Christmas decorating always begins outside for our family.. Dried coppery magnolia leaves tender spruce and fir branches silver papered birch ruby shaded “faux” berries, perhaps some raw-umber cones and twigs, transforms a fall container into a wintery one. { I’ll let you in on a secret.. these little pots are available at Sobey’s.. not too…
by Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
Absolutely beautiful, Smidge! And that looks like such a warming, delicious meal.
Have you ever noticed that the French language always adds flair. For example, what sound more appealing: soup du jour or soup of the day? I can always count on the price to be higher when there is a foreign word in the title. I do love stopping by – your blog is so so so beautiful….
Smart idea to convert decorations to a new season. And Bless you!
It’s quick.. although the list of ingredients seems a tad long:D
I love having you here.. yes, I could Étouffée a lot of dishes:D
Thanks so much, Alice:) I’m trying to be more aware/frugal these days..
What stunning decorations my friend
Your photos are breathtaking as are your recipes!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Yes, I surely love the colours of your early decorations also
! And the moreish prawn dish with so much crispness in the base. You have used Cajun seasoning, but I can see the same base work wonderfully well with a number of other spice blends also: yum!!!
Christmas decorations already, where has November gone?? The spices in this dish look like they would chase away any (unladylike) sneezes
Mmmm. Gorgeous. Love the colors.
Would I be a piggy asking for a double portion…
Mandy
What a delicious way to serve prawns/shrimp and nice pictures. We’re terrible at getting Christmas decorations together, but our daughter makes up for it. I think she’d be happy with Christmas every day.
love how that pot of plant is being transformed! Those prawns look like they pack a lot of flavour! Looks like a great quick meal to put together!
I knew I could rely on you to cheer me up this morning, Smidge. I haven’t even started to think about Christmas yet, but I know I should. My husband loves prawns so I cast an eye down the ingredients. Canola oil? Yikes! I’ll have to go looking. Got the Worcestershire sauce though.
Bless you Smidge! You made me laugh out loud…I am sure is it more like a mouse sneeze than a horse. I love those quick and easy dishes especially this time of the year when life gets so hectic.
Lovely decorations – I cannot believe that Christmas is just around the corner, where did the year go. I should say bless you across the ocean in case the vitamin C hasn’t cured your sneezing.
We have a few of them horses in the family, so I know. Mine are subtle with three to four in a row, which I see my two year old do as well. Too funny!
Lovely recipe and lovely plates!
Good reminder — I need to work on my pots this weekend. Clever segue from the sneeze to the food! (can’t wait for the day when the ponytails are so honest) I’ll be bookmarking this as I have wanted to try it for a while now.
Lovely urn. I just did our urns on the weekend, but since we have four (2larger and 2smaller) I usually make mine from scratch; this year the total was $41 which I’m pretty happy about.
I had a shrimp étouffée in New Orleans years ago and it was so rich it turned me off, but this recipe sounds wonderful and not rich; I’m going to have to bookmark this.
I read somewhere once that sneezes are little “O’s”
A chilling frost outside and warm comfort inside. Perfect!
Smidge I love your pots, and you’re right, they do look better with a bit of frost. My husband has tiny little sneezes that he manages to keep inside somehow…I, on the other hand, like you, am a hearty sneezer. It just feels right.
The etouffee looks amazing!
Eva.. where did you find your greens then? I thought I was doing great getting them at a good cost at Sobey’s. Our garden center was more expensive?? I’ve done from scratch every year, but this was cheaper. Is there another place I could be looking?? I’m on a frugal frenzy these days:D Little “O’s”? Now wouldn’t that be nice;D
I got my greens at Loblaws Supercentre (I usually support our local flower shop but they’ve reduced the volume and upped the price so I had to be practical). I bought three packs of two kinds of boughs, they were $5.00 each (two each for the large urns and one each for the smaller urns). I had a few large pine cones left over from years past, and I got some extra pine cones at the dollar store about two months ago. I made the bows from some sparkly netting (9m $6.00 at Supercentre). I’ll send you a pic of the urns, they turned out great! I harvested the birch from the cottage a couple of years ago because they are a rip off ($6. each) here in Toronto! My friend T in Chicago bought me some vines with little tiny lights on them, which I am hoping to add before Xmas, if they can make it up to visit. With the vines, it will increase each urn by $5 but they are totally reusable so they can be amortized over the years! I usually uplight the urns anyway so they are also quite pretty at night.
Now that’s frugal!
It’s fun too!
Beautiful etouffee! So brightly colored and delicious!
Fantastic – I love Cajun food
Your decorations are gorgeous! xx
Barbara, that looks so good … can feel the smell, but I would change the prawns to chicken again.
Because we can’t get king prawns anymore in Sweden, they are stopped .. and normal prawns are too small and I can’t get them raw neither.
Love your arrangement – but I adore it with the frost on – we had frost the other morning and -4C the whole day. It was bitter cold so soon the sun gone down. Love frosty morning and it’s crispness. Or may it’s not real frost … hard to see.
I too have a loud and obnoxious sneeze. It doesn’t help that I don’t cover my mouth either..HOWEVER I make sure I am away from any other people, I just don’t like getting sneeze on my clothing!! This meal looks hearty, warm, and delicious! I am loving your decorations, and the frost!
