Finally, the vineyard has been pruned, mowed and sprayed – just in time for more rain. I worked on it continuously for 10 days, doing little else including making dinner most nights. Feeling guilty about that, last Friday night I whipped up some simple shrimp rolls.

Shrimp is great for a quick dinner because it doesn’t take long to cook. I also usually have a bag of raw shrimp. Thawing and peeling it doesn’t take long and having the shrimp shells in the freezer is great for making fish stock later.

Shrimp Rolls
2 lbs. shrimp
2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic power
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 rib celery, small diced
1/2 onion, small diced
1 carrot, grated
1 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Italian breadcrumbs

Peel, rinse and dry the shrimp. Toss with Old Bay Seasoning, pepper and garlic powder. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. When hot, add enough shrimp to cover the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, cook on medium heat until they begin to turn a light pink. Flip the shrimp and cook the other side. Don’t walk away, this process is quick and overcooked shrimp are rubbery. Remove the shrimp from the pan to another dish when done.

Let the shrimp cool while chopping and preparing the vegetables. Mix the mayonnaise with the vegetables and then add the shrimp. Ideally, the shrimp should be whole and not broken up with too much stirring.

The pan had tasty juice left in it from cooking the shrimp. I decided to add it to the mixture and included breadcrumbs to tighten it up as well as add Italian flavors.

Serve the shrimp mixture on Hawaiian Rolls, plain hot dog buns or other types of rolls. I served mine open-faced on a toasted honey wheat bread slice. A side of cooked spinach helped to round out the meal.

Sunday was a beautiful day, but storm clouds started gathering in the evening. I had the ingredients for a vegetable chowder and decided chowder would be comforting to enjoy while it rained.

Vegetable Chowder
1-1/2 quarts potatoes, small diced
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans green chilies, chopped
3 tsp. garlic, minced
1-1/2 c. frozen corn
1 c. fat-free Half-and-Half
1 c. low-fat sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring potatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves to boil in a large pot. Add salt and pepper if the stock is not salted.

In a separate skillet, sauté onions with a pinch of salt and pepper until tender. Add chilies and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. When the potatoes are fork-tender, add the contents of the skillet to the pot. Add corn and return the chowder to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in Half-and-Half and sour cream. Taste and adjust seasonings.

I garnished with grated Monterey Jack cheese and chopped cilantro.