Birthday Spectacular

If you're thinking about having your child's next birthday party at chuckEcheese's... rethink it! CHAOS pretty much sums it up! We did really have a good time, but for what we paid, we would have had a better value at Bounce You or Leapin' Lennie's Lagoon. Lesson learned for next year!

We celebrated Skyler's 4th and Jillian's 1st birthdays at chuckEcheese's on Sunday evening. Lots of family and friends came out. And despite the craziness caused from the incredible amount of children under the same roof, we had a good time. Skyer took off with his best bud Keagan and Jillian was content to roam (or waddle) around in a circular area. A garage sale is in order to make way for all the gifts we received--our children are so loved. Thank you to all who came out!

I've really slacked off in the kitchen. Last Tuesday I flew out to California on business and my poor children have had pizza almost every day since! I got in late Thursday, but was too tuckered to cook. Friday night Mike and I had leftovers so we could prep our house for my parent's visit. For those of you that don't know, my mother is an IMPECIBLE house keeper; she was able to keep her carpet white with three kids and a dog for 10+ years. It's spotless. Mine...not so much. I did make up for the lack of business in the kitchen. My mom and I made a Shrimp and Corn Chowder (hooray for leftovers because THAT is going to be soo good tomorrow with all the snow on the ground) and we followed that course with beef enchiladas and a big green salad. My chowder recipe is below (and don't let the ingredients list scare you off--it's fantastic if I may say so myself and it tastes better than it's namesake at Abuelo's):
Shrimp & Corn Chowder
1/2 c chopped onion
3 stalks celery, diced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 fresh poblano pepper
1 pint half and half (original recipe called for 3/4 qt heavy cream, but it's pretty rich already)
1 can cream of shrimp soup
1 qt milk (I use whole milk, but any kind will do)
1 can jalapenos or green chilies (jalapenos will give you more heat; the green chilies have a great flavor)
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 t black pepper
1/2 c butter
1/2 c flour
1 can (15oz) cream corn
1 can whole kernel corn (I use the Mexicorn with peppers mixed in)
1/2 lb shrimp
STEP 1: In 2T butter, saute onion and celery until almost tender. Add in poblano pepper. Mix in cream, shrimp soup,a nd milk. Season with cayenne and black pepper. Bring to gentle boil.
STEP 2: Melt 1/2 cup butter in another saucepan and add in flour, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and gradually mix with whisk into cream mixture in larger pot. Cook and stir until well blended and thickened. (If it gets too thick, use water to thin out).
STEP 3: Add in corn and shrimp. Add jalapenos and/or green chilies and season to taste.
This recipe easily makes 8 servings.
*I've also found a few shakes of Old Bay seasoning goes well. This soup will taste better on day 2 so make sure you have enough for leftovers.

I share this recipe as Tulsa prepares for a blizzard. Keeping my fingers crossed that no one loses power during this storm! Looks like several of us will be working from home over the next few days. Stay warm!