Weekend Recap, Rehersal Dinner Booked!

Friday-Cooked a beef, broccoli, bok choy stir fry for dinner using broccoli from my garden. Home grown broccoli is so much sweeter than the store bought stuff, who knew? Then I went out with my friend Lyra to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather on the patio of Cru where we enjoyed wine and cheese flights.


Saturday-Cooked up a little chicken tortilla soup for lunch, worked out, then met the gals to see Bride Wars followed by a sushi dinner at Kona Grill and then desserts and more wine at Viva Chocolate. I thought Bride Wars was pretty great, not deserving all the low critical reviews. I feel like anyone who has planned a wedding in their late 20's in this day and age can relate and find it pretty funny.

Sunday-Ran all around town doing errands with D including shopping for his wedding band and booking our rehearsal dinner. We decided to book at Cafe Serranos at Symphony Square downtown. I was a bit skeptical but we went there to talk to the catering manager and have lunch and I LOVED IT. The little house where we're having the dinner is so cute, you almost forget you're in Austin. We also get a cute patio area adjacent to an amphitheater overlooking a stage on a small riverwalk. Plus I read that sometimes they have live music on the weekends, which would be a great treat for our guests. Then the doggies got their Sunday night bath and I cooked us a shrimp and wild rice casserole ala Paula Deen. You can make a few changes, I used low fat cream of mushroom soup, 2% cheese, and added mushrooms.

• 1 (8-ounce) package wild rice
• 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the rice according to package directions minus 1/4 cup water. Drain and cool.

Bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook the shrimp for 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.

Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glass casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.