Paella

Several friends on Facebook have asked for my paella recipe, so I thought I'd write it down and post it here so I can find it as well if I need it again. I studied several recipes (everyone seems to have a different version) and came up with one that we really like and that works well and isn't too complicated. The one I followed most closely was a recipe for grilled paella (click here to see it).

Paella

16 large shrimp (about 12 ounces), peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón dulce)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup diced canned tomatoes with the juice
1 large pinch saffron threads
2 cups paella rice (about 1 pound), sometimes labeled bomba or Valencia
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning the shrimp and chicken
4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium chicken broth
16 mussels, Manila clams, or a combination, scrubbed (or more)
squid or any other seafood you’d like to add
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 medium lemons, cut into 8 wedges each, for serving

Place the shrimp in a medium bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and refrigerate.

Place the chicken in a medium bowl and season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat a large deep pan over medium high heat. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is starting to brown and the fat is rendered, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a large bowl; set aside.

There should be a thin layer of rendered fat in the pan. If there’s not enough, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the seasoned chicken to the pan in a single layer and sear, stirring occasionally, until both sides of the chicken pieces are golden brown, about 6 minutes total. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the bowl with the chorizo; set aside.

Add the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, remaining 3/4 teaspoon paprika stir to combine, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the cup of diced tomato with the juice and cook until the mixture has slightly darkened in color, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile infuse half the hot chicken stock with the saffron. Add the rice and measured salt and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Add infused stock and leave to cook on a medium heat, stirring from time to time.

After 20 minutes the rice should be nearly cooked. At this point add the reserved chorizo and chicken, pour in the rest of the stock along with the peas, prawns, the mussels, clams and squid if you are using them. Arrange the shellfish hinge-side down on the rice, pushing each mussel or clam a little bit into the rice.

Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes more without stirring. You want that rice to get just a little crisp on the bottom of the pan. And you want all the clams and mussels to be opened.

Remove the pan from the stove, cover with foil, and let stand for 5 minutes. Before serving the paella, discard any unopened shellfish and sprinkle the dish with the parsley. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Serves 8

Notes:

It really helps doing all your prep work ahead of time, especially getting all the seafood ready. And the veggies as well. Then when it comes to cooking time, you can just add the things and it won't be stressful.

The smoked paprika is what gives it that very distinct flavor. It used to be hard to find, but now many grocery stores carry it.

If you can't find paella rice (I ordered mine from Amazon), I read that you can substitute arborio rice.

Also, it's a great dish to play with the ingredients depending on what you like. I'll definitely be making it again!!

❧ Silke
P.S. I have so much going on right now and so many thoughts swirling around in my head, I'll have much more to share with you next time!! 

New Orleans - Part 2

The day after the wedding we had an entire day to spend in the city of New Orleans. We met up with almost everyone who was at the wedding for a beignet at Cafe du Monde and then we all set off on our own for a little exploring.

We first made the short trek over the levee to the mighty Mississippi. We had such perfect weather for this! In the photo above, I'm talking to my dad in Germany. He's been to New Orleans a few times an knew exactly where I was sitting - Daniel snapped that photo of me to send to him while we were talking - technology is so much fun for moments like that!

This was followed by a blurry selfie with Jackson Square and St. Louie Cathedral in the background.

We walked through the park toward the cathedral. While outside the park it was teeming with street art and tourists, in the park it was relatively quiet. I was surprised.

I love banana trees and always have to snap a photo or two - they still seem so exotic to me!

I checked for bananas but none of them were ripe yet.

Many of the buildings in New Orleans are quite old and have a very distinct style.

 One thing I noticed this time around were some of the very heavily planted second story balconies.

I think they would provide excellent privacy, but I wonder if there is still space to sit on those balconies. Maybe they just enjoy the lush greenery from inside.

And of course being there so close to Halloween everything seemed a little extra spooky.

This house seemed especially creepy to me.

And very nicely done!

While New Orleans isn't my absolute favorite city (I'm just not into the bar and party scene very much - or not at all to be precise), we both love the street musicians. We stayed and watched this band for a long time.

They looked somewhat bedraggled, but they were really very good. Look at that base!

At some point they had to clear the way for a short parade/rally that came through.

The tap dancer of the band kept tapping right along with the music of the rally. It was fun!

We ate some excellent food, which we didn't photograph. I know! How could we forget that?! I had shrimp and grits with a definite french influence and Daniel had Jambalaya. Delicious!!

The next day we left bright and early for our 10-hour drive back. When the sun came up over Lake Pontchartrain, it was so beautiful I snapped a photo out the (not very clean) car window.

I leave you with this shot of a gorgeous grackle above my lucky number at a gas station on the way home...

I wish you a beautiful weekend. Our day started out cold and windy. We went from summer temperatures last week to me contemplating turning on the heater this morning...

❧ Silke

New Orleans Trip - Part 1

Last Thursday, we drove to New Orleans to a wedding. The son of dear friends was getting married and we decided it would be a great opportunity for a road trip. You all know how much we love that. It's about 10 hours from Savannah to New Orleans via Jacksonville and Mobile. That seems like a long time, but car travel here in the south is quite relaxed. 

Ramses kept trying to help me pack. And Winslow was getting worried - he doesn't like the suitcase coming out... 

 On the first day, we decided to break up the trip and stop in Pensacola, Florida. We stopped there to get together with one of Daniel's cousins he grew up with and hadn't seen in a long time. We had such a great visit!

