A cure for The Turkey Blues: Red Shrimp Scampi with Couscous

In the wake of Thanksgiving, the Internet gets flooded with recipes that show us how to transform turkey leftovers into whole new meals...but if you're feeling anything like I am, the last thing you're craving today is yet another turkey flavored bite. Plus, after the day-long marathon that cooking a Thanksgiving feast typically entails, you're ready to take a break from any meals which require a considerable amount ingredients, time, or labor to prepare. 

If this is all starting to sound like you, it's safe to presume you've got a case of The Turkey Blues. Much to your relief, I'm ready to hand you a cure. 

What I'm about to present is, basically, the contrary of a traditional turkey meal: It takes about 15 minutes to cook, you won't need an oven (or half a dozen pots and pans!), it's got a bright and delicate texture, presents handsomely on the plate with sophistication and worldly flair AND, most importantly, it does not involve turkey. 

You are SO ready for this.

GATHER AND PREP YOUR INGREDIENTS

The following will yield dinner for two:

1/4 cup olive oil
20 large shrimp (~1 lb.) peeled and deveined, tails off
1/2 cup of dry white wine
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 large garlic cloves, pushed through a garlic press
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup pearl couscous
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

GET COOKING
Prepare the couscous according to package instructions. TIP: If you can't find the larger-grain Israeli style couscous (often marketed as "pearl" couscous), stay away from the smaller-grain Moroccan-style couscous. Substitute with angel hair pasta if you must.

Preheat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, then cook the shrimp in a single layer, turning only once.

When they begin to curl and change color (at around the 2-minute mark) remove them from the skillet using tongs or a slotted spoon, and set them aside in a large bowl.

Without discarding the oil remaining on the skillet, lower the heat to medium and add the pressed garlic, white wine, sea salt and cracked pepper. Let it come to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes stirring frequently.

Incorporate a generous squeeze of lemon juice now, but please resist the temptation to add any more than 2 tbsp. total, or it will totally overpower your dish. (I speak from experience!) Trust that the white wine will suffice to provide the rest of acidity needed to pull this dish off, Grasshopper.

Keeping the stove at medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt, stirring slowly.

Once the butter is melted and as soon at it all returns to a gentle simmer, transfer the shrimp back into the skillet. Gently stir them into the buttery goodness and then swiftly remove from heat.

Sprinkle the fresh flat-leaf parsley on top (I like to go heavy-handed as its herby freshness contrasts beautifully with the butter and pairs lovingly with the garlic).

The only thing left to do is spoon the shrimp and Scampi sauce atop the couscous (it's best served in a shallow bowl). Pair it with a chilled glass of Prosecco for the full effect. 

Now taste this and tell me it doesn't beat gobbling down (pun intended) yet another bowl of turkey chili! 

PANTRY QUEEN TIP: While any shrimp variety will work here, I love using red Argentine shrimp in this recipe--not only because I find cold water shrimp to have a more delicate flavor, but also for the gorgeous, intense red hue and juices this variety yields when cooked. As bonus, Argentinean shrimp are usually wild-caught...and if there's only one piece of advice you might  accept from me when it comes to seafood of any kind, fresh or frozen, it's to never, ever, ever, ever consume farmed fish or shrimp. If you don't believe me, just Google the word "tilapia."

Interior Design for "Every Other Weekend"

When I first met the two little boys who are now my step-sons, the youngest was about to turn five and the oldest was eight years old. Until then, my only parenting skills had been forged through a career in management--which may be loosely compared to parenting if you consider that it, too, involves mentoring, conflict mediation, holding accountable, rewarding and setting expectations for others on a regular basis. I'd also raised two spoiled-rotten dogs and managed to keep a few plants alive. However, being as I was into world travel and keenly focused on my career, children weren't exactly in my master plan. It's not that my biological clock hadn't ticked loudly enough yet; it's just that it hadn't ticked at all.

Yet as Fate would have it, the man who turned out to be The Love of my Life came with contractual clauses which could not be waived. Luckily for me, said clauses were these two charming little boys. So I dove into step-parenthood with an open mind but also with the same degree of caution one would need to travel safely to a foreign land--allowing myself to get excited about the adventures and sights to come, yet vigilant and alert to compensate for my lack of fluency in the language. Would I have what it takes to navigate successfully into this unknown?

