Shrimp Creole

I hope that you all had a safe and fun New Year's Eve, my husband and I snacked and watched reruns of "The Mentalist" and prayed the festivities around us wouldn't wake our daughter. Okay, maybe just I did, he secretly hoped she would wake up and get to play for an hour or so. Anyway, I have a confession I hate the traditional New Year's day meal – you know: ham, rice, black eyed peas, greens, ect. I begrudgingly ate it for years growing up, most of the time being told my luck would be slim as a result of the contents of my plate. This year, like every since I married (and rarely spend the day with my parents) I decided to eat what sounded good to me = shrimp creole. I got this recipe months ago from my mother-in-law, but I was first introduced to it by her a couple of years back and have always loved it! This is a super easy recipe, one that can be made in less time if you buy frozen cooked shrimp, but if you want the full flavor fresh is the way to go. I haven't attempted this in a crock pot yet, but I bet it would be easy to set this on low and enjoy it at the end of the day. Served with rice or over fresh biscuits, this saucy, delicious blend of shrimp and veggies is sure to fill you up; enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
3/4 c zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf crushed
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Over medium heat place the oil in a large pan and saute the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, bay leaf and tomatoes; cook to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and sugar, cover and simmer an additional 15 minutes and serve warm.

Yields 6 servings