Friday, May 14, 2010

Spicy Shrimp & Pasta Bake w/ Jalapeno Cream Sauce +The Latest on the Oil Spill

Here's another favorite recipe that has evolved over time, first made with a roasted garlic, Alfredo sauce, until I discovered this divine, jalapeno cream sauce at a shrimp cook-off, and have been using it ever since. Out of this world, cher! I have used bow-tie, here, but any kind of pasta will work. Bon appetit, cher!

 
Spicy Shrimp and Pasta Bake w/ Jalapeno Cream Sauce

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbs. Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup each, onions, bell peppers, and celery, (the Cajun trinity)
2 tsp.'s minced garlic
1 tsp. thyme
1 pkg. favorite pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.



 


Cook pasta according to package directions, drain , rinse, and place in large bowl.

In large skillet, saute the "trinity" in 2 tbs.'s olive oil, for 5 minutes.










Add shrimp and continue to saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.









Make cream sauce (recipe below) and add to shrimp. Pour over pasta and mix well. Place in a greased casserole, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake @ 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Cest bon' cher!

Jalapeno Cream Sauce
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbs. vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1/3 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup light sour cream

Saute peppers and garlic in medium skillet, in oil over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Makes 1 1/4 cups. Serve with a big tossed salad and cornmeal biscuits, for a delightful meal. Cest bon, cher!

******
The Latest on the Oil Spill in Vermilion Parish

To say that there has been a run on seafood, in Cajun country, is an understatement! Quite naturally, people are starting to panic, at just the thought of a life without our wonderful Gulf seafood. To see a video of what's happening , locally, here, with the oil spill, click here.
This is the son of an old friend of mine, from Abbeville, being interviewed on our local news, last night. To learn more about the crude disaster and go to the Google Crisis Site, click here.

Doesn't it make you really question our government's ability to handle ANY crisis in a timely manner? It was like this, for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike, too. Our Louisiana coast has been wiped-out four times in five years, which is bad enough, but for them to just sit by and prevent our residents from laying available boom, is just unbelievable! And I wonder why BP is in charge of laying the boom anyway? We need the national guard, and state and federal government to do something! SOON! Meanwhile, while they sit on Capital Hill and discuss who's to blame, the slick is inching ever so close to our beloved Vermilion Bay. (only 80 miles east, now) No communication = catastrophe! What do you think about this?

Happy T.G.I.F!!!
Hope ya'll have a wonderful, fun weekend, cher amis! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

30 comments:

ellen abbott said...

I think BP should be hung by their collective thumbs. they've had at least two explosions at their plant in Texas City in the past 5 years.

The government should embrace all the help they can get but they are probably more concerned about liability than actually doing something to help contain it.

GYPSYWOMAN said...

well, you are SO right about the mess along our beautiful state's shores! and the impact that is more far reaching than anyone can even imagine - yesterday i sent an email to the clean-up people at BP and to abc's good morning america - about the spilled oil retrieval thing posted on facebook using hay as an absorber - it was posted also over at rob and trish's synchronicity - don't know if video was a hoax or whatever but it sounded sane in principal - this morning i heard one of the BP big boys say on GMA that there was no way that anyone could have predicted this spill - i thought i would fall out of my chair!!!!

pls keep us all posted, dear lady!!!

Joanne said...

What a very sad situation, I can't imagine going through all the recent catastrophes that the residents there have. It speaks loudly of their strength and courage to handle these events. I sure hope the oil spill is managed and cleaned very soon, and you experience a long stretch of much-deserved peace.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I had no idea. BP needs to step up. Hopefully your post will be read by many and fill us in. Certainly not what I'm reading in reports, although from what I do read, not much being done at all. Trying to cover up the leak with a dome? Like that would stop it? Crazy!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

It is simply tragic, Marguerite...I'm so sorry...Praying for you...

Your recipe looks fab...but sounds like you won't be able to make many of these much longer...sigh...

Hope things improve, very soon!! Love you so much, Janine XO

John said...

I hope it gets sorted quickly; it's a hell of a mess. Good luck.

Eddie Bluelights said...

It is a National Emergency and it seems strange that everyone is waiting for BP to ddo something about it. Surely the expertise is in the States to cap this well. Where are people like Red Adair who extinguished the burning oil wells in Iraq? Probably the main reason for delay is that no-one wants the responsibilty of actually paying for it.

Still praying, but meanwhile have a hug ~ Eddie

Kathryn Magendie said...

Breaks my heart :-(

Marguerite said...

ellen- You would think that they would have had a back-up plan in place, just in case something like this would happen! It's the fact that they didn't, that is really scary!

