It's been a while since we have had seafood around here - well, not that long I suppose, I made a whole fish dinner for Christmas Eve - but not since then. See, I grew up on the New England Coast and we ate seafood all the time, but since living in Texas I have spent more time focusing on what is local here. So beef (duh) and pork are more constant staples on our dining room table, since I can get really good quality, organic and local meats.

However, I have been having a hankering for some light seafood dinners and going back through my cookbooks and magazines today during the boys nap, I came across a ton of Shrimp and Grits suggestions (thanks, Southern Living) and a few different variations on Baked Shrimp. I'll be honest, I have never baked shrimp before, but I liked the idea because I could pop it in the oven and make the grits in the mean time.

The timing worked out just like I thought and this meal came together beautifully. I added veggies to the plate with some Lemon-Basil Broccolini, added a hearty spoonful of Jalapeno Cheddar Jack Grits, and then put that crunchy, delicious baked shrimp right on top.

Crunchy Baked Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat your oven to 425°.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic and wine. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Pour the contents of the bowl into a large rectangle or oval baking dish (or a rimmed baking sheet would be fine, too).

In a small bowl, melt the butter. Add the panko, basil and parsley. Mix together with a fork and then crumble with your fingers. Sprinkle the mixture over the shrimp, distributing evenly. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake until shrimp are cooked and pink and the topping is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes (or less depending on the size of your shrimp).

Serve over Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Lemon-Basil Broccolini.

We just got back from the most magical, wonderful, fulfilling (I could go on and on) trip to Cape Cod that I could have imagined. Having grown up spending every summer there with my family, and my grandmother being born and raised there, it is a place with such a deep meaning and permanent place in my heart. Chanel grew up just a few hours from there and frequented the beaches on the bay in the summer. Aaron even spent his summers on the Cape, sent up all the way from Houston to spend time with his grandparents. We could not have been more excited to share this place with the boys for the first time.

So we embarked on a two-day long road trip in the Suburban to drive up to my mom's in New York, then on to the Cape. All five of us piled into the car, drove to Nashville as our halfway point, and then pushed on to NY. It went surprisingly well, perhaps another post another time on surviving road trips with babies and toddlers.

We could not have been happier to make it to the Cape on day 4 of the journey. Everything was perfect. I felt completely at peace, my heart was happy and full, and so was my stomach. The food was incredible. I will often talk about missing food from NY, but missing the fresh seafood from Massachusetts is a whole different ball-game.

Pretty much my first meal once we got there was some amazing Clam Chowder. And then it turns out, it was pretty much part of my lunch every day we were there. So naturally, as soon as we got back to Texas I was doing two things: 1) Searching for real estate on the Cape so we can move back immediately and 2) craving chowder with a passion.

As with any craving I have, I gave in immediately and started cooking. This was my first foray into making my own Clam Chowder and it was totally worth it. I added a bit of a Texas flair to the classic soup by flavoring it heavily with smoked bacon fat. If you want a flavor that is more true to a classic New England Chowder - leave out the bacon entirely, skip the first step, and start your soup with butter instead. Either way, don't forget to get some oyster crackers to crumble on top, its just not the same without it. I also suggest setting the mood by staring at these photos while you are eating.

PRINT RECIPE

New England Clam Chowder

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 lb bacon, diced
2 tbs. butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. celery salt
Salt and Pepper
3 tbs. flour
2-3 cups half and half*
2 cups vegetable stock
2 (6.5 oz) cans of chopped clams, juices separated and reserved
1 bay leaf
2-3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
Chopped fresh parsley or dried, for garnish
Oyster crackers, for garnish

Dice your entire 1-lb package of bacon. Heat a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon to the pot and cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot, onto a plate lined with paper towels. Pour the bacon fat from the pot into a bowl and set aside (you don't need it for this recipe, but it can be useful for pie crust making or other recipes, so hang on to it in a covered container in your fridge if you might use it). DO NOT SCRAPE THE REMAINING FAT FROM THE POT. Leave all those drippings and bacon crumbs in the pot.

Add 1 tbs. of butter to your pot, melt, add garlic and onion and cook until onions are translucent. Stir in seasonings (sage, thyme, celery salt, and some salt and pepper).

With you half and half, vegetable broth, and clam juice ready and on hand, whisk in the flour until lightly brown. Immediately whisk in 1 cup of broth, 1 cup of half and half, and the clam juice.

Using and immersion blender, blend the mixture carefully so that the onions and garlic cloves are blended smoothly into the broth.

Bring to a boil, and stir in the potatoes and add the bay leaf. Reduce the heat and let it simmer as it begins to thicken and the potatoes are tender and cooked.

Once the potatoes are cooked, stir in the clams and another 1 cup of half and half (or however much you prefer to achieve a consistency you like - you can even add heavy cream instead for a very thick soup, or vegetable broth for a thinner soup).

Simmer until your desired consistency is reached, remove the bay leaf and serve immediately. Garnish with bacon, parsley and oyster crackers.