Boom!

How long have we waited to say it? The Bears are in the playoffs and are favored this week against the Eagles. Club  Dub was rocking after last week's win which saw Nagy leaving his quarterback in through the entire game. 

Last week I decided to cook for Josh Bellamy and Anthony Miller. They were ejected from the 49er's game after a late hit on Trubisky by Marcell Harris. While I'm not in favor of sideline fights, I have to say Da Bears Would Not Have Gone After Harris If He'd Hit Cutler. In honor of being an actual team - instead of an assortment of talented players - I tip my chef's hat to the spirit of the 2018 Bears.

I marvel at how many players are from the south - Bellamy is another Florida native and Miller is from Tennessee. Shrimp seemed the perfect choice and since the spirit of teamwork is so distinct, I chose a Cream of Shrimp soup that finishes by combining all the ingredients in a blender. It is delicious as are the 2018 Chicago Bears.


Cream of Shrimp Soup
Ingredients:
3 TB Unsalted Butter
2 Carrots finely chopped
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Celery stalk finely chopped
1 small Baking Potato peeled and finely chopped
2 # small Shrimp peeled and deveined, shells reserved
2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Half and Half
1/2 TB dried Thyme
1 Bay Leaf crumbled
Salt and White Pepper


Directions:
1.  In large saucepan, melt butter. Add carrots, onion, celery, potato and shrimp shells.
2.  Saute until the onion is translucent and the shells turn pink (2-3 minutes)
3.  Add stock, half and half, thyme, bay leaf and all but a handful of the shelled shrimp
4.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes
5.  In small batches, puree the soup in a food mill, food processor or blender. Be sure the batches are small enough to not splatter. If using a food processor or blender, force the puree through a strainer, pressing the solids with a wooden spoon. You only want the broth.
6.  Return the soup to the pan and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
7.   Cut the remaining shrimp into small chunks and add to the soup. Simmer gently until cooked 2-3 minutes. Do not boil.

If you have Penzey's Florida Seasoned Pepper, this is delicious on the finished soup.

Cream of Jaguar

We've got rhythm, we've got defense, we've even got offense who could ask for anything more? 41-3 Bears win and a tie with Minnesota for the lead in the NFC North results in ridiculous singing and dancing in this household.

Admittedly the first half was a snore but the Monsters who emerged to play the second half were awesome. For the second week in a row, Peanut caught an interception and ran it in for a touchdown. His eighth defensive touchdown set a franchise record. Congratulations and banana bread to you! Not to be outdone, Lance Briggs grabbed a ball and ran in his own defensive touchdown. That's how da Bears defense rocks!

Lovie said that the "Number 1 priority on defense is to score." That gives us two offenses and we certainly saw it today.

Robbie continues to be perfect. Forte is amazing. The dynamic duo of Cutler-Marshall is a pleasure to watch and every time Hester has the ball, we all hold our breath. Did you see his amazing catch?

Today's menu was Cream of Shrimp but the game was truly cream of Jaguar. This is a great recipe. Allow plenty of time at the end to strain the puree and, if it is too rich, add a bit more chicken broth.

Brian Urlacher has reportedly said that his major role is giving high fives. This winning recipe, based on a recipe from Williams-Sonoma, definitely receives an Urlacher High Five.

Cream of Shrimp

Ingredients:
3 TB unsalted butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small baking potato, finely chopped
2 Lbs. small shrimp peeled and deveined, shells reserved (Note: I used frozen cocktail shrimp, medium size and cut them into bite size chunks)
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1/2 TB dried thyme
1 bay leaf crumbled
Salt and white pepper
2 pieces of fried, drained crispy bacon - crumbled (Optional garnish)
1 TB fresh parsley leaves (Optional garnish)

Directions:
1.   In large saucepan, melt butter.
2.   Add carrots, onion, celery, potato and shrimp shells. Saute until onion is translucent and shells turn pink (2-3 minutes)
3.   Add stock, half and half, thyme, bay leaf and all but a handful of the shrimp.
4.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
5.   In small batches, puree the soup in a blender.
6.   Force the puree through a strainer using a wooden spoon.
7.   Return soup to the pan and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
8.   Add the remaining bite size shrimp chumks and simmer gently until warmed (2-3 minutes).
9.   Optional garnishes are crumbled bacon or parsley leaves.

Serves 4 Bears Fans