GYPSY- There may have been no way to predict the spill, but when you're drilling a mile deep, they had to expect that sooner or later, something like this could happen! A simple half-million dollar device could have prevented the whole thing, but BP chose not to install it and there were no regulations that required them to do so! Thanks for sending those emails. We all need to send them!

Joanne- Thanks for your kind comment! We are no strangers to adversity and our ancestors went through a lot worse during the Acadian Deportation in Nova Scotia in 1755, and the 30 years of exile that followed. So we will persevere, but it's a hard pill to swallow. Especially since it could have been prevented.

Midlife- BP and all of the big oil companies, basically do what they want to do. They had free reign in the last administration and that's what happens when you put two oil men in the White House. Hopefully, things will change, after this.

Janine- Thanks so much for your prayers, we need all the prayers that we can get, right now. I have been stocking up on seafood, too, so that I will at least have a good stash for a while. But, it could be years, before things get back to normal.

Kat said...

We have been keeping up with the spill. It just sickens us to see this needless tragedy. We fight wars over this stuff, pollute our waters and air, all in the name of oil. B. grew up on the Gulf and it is hard to watch all this happening and no one seeming to be in a hurry to fix this problem. No telling what our future Gulf is going to be.

Shammickite said...

My heart goes out to all you good people living along the coastline. What's happening is criminal. This was bound to happen one day, and the oil companies knew it, and measures should have been in place to put things right IMMEDIATELY but it looks like this is going to go on gushing for a long time. There was something on the TV news here that all the hairdressers are saving the cut hair from the salons and shipping it to the coast to be used in booms as hair absorbs oil. But surely, the tiny amount of hair isn't going to make a bit of difference to that huge amount of oil.

Shammickite said...

BTW that recipe is great, I'm gonna copy it and try it.

The Good Cook said...

Oh Sweetie - you all have been in our thoughts and prayers since this disaster struck. Outrage, sadness, frustration, fear - these are all of the things most Americans have been feeling - I can only imagine how you are all suffering down there.

TBHITW is an environmental geologist (that means he cleans up Big Oils messes - we may be heading down your way soon - for the long haul. Hopefully not though, that is our prayer that this can be stopped BEFORE it reaches the coast.

We are keeping the southern shore line in our thoughts and prayers.

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

I really enjoyed reading your blog. I am also praying that the Lord intervenes with this nasty oil spill. God bless, Lloyd

Drick said...

first, it just seems somebody is not trying hard enough to work through all the red tape, I mean, over here, we already have booms in place and the local fishermen and shrimpers are running patrols on the coasts 24/7 to keep them in check - all this was done by our governor within the first weeks and according to our attorney general, will be paid for by BP. The beaches and areas are patrols everyday by trained folks too.
second, I agree about the last unchecked administration with the ties to Haliburton and its free reign, and
third.....love that recipe....that sauce...OMG - gonna make that soon

aslan said...

It's make me very surprise.I hope
everything will be good in a short time.I wish you a very happy new week
dear friend.

Love and Respects..

Marguerite said...

Deano- It's hard to know what to believe, with so many sources, and different spins on the story. But it is horrifying to think of the long term effects of this spill. Thanks for the nice compliments and for coming by!

Eddie- I think that they have some of the brightest engineers working on it, but I think that they should have thought of a way to check the batteries on the blowout preventer, way BEFORE they started drilling and operating this rig. Go figure! Merci for your hugs and prayers, cher!

Kathryn- Mine, too! Hopefully, great lessons will be learned and something positive will come out of it. Meanwhile, it sucks!

Kat, I totally agree with you and it is so tragic. The reason that they are not in a hurry to do anything else is because they are making tons of money on the chemicals that they are using to disperse the oil. I will be posting about that, soon! Merci for stopping by, cher!!

Nancy said...

I can't wait to make this recipe. It looks wonderful. The shrimp, jalapeno cream....yum.

I cannot watch anything about the oil spill - I just feel my blood pressure rising! BP needs to be put out of business and all gulf oil rigs shut down until they can prove without a shadow of a doubt that this will never, ever happen again!

Trish and Rob MacGregor said...

The sad part is that no one will ever be prosecuted for this. Apparently the spill has entered the gulf loop, so it looks as if it's headed our way, too, right into the Florida keys. Uneasy question: what happens if the oil is still gushing and a hurricane visits the gulf?

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Just stopped by to send you my love, and to tell you how much I love your new header photo...have been meaning to mention it, but keep forgetting! Have a wonderful week, dear friend! Love, Janine XO

Marguerite said...