Fast forward three years (and countless hiking trails, arts and crafts, baseball games, and road trips together) and the journey turned out to be a LOT less scary than I expected. Just like with any voyage worth taking, I also learned something new about myself. In this case, that I don't suck at step-parenting. So much so that I've grown to feel a deep sense of gratitude for these two vibrant, affectionate, creative little monkeys in our lives. 

A firm believer that actions speak louder than words, I sought a symbolic gesture to affirm my commitment to them as the Thanksgiving holiday approached, a labor of love that would reassure them in a tangible, meaningful way that we're in this together for the long term--even if it's just every other weekend. And oddly enough, THIS is how I finally got around to re-designing their bedroom, which was the one space in our home that still had an unfinished feel about it.

Perhaps because they only inhabit this bedroom every other weekend, or maybe due to the sudden circumstances under which they first occupied it three summers ago, this space was put together in provisional fashion with mismatched furniture and random bedding purchased in haste. Eventually--as time marched on and life became normal again--the bedroom began to resemble a storage cave for all sorts of "boy things:" Legos, sports equipment, wheeled trinkets, coloring books and Pokemon cards. It was also often strewn with clothes which exceeded the capacity of the old, wobbly drawer chest assigned for their storage.

I had to start somewhere, so I went about this project with the realization that painting walls was out of the question if I really wanted to get this done during the brief Thanksgiving break. Having accepted this, I turned my attention to Pinterest for inspiration. I found it in the blues, creamy whites, and corals of coastal design.

So the flimsy old bedding went straight into the donations bin-- and I headed straight into Target. I hit the jackpot right off the gate: a set of high thread count sheets in a shade nearly identical to that of the blue walls.The bounty kept accumulating--an isle away, I found an affordable twin comforter set made of durable fabric, in a broad-striped gradient of ocean blues with a cool crinkly texture. I'll take two, please!

I wanted to kick up my color scheme with a strong coral contrast--which is how the rug and the throw pillows made their way into my little red bottomless Target shopping cart.

As for the furniture, I chose this particular set because the color and grain are reminiscent of wooden baseball bats--and with baseball being so close to this family's heart, it seemed like a perfect choice.

A few beloved baseball mementos, a whimsical night lamp, and some of my own photography (enlarged to poster-size and framed to hang on the walls) gave the room a personal, custom touch. 

Of course, the addition of a large flat screen TV is not something they objected to. 

With Christmas coming up, I had yet another excuse to add an extra layer of whimsy and so I installed a 4-foot Christmas tree and decorated it to punctuate the room's color scheme.  

Combined with the blue twinkly Christmas lights stringed around the celiling's perimeter and the remote-controlled moon (which I combined with circular mirrors of different sizes to resemble a nocturnal sky scape),  these boys will never lack comforting night light sources to keep the Boogie Man away at all times.

Every-other-weekend rooming can be a challenge if you have two children of different ages sharing the same small space. Using contemporary furniture and an age-neutral color scheme (and staying away from character fads that are bound to become outdated as soon as the next Ninja Turtles/Iron Man/Lego movie comes out) the space will be able to grow with them for the next couple years. 

I will leave their playroom's re-design for a later post, but having the luxury of yet another spare room in the house at our disposal, the decision was deliberate to keep their sleeping space combined--rather than give them separate bedrooms. By isolating the play room, I hope to also isolate the mess that naturally comes hand in hand with boys and all their trinkets and toys, and therefore have a better chance to keep this bedroom a tidy, restful retreat where they can go to wind down free of distractions, with the exception of watching movies on the big screen TV. (The decision to not hook up a video game console or cable/satellite TV in this room was very deliberate, as those features are best suited for a playroom.)

Finally, here's the BEFORE and AFTER comparison you may have been wondering about...

Here's the embarrassingly cluttered and boring "BEFORE"

        

And here's, once again, the "AFTER." 

This redesign came in at just under $2,000 USD. Even without painting walls or ripping out carpeting (as I would have loved to do with more time and a bigger budget), I'd say we've come a long way, wouldn't you?

Ameri-terranean Butternut Squash Soup with Chorizo and Manchego cheese

                                                                                                                              

Growing up in Spain, pumpkin and squash weren't exactly staples of local cuisine. When I discovered this butternut squash soup, the recipe made it clear that bacon and cheddar were keystone ingredients. I can't argue against the sweet tasty brilliance of this combination; however, I could not help myself. I had to mess with perfection.

So I decided to test the recipe using a combination of Spain's iconic chorizo sausage and pancetta (bacon's leaner Italian cousin). I also replaced the Cheddar with a blend of aged Manchego and Gruyére cheeses.