The next day, we went to the historic part of Pensacola and I didn't take nearly enough photos. It was really pretty. We had fantastic breakfast at the Bodacious Brew - probably the best coffee I've ever had! I'm not kidding.

Afterwards we walked around for a little bit and then got on our way to New Orleans. We took the scenic road along the gulf into Mobile. And guess what? I forgot to take photos again even though we saw many beautiful views and some gorgeous homes on the waterfront.

For the wedding we all stayed in Metairie. We arrived at the hotel, walked to the nearby Whole Foods for a late lunch and then got ready for the ceremony, which took place in this beautiful church.

This is a little bit out of focus, but it's the only photo we have of us from this trip all dressed up. And it's the only photo we took at the wedding.

Aside from these! At the reception, they set up a photo booth along with hats, glasses, wigs and other stuff to choose from. Everyone got to keep one set of the photos and the other set went into a scrapbook for the bride and groom. Very fun!

The guest book was a big cookbook and everyone signed it and wrote a few lines on different pages. That is such a great idea. A "real" guest book they will probably never look at again, but this cookbook they might use for many years to come and always see everyone's well wishes for a happy marriage.

In my next post I'll show you some photos we took in New Orleans the next day. I thought it might be too much for one blog post. I don't want to overwhelm you!

How are you all doing? I hope all is going well!! Can't wait to visit some of your blogs during the next few days!

With much love,

❧ Silke
P.S. It's now Wednesday night. We got back on Sunday. I am just now feeling like I am back into my routine. Why does it take me so long?

P.P.S. I haven't even been back in my studio again. I'm hoping I'll get there tomorrow. I have a lizard to paint... 

Time is flying. And new art. And observations.

Dear friends, I have so much to tell you and time is just flying by these days. I bought some soy milk the other day with an expiration date sometime in December and was momentarily dumbfounded. Until, that is, I reminded myself that we are nearing the end of October.

What?! Didn't this year just start? This happens to me every year - suddenly we are in a race to the finish. Oh well, fall is here, the weather is gorgeous and all is very well.

Today, I was driving home from running some errands and as I was looking out at the beautiful landscape I suddenly felt this burst of joy bubble up. And right then I realized that I have found my mojo again. I had lost it. Almost completely.

Last year (2013) was so full of anxiety for me that it took this long to recover. I had lost all trust in life. All of it. I was constantly braced for bad news. And I held all of that tension inside. Not a good way to live.

Tucker approves!

This year through vigilant attention to my thoughts, loving care of myself, doing things I enjoy, giving myself permission to actually do the things I enjoy and not feel guilty about it, through taking my attention away from fear and guilt and noticing the beauty that can be found even within the frailty of life - I found my way back to my inner core of happiness. It was always there but I think the tension I held inside of me cut off my access to it.

And I think this joy is bubbling forth into my paintings. They make me happy - painting them and looking at them and sending them into the world. This pretty little dolphin sold as soon as I posted in my store. It's already on its way to its new home...

With much joy and happiness, I wish you a most wonderful week!

❧ Silke
P.S. How do you like my messy studio with all the color and paint everywhere? It makes my heart very happy!

P.P.S. We bought that bright red and green vinyl table cloth in Oaxaca, Mexico, one of the most creative places I have ever visited! I was reluctant to go at first not speaking the language, but we've been back four or five times since and it is one of our most favorite places in the world. :)

Creative Stuff & Birthday Dinner

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I updated my blog, but that is what happens when summer is over. It seems that with cooler temperatures we all come back to life and get really busy with meeting up with friends, going into town, going out for walks. In short, we love being able to be outside again without melting!

It also means though that computer time is cut short. And that means that I'm behind on e-mails and blog visits. I think I'll try adopting a once-a-week-blog-post approach for the rest of the year (which I can already see getting busy with fun stuff) and see how that works. Flexibility is the key, I think!

I have been so busy with creative projects and it has been beyond fun for me. In this post, I'll share a couple of my latest paintings, which have sold already. I'm working on another one and will maybe get that done today.  I'll also show you some of my recent sewing projects.

My art continues to excite me, especially since I work so intuitively for most of the painting and never know where it will lead. Fun!!

So, yesterday was Daniel's birthday and I planned a surprise dinner with some friends for him.

Because we've all been to Spain, I decided to make paella (the real thing!) and a few tapas for appetizers.  I was so nervous and really studied quite a few paella recipes and then put together my own combination of ingredients.

I finished these little clutches last week to send to a boutique in Texas to hopefully sell for me. They turned out beautifully, although I have to admit I am still a bit insecure about my sewing.

Speaking of sewing, just in time for the dinner I finished sewing these fun placemats. Each one is different and they all make for a happy table, don't they?  

And the paella? It was perfect and delicious!! I had bought the real paella rice for it and added chorizo, chicken, prawns, squid and clams. I was so relieved it turned out well!

For his birthday, I got Daniel (well, us really) a fire pit for the backyard. We've talked about it for a long time and I figured we'll make great use of it all winter long.

And as you can see, we tried it out last night. It was perfect! Even Winslow joined us for some conversation (although I suspect he was more intent on checking out dessert!).

It was one of those evenings that is just rich with all the good stuff: friends, family, laughter, good food, perfect weather and simply spending time together. In the end, those are the things that matter, aren't they?!

Sending you love and joy on this beautiful Thursday!

❧ Silke
P.S. I made a fantastic Sangria to go with the dinner.

P.P.S. It may be responsible for the slight headache I have this morning...

P.P.P.S. It was totally worth it!