Shrimp Etouffee & HELP

Texas weather in the fall is so unpredictable. Last weekend it was wonderful, cold and rainy. We enjoyed it for a few days and then it was hot again. When it’s cold outside I love to make homemade soup, gumbo, and etouffee.

Last weekend I made my mom’s etouffee. My mom, the home economics major, created this recipe from combining several recipes and tweaking it over the years. Many traditional etouffee recipes have a roux base but our does not. Instead we cook the holy trinity in butter as our base. The holy trinity is a combination of celery, onion, and bell pepper. It’s used in many Cajun dishes.

Y'all should try this recipe. It's SO good and one of my favorites.

Shrimp Etouffe

1/2 stick of margarine

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cups water

2 chicken boullion cubes

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained

1-2 pounds peeled, deveined shrimp

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf

black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 tablespoons green onion tops chopped for garnish

Melt margarine in large saucepan. Saute onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in butter. Add water and 2 chicken boullion cubes. Stir over medium heat until dissolved. Add drained Rotel tomatoes, shrimp, basil, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, pepper, and parsley. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cream of mushroom soup. Stir over low heat until dissolved. Add green onions to etouffee just before serving. Serve hot over rice.

Paula Deen said to never throw away the leaves of celery. Chop the leaves and use them; they have a ton of flavor.

I love to make this recipe for company. Sometimes I chop the veggies in the morning or the night before to save time when I'm cooking. I love the prep bowls from Pampered Chef. Each bowl comes with a lid, which makes me happy. Oh the little things...

Yumm... the holy trinity sautéing on the stove. I love this smell.

Yum!

I need HELP! As I was making the etouffee, I realized my spice cabinet is completely disorganized. It's hard to find the spice I need in this mess! In Houston, my kitchen had an old ironing board cabinet. The owner of the building added shelves and I used it for spices. I organized them in alphabetical order. It was perfect and so easy to find what I needed.

I don't know what to do with my current spice cabinet. How do y'all keep your spices organized? Any suggestions?

Spice Cabinet in Houston