The end result was a rustic dish endowed with a muscular American build--and a sexy Mediterranean accent. In other words, it was freaking spectacular.

Test it out in your own kitchen sooner rather than later! I suggest this because if you do, I'm confident you'll be tempted to add this dish to your holiday dinner table.  It's easy and quick to make (don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients--it only took about 30 min, including prep). The flavors are exquisitely complex, yet not too rich or too filling at all--making it a great choice for a first course.

GATHER AND PREP YOUR INGREDIENTS (yields up to 6 servings):

Pancetta (5 oz.) and Chorizo (3 oz.), cut in 1/4-in. cubes

1 Butternut squash (about 2 lbs.), trimmed, unseeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 tbsp butter

Ground cumin and dried tarragon (2 tbsp. each)

2 bay leaves

3 cups chicken stock or broth 

1/2 cup Prosecco or Champagne 

2 tsp of flour or corn starch

2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Manchego and/or Swiss cheese
Hot sauce or ground pepper to taste

GET COOKING:

Remove as much fat as possible from the Pancetta. When scaling this recipe to a larger pot, make sure the proportion of the chorizo used equals no more than 2/3 of the pancetta. This is because the paprika-heavy chorizo has a very distinct, powerful profile and you don't want it taking the dish over completely--instead, you want it to harmoniously balance with the milder, more delicate flavor of the pancetta.

Melt the butter at medium heat; then add the onion and sauteé at medium-high heat until translucent and tender.

When the onions start developing a golden color, add the pancetta and chorizo combo, the cumin and tarragon, the minced garlic, and the bay leaves.

Sauteé stirring frequently at medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the meat is cooked.

Add the butternut squash, pouring the chicken stock and Prosecco over it.

Bring it all to a boil at high heat, stirring gently--then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes.

In the meantime, dissolve the flour or corn starch into a few tablespoons of cold water.

Stirring gently and slowly, incorporate the flour/water mixture and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked. Then add the sour cream and stir to blend thoroughly. For a little extra dimension, add your favorite hot sauce or freshly ground pepper to taste.

You're done cooking now. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded Swiss and/or Manchego cheese. The only thing left to do is...enjoy (and "buen provecho")!

PANTRY QUEEN TIP:

I like sipping on bubbly so I stock it at home, ensuring there's always a chilled bottle handy whenever the mood (or the company) calls for a glass of wine. As result, you're also likely to find an uncorked, partially-consumed bottle of brut or some other type of dry sparkling wine in my fridge on any given day. Because it's a shame for this nectar of the gods to go to waste, I use it to cook. Basically, I use Champagne, Cava and Prosecco to substitute in recipes that call for white wine or lager beers. 

In my mission to remain well-stocked, I discovered this Prosecco recently--the pretty label caught my eye, and the price was quite affordable (around $15 per bottle) so I gave it a go. I liked it--it's dry but not bitter, with a steady fizz, and works quite well at the dinner table when paired with spicy or vegetarian dishes. Cin cin, y'all!

The "Firsts" of Fall

Glorious Autumn is upon us! As such, last week I was able to indulge in a few favorite "firsts" of the season: first fire in the fireplace, first time wearing a coat, and first time wearing boots!

It just so happened as well that last week I had a little more free time than usual on my hands, and I was able to wander about the Internet--gathering inspiration from other bloggers for seasonal recipes, fashion, and even home décor. And this is where it hit me: the somber realization that my very own blog, initially masterminded to be an eclectic lifestyle share, had somehow dulled and slipped into my greatest comfort zone, focusing strictly on soups, stews and other comfort foods.  Boh-ring.

Now don't get me wrong--I'm as inclined as any other girl to snap a "duck face"selfie with my iPhone and unapologetically post it to my Facebook or Instagram...but beyond that, I'm well aware that I'm neither Beyoncé nor a Kardashian--and for that reason,  it feels awkward to place myself in front of the camera for blog illustration purposes, especially if it requires a tripod and a timer. Nonetheless, lacking a professional model and/or photographer to make the task a little easier--and in an effort to step out of my own comfort zone--here is my first fashion blog of the year (and hopefully not my last!).

Now rather than worry about whether coworkers in my very serious, corporate workplace will see this and make fun of me, I'm going to focus on what TRULY matters: basic Fall season accessories--and their power to transform a look with just a few simple switches).