Can you believe my wife hates sneezing. She says it’s so annoying but I just LOVE a good sneeze – clearing all the cobwebs out of the “pipes”
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Love the look of the étoufée – it’s got such a vibrant colour and heck, shrimp is always a winner!
Great timing on the etoufee Smidge! Mike and I just got back from New Orleans and that was the one food I didn’t try while we were there (believe me – I think I ate everything else though!). Now I can try and make this at home. Fabulous! It looks delicious. I hope you keep those sneezes at bay…lots of vitamin C!
Love the holidays! Your Christmas decorating with frost is beautiful and the burst of colours with the Étouffée are delicious! I love all the ingredients; spicy!
LOL I have a dust allergy and I can so relate to what you’re saying. After 13 sneezes in a row I just don’t care what people think, I just want relief.
Your decorations and your Étouffée are fantastic!
Your Christmas decoration is just gorgeous. And then you showed the frost-bitten images. It’s hard for me to imagine weather that’s that cold. But it does make for some stunning images xx
Beautiful post, Barbara! The decoration is beautiful and wintery; the recipe delicious and heartwarming…both perfect!
I need to try my hand at etouffe. It’s one of those NOLA dishes I’ve yet to try to make. Such a classic.
Oh, yum! I made shrimp etouffee once and absolutely loved it. This looks really delicious!
How hilarious that your daughter thinks your sneeze is annoying! Our children can bring us back to earth with just a word, can’t they? The greenery and Christmas arrangements are beautiful. And as you know, we just finished our Thanksgiving, and now we’re off and running towards Christmas! I’m sure you will continue to be a great source of inspiration for Christmas cheer…so you need to stay well!
You have an important job to do! oxoxo
Have you tried taking zinc when you feel the sniffles starting?
Spicy and Prawns on top of rice, thats my type of meal
Beautiful photos Smidge! Take care of yourself and don’t catch a cold! The étouffée looks absolutely yummy, I love prawns, so I really hope to try this soon!
Love the festive and elegant centerpiece!
So flavorful and delightful to look at. Sneezes shouldn’t be dainty in my humble opinion.
This is beautiful, Smidge! I’ve been loading up on peppers and veggies and vitamins to battle a cold, too. And I am jealous of your snowy arrangement. No snow here since 2010. Makes me so sad.
I bet your home – inside and out – is gorgeous during the holidays! I love what I’ve seen thus far! I had to laugh at the sneeze story. About 4 of us had a sneezing fit on Thanksgiving Day (different times), which eventually let to a discussion of sneezes, types, how it makes you feel, etc. Last but not least – what a delicious looking etouffee!
I have never done anything like make an outside urn, what a great idea, and prawns too – I love the juxtapositions in your posts, they are glorious. My throat is swelling up and feeling scratchy – I think OH has given me his cold, which he in turn got from going to a hospital with his Mum. One should stay out of hospitals wherever possible. Atchoo – sneezles and wheezles, can you hear me from where you are, ok, just one more…. xx
your pictures are just incredible! x
wow! love this dish! this is now in my to do list for the next few weeks. so spicy, warm and comforting. and I still eat fish even if I do not eat meat any longer, so this is just what I need right now! packed with veggies and with the addition of prawns which not only add taste but also loads of B12 vitamin. thank you for sharing!
I love the combo of sweet and spicy in this dish, especially the addition of the apples. And your outdoor decor is beautiful with the frost — it’s really beginning to look like Christmas
This is such a beautiful decoration! The sweet and sour flavors in this dish are right up my alley!
Barb, those Christmas arrangements are just gorgeous. I especially like that they’re not overdone – just a few elements here and there mixed in with nature. As for your spicy shrimp dish… your ingredients have my mouth watering… who wouldn’t want to be étouffée in that kind of goodness! ;0).
A dainty sort of tishoo! Oh, thanks for the smiles and the lovely holiday photos.
You have an amazing looking blog, woman!
Interesting photography and all put together in a simple, beautiful way. 
Keep it up! I’ll follow!
xoxo
http://ohyesshesabitchbutnotyours.com/
I love etoufee. It’s one of my absolute favorites. This looks wonderful and I’m sure was very tasty, too.
I’m inspired to head out back and cut me some greens and berries. I love your decorations. The etoufee looks delicious. I’d like to make extras and freeze them in packets for 2 as it looks like it would freeze well for those nights you don’t feel like cooking nor eating a sandwich. cheers. x wt
Apple in your étouffée sounds so different but good. You know me…I’m always looking for recipes to use the apple from my orchard.
Hahaha! Oh Smidge I can so identify. My sneeze isn’t the least bit lady like and the center of many family jokes. Love etouffee and this recipe sounds delish! Perfect for the winter weather. Wishing you a most delicious holiday season. Hugs!
I am becomming a terrible sneezer. I hate it. But, on the other hand, this food looks fabulous as usual!
Now that’s my kind of meal!!! And your winter photographs are just stunning!
Now that looks like an awesome meal to warm up to after being out in the cold. Those chilies definitely will clear you up! I can’t believe all the snow and frost you guys have had up there. It’s going to be 70 here tomorrow and it’s December! That’s crazy warm even for Virginia!
Really pretty…and so very festive!
It is a most colorful dish:D