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.

Let's Show Mitch Some Love!

Oh my goodness, I can't tell you how excited I am about Mitch Trubisky! He is first and foremost a good man. He's also a leader, a talented quarterback and, again I say, a great guy. He has been a wonderful leader for the Bears, come so close and the potential to lead us into many Super Bowls. It's time to show him some love this week.

Mitchell, as him Mom insists we call him, is from the large/small town of Mentor, Ohio. Apparently he was That Kid who took care of everyone, made breakfast, and made sure he and his sisters got to church on Sunday. His mom is quite the character and quite the nurturer. She didn't cut him any slack when it came to performance and she was the first to make her famous biscuits and gravy for everyone.

Apparently breakfast, whether it be Mom's biscuits and gravy, pancakes by Mitch, or omelettes from the Yours Truly  were a favorite so today we had breakfast in Mitch's - sorry - Mitchell's honor.

My cousin, the chef, makes amazing sausage gravy. He always is clear, the trick is to be sure you've cooked the rue long enough the flour has been thoroughly cooked. Always listen when Sean gives advice.

I also add some dried mustard, sage, salt and pepper to the flour. And it Worked! Da Bears Won!

Biscuits and Gravy

Ingredients:
Canned biscuits
1 # breakfast sausage
3 TB butter
4 TB flour
3 cups Milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Sage, Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Bake biscuits according to package
2.  Brown sausage,remove from pan with slotted spoon, leaving the drippings and set sausage aside
3.  Melt butter in pan where sausage was cooked
4.  Add flour and dry mustard and stir constantly until smooth and flour taste is gone and color is light brown or darker - at least 3 minutes
5.  Gradually add milk and cook until thick
6.  Season with salt, pepper and sage
7.  Stir in cooked sausage, reduce heat and simmer 12-15 minutes / Note: If gravy is too thick, add in more milk
8.  Serve over warm biscuits

Secret Sauce

That Was So Much Fun! I felt like I was watching a reincarnation of the Super Bowl Bears! I enjoyed everything from Mitch Trubisky thanking his team after each touchdown to the great defense. There was a definite rhythm from the beginning. Mine was not a quiet household on Sunday.

Next week the Bears are off, but the week after that we will be honoring Tarik Cohen. He was a total work horse against Tampa running for 184 yards.

I decided at the last minute to make a Peach-Bourbon BBQ Sauce to enhance the pulled pork. Could the Secret Sauce have made the difference? Let's all keep a jar in the fridge just in case. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make.

Peach-Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1 TB butter

1/2 cup diced sweet onions (1/2 a large onion)

1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)

1 1/2 cups roughly chopped, peeled peaches

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup bourbon

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TB honey

2 TB molasses

2 TB Dijon mustard

2 TB Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp hot sauce - or more to taste

Directions:

1.  Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, add garlic and cook until fragrant.

2.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until peaches have softened and sauce is slightly thick (about 20 minutes) stirring occasionally.

3.  Puree sauce in a blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and extra hot sauce to taste.

4.  Cool to room temperature, transfer to a jar and store in refrigerator up to 1 month.