To prove my point, I picked a neutral winter hue palette from which to build two different looks. I started with a pair of dark jeans and a gray knit top. Read on to see  how easily you too can transform a basic look and make it go from effortless country weekend wear to "ladies-who-lunch" city glam in seconds, with just a few key accessory modifications. 

LOOK #1: MODERN COUNTRY WEEKEND

Beef up your neutral jeans-and-sweater combo with sturdy classics for a look that's casual enough to catch up on errands during the day, but sassy enough to catch up with a friend (and a glass of wine) at your local haunt de jour.

One of my favorite wardrobe trends all year has been the cropped denim jacket. You can layer it with anything--anything!--for an instant cool, relaxed look. Just avoid pairing it with same-hued jeans. I found mine at Tahrjae (a.k.a., Target), at the bargain price of $34 USD. 

Next, you gotta have a focal color point to punctuate your look from the get-go. In this case it is a natural turquoise stone necklace in an unusual, eye-catching shade of green (Park Lane Jewelry, about $300 USD) and a large, cheeky cocktail ring in a similar green-apple hue.

Classic, unfussy footwear grounds the look: a pair of leather riding boots, knee high and minimally embellished. These ones are Bandolino, currently retailing at DSW for about $110 USD. Slip them on over chunky wool or patterned knee socks in a compatible shade for added texture and elongation. 

Last but not least, a sturdy handbag will complete your weekend look. I love, love, love my all-terrain Louis Vuitton Galliera PM bag (about $1,500 USD). Because this is the only item with a hefty price tag in this ensemble (and because I've shown excellent restraint so far), I indulged and threw in one of my fave LV charms for flair. 

This little amber honey bee will set you back about $600 USD (I know, right?!?!) but it looks SO perfect with this bag. Of course, my husband will never understand why these silly charms are almost as expensive as the bag itself--as neither will yours (so why try). 

LOOK #2: MONOCHROMATIC URBAN GLAM

Let's shift gears now to a more urban, "daily grind" type of setting--using our same dark jeans and basic gray sweater as foundation. Here's where a peacoat will come in extremely handy.

Peacoats are a quintessentially chic and versatile autumn wardrobe piece. This one, by Jessica Simpson, is lightweight and shapely enough to double as a blazer on cool fall days when you're running around town and behind schedule, and the last thing you need is the burden of a bulky coat. 

While traditional peacoats are usually navy blue, this pearly-gray hue gives it an updated feel and stretches its indoor/outdoor versatility. On sale for only $99 USD at Nordstrom Rack, this one was a bargain I simply could not pass up when its frothy texture caught my eye a couple weeks ago. 

As for the shoes and bags, and keeping with the urban theme, a suede ankle bootie and an ample all-purpose tote contribute to a sleek silhouette. Monochrome attire schemes help elongate and create the illusion of slender proportions--as a bonus, the streamlined platform booties add height, and the oversized bag makes a girl of average proportion like myself look smaller by comparison. Throw some sunglasses on top of your head, and you've just added another extra inch of height--and Euro-style sophistication. 

These booties are Michael Kors, from the brand's Fall 2013 collection (See? I recycle!) and the handbag is Louis Vuitton's Artsy MM, retailing currently for $1,980.00 USD (at least this one comes with its own built-in charm thingie).

And speaking of bargains, let's move on to the bling. Here's another Tahr-jae find, this one costing just $24.99 USD. 

Bejeweled statement necklaces are trending right now as another must-have this season. Turns out that what you'd typically expect to see on a red carpet works surprisingly well with your everyday solids, especially simple knits and business-casual wear. And with sparkly winter holidays quickly approaching, these babies couldn't possibly be any more timely. By sheer definition, these pieces are made to go from day into evening, perfect for whenever an after-hours business event pops up on your Outlook calendar at the last minute. Yet in the board room, they can look fresh and business-appropriate--if pulled off with confidence and paired with minimalist restraint, plus solid monochromatic color schemes that help quiet the loudness of the bling. 

Moral of the story (also known as "tips"):

• All you need to transform a look are four components: (1) a jacket layer; (2) a statement necklace; (3) unfussy go-with-everything footwear, and (4) a quality handbag. 
• Monochromatic schemes help pull any look together and help slenderize your silhouette--think out of the box and play with neutral hues beyond the same-old, same-old predictable "all black" getup. 
• You can make a budget look seem expensive all-around by investing in one high-end branded accessory. The designer handbag is a no-brainer--if you're on a tight budget, find one in a style you can wear almost every day to justify the investment. 

But enough about me--time to focus on you. What are your favorite fashion firsts of fall?