Shrimp Creole warms the soul

After two days of working with my sunburn, I had a migraine I couldn't shake and I started feeling really bad. Aloe and advil were not helping. I finally went to the doctor and found out I had second degree burns on my face. I'd had an allergic reaction to the face sunscreen I used causing it to not be effective at blocking the sun. Since I was at home recovering, taking meds and watching the food network, I decided to cook. I looked around at what food I had to work with and landed on the perfect ingredients for shrimp creole.

I used a variation between Paula Deen's recipe and one I found on www.cooks.com.

Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 lg. bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 bay leaves, crushed
2 teaspoons parsley or Italian Seasoning
Fresh herbs/cilantro (optional)
1 teaspoons salt and pepper (to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
1 1/2 pounds cleaned, peeled & deveined raw shrimp
3-4 cups hot, cooked rice

Directions:
Heat olive oil and butter in stock pot. Add, peppers, garlic, and onions. Cook until softened. Add chili powder and saute until caramelized. Add canned tomatoes and simmer. Add water, sugar, herbs, seasoning. Add sauces (tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce). Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook over medium heat 15-20 minutes until shrimp are pink and tender. Serve over rice.

This was my first attempt at shrimp creole, but it was a pretty simple process and it tasted amazing! My family eats alot of spicy food, so I'm a little heavy handed on the pepper... it had quite a kick! I will hold back on spicing it up next time, but I'll definitely make this again. I called mom & dad over for dinner and we were all pleasantly surprised!