO:

I think she really "captured" the personalities of my boys in her drawings ( -- just look at Boo's EYES -- amazing!)  Along with the fun backgrounds, she also included the quotes, which I thought was an adorably whimsical touch, and I simply couldn't be more pleased. 

If you would like to talk with Linda about possibly drawing your own special pet(s), she can be reached at:   giveuppudding@gmail.com 

I hope you enjoy Linda's talent as much as I have! 

My (Handmade) Dog 'n' Cat Quilt !

I was rooting through a closet the other day and ran across this quilt, and realized I had never posted pictures of it before. I made it a few years ago, and it is one of my favorites. A menagerie of  pups and kitties (two of my favorite things!) -- and sooooo whimsical and cute!  (BTW, that bumpy *LUMP* under the upper right hand corner is my own real kitty, Boo, playing hide 'n' seek!)

This quilt was SO much fun to make.   Using "scrips 'n' scraps" of some of my favorite fabrics, and a piecing method called "paper piecing" or "foundation piecing", it's a little "different" than most of the other quilts I have made.

And OH -- no two blocks are the same, and all the critters have little round black beads sewn on for eyes, and the dogs have real button noses!

So, wouldya' like to "meet" some of the individual "kids" on the block?! (LOL, no PUN intended!!!)

 

Well, lookie there, even the real fur-kid approves!  Actually he and Boo have been trying DESPERATELY to CHEW OFF all the button noses!!!  (GAH!  BAD Raggies!!!!)   ;o)

(For additional posts featuring my handmade quilts, please look HERE and HERE.  Thank you!)

And PS... I have gotten a lot of requests for the book that this pattern is from. Please see "Comments" below for all info. Also, feel free to message me through the "contact" link on the blog's home page with any questions not answered there.  ENJOY!

Mechanical Bull Ride?! *AS IF* !

My husband, daughter, son-in-law and I were in Pittsburgh this past weekend.  A new restaurant, Cadillac Ranch, opened up and we decided to give it a try.

We parked the car, and as we were walking in we saw by their advertising that they had "steaks, chops, BBQ, burgers, cocktails and bull rides" (?!)  Knowing full well that it would be one of THE LAST things on earth I would EVER do, my husband teasingly said to me, "Look, honey, they have a bull ride!  You wanna do it?!"  And before I could even comment, my quick-witted son-in-law piped up (a LITTLE too enthusiastically!), "I'LL PAY!" 

Boo and Bentley -- Update on "My Boys"!

YES, I am a terrible Raggie mom! HOW LONG has it been since I have given an update on my two sweet boys?! I know, I know, I've been dreadfully, terribly negligent, and I can only plead "crazeeee busy". Please forgive!

OK, so here goes:

Boo, our "seal bi-color", will be four years old on January 31, 2011. Hard to believe! He is SUCH a sweetheart. And just look at that face -- soooooooo cute, cute, cuuuuuuuute! I can hardly get enough of him!

Boo is also VERY vocal... always *complainin'* about something. Tooooo funny!

 

Bentley (aka "Squeak" -- because he rarely meows -- I think we've heard TWO true "meows" out of him his whole life so far. Every now and then he'll kind-of *chirp!* or *squeak*-- but that's about it!) is a "blue lynx mitted" who will be a year old on December 1, 2010. Whereas Boo is just so darn ADORABLE you can hardly stand it, Squeak is simply a striking, magnificent-looking animal.

They BOTH weigh the same right now -- 12.5 pounds! Which is kinda funny, because anyone who knows Ragdolls knows that they continue to grow and mature till about age 3 or 4 years old, so Squeak will likely (far!) outweigh Boo one day, because Boo is likely fully grown. And for a reference, when Boo was Squeak's age (10 months), he weighed about 9 pounds. Yep, that Squeak -- he's gonna be a "BIGGUN"'!!! That's OK, though, just more to snuggle and love!

Their favorite activities? Rip-snorting through the house at warp speed, then crashing and burning for a 4 hour nap on the bed or our favorite chair!

They also love mutual grooming... watching the bird feeder out the window... eating, of course (hey, it's one of MY favorite pasttimes, too!!!)... and OH how they love to *PLAY*! Quail feathers, feather wands, Da Bird, and those little furry mice (that Squeak "kills" and eviscerates in about 15 minutes flat) are their current favorite toys.

And have I mentioned that Squeak actually FETCHES, and he has since he was a baby?! Yep, just like a puppy dog! Sooooooo stinkin' cute!



OH yeah, in case you can't tell, I am totally smitten with these guys.  Spoiled little furballs, indeed!!!

  P.S.  In case you missed 'em, some of my other Raggie posts are here:  BOO'S STORY, CAT FANCY ARTICLE, and BENTLEY'S STORY.

Thanks for looking!