Shammickite- So good to hear from you! Thanks so much for your kind comment. Hair is coming in from all over the country, and that will add up to a lot of hair! Merci, so glad you like the recipe and want to try it! Enjoy!

Good Cook- Merci beaucoup for your thoughts and prayers, cher! They mean so much! And I am praying for the same thing! Wow, where do you think you'll be, if you come down? Hope it's nearby! We could have some fun, for sure!

Lloyd- Hi and welcome! Thanks so much for your prayers and your nice comment! I'm so glad that you came by and really appreciate the follow, too! I am looking forward to visiting you, soon.

Drick- That's great! You have a good Governor and so do we, but there is a definite lack of communication going on, here. Just pray that they can cap that well, my friend. Thanks for the nice compliment, cher, hope you like it!

aslan- So good to see you, cher! It surprises me, too, although it's "par for the course", with big money and government! Merci beaucoup for your positive thoughts and sweet wishes. Hope you have a happy week, too, mon ami! Cheers!

Nancy- Thanks, cher, hope you like it! It is a real treat, and it's a bit high in calories, but not if you do the light version. Enjoy!
I couldn't agree with you more on both counts! Have a great, snowless week!

Cloudia said...

When I think of this horrible spill, I think of the birds, and of you, my friend...
We are praying for y'all.



Aloha from Spring Time in Waikiki!


Comfort Spiral

A Cajun Down Under said...

I am devastated for you and all my family and friends in LA. Seems like a case of the blind leading the blind. I just don't understand why BP did not have an plan for catastrophic emergency. Or the government for the matter. Hard to believe they are still scrambling nearly a month on with oil still gushing into the gulf.

Recipe looks great! Looking forward to trying it.

Lea Ann said...

I'm loving this recipe. Another one bookmarked! This oil spill is just sickening. I just wish we could come up with an alternative fuel. This was bound to happen sooner or later, seems no one cares until it does.

California Girl said...

It's beyond belief. CBS' "60 Minutes" did an interview with one of the last people on the platform to live. It aired last night. If you didn't see it, go here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/16/60minutes/main6490197.shtml

Robert Reich has been blogging about BP vs our govt & who's going to pay. Go here: http://robertreich.org/post/604861772/bp-stands-for-bad-petroleum

None of this will make you feel better. We, the people are the only ones who can demand and deliver results from our government & elected officials. It's up to us.

Rosaria Williams said...

Hi Marguerite, great recipe! The oil spills have been happening in other parts with disastrous consequences. I remember the Santa Barbara disaster, which is still a haunting memory up and down the Pacific coast. WE can't let it happen again.

Marguerite said...

trish- You're probably right about that. I sure hope that it doesn't make it to the Keys. I have a good friend, there, who is a deep-sea fishing captain. That is a scary question. Let's hope that it won't be gushing for that long!

Janine- Thanks so much for your lovely comment. It was so sweet of you to stop by! Hope that you have a wonderful week, too!

Cloudia- Merci beaucoup for your thoughts and prayers, cher! Aloha!

Jingle- And a happy Monday to you! Thanks for stopping by!

cajun- So good to hear from you, cher! It is devastating, but big money does what it wants and government looks the other way. Nothing new, really. Thanks, I'm glad that you want to try it and hope that you like it!

Lea Ann- Thanks, so glad you like it! I know, it would be a much nicer world with alternative fuels. It was the same way after Katrina, they just didn't know how to deal with it!

Vagabonde said...

Ah Marguerite I feel so terrible about this. I just don’t trust the people in charge at BP, they are not taking this seriously enough. I heard that many other nations require a costly type of blow out prevention for wells drilled in their waters. However, there was an unexplained policy change during the Bush/Cheney administration and it was not required in the US. BP said it would never happen. This is more than a terrible accident, this is a crime.

Levinson Axelrod said...

This look excellent. Thanks a lot.

Marguerite said...

Cal. Girl- I know, it is so sickening and it's getting worse, by the day. They don't know how to stop it, and the feds are dragging their feet on the permits to build protective barriers. You are right!

lakeviewer- Thanks, cher! I remember the Santa Barbara spill and I agree, WE can't. When WE say "enough is enough" and demand change, and when WE give up our addiction to oil.

Vagabonde- You are right, it is a crime! We have the former administration to thank, as you mention. The buck stops at the White House and this spill is a direct result of those relaxed regulations and they should all be prosecuted. But, you know that will never happen. Merci for coming by, cher!

Levinson- Hi and welcome! Thanks so much for the nice compliment and for stopping by. Hope you will come back, soon!