Bucket List Again

Did I talk about this before? I can't remember, but I made a promise to myself that I would get back in the kitchen. As some of you know, at the current time, BS works for the largest seafood distributorship in the area. And that's saying something, since we live where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean and there are seafood stores on every street corner.

But, speaking of the Chesapeake Bay, it is the home of one of the most delicious treasures on either coast - our little friend the Chesapeake Blue Crab , whose succulent, tender, sweet meat has it all over the overrated, oft-tough lobster.

http://www.jacqueauger.com/Resource_htmls/natural08.html

And you know how they say that anything worth having is worth working for? These little buggars are a lot of work. They are small, compared to some of their gigantic cousins, so there's not a lot of meat in each one. Hence the pretty price. Now, having a son who works for a seafood company has its tasty compensations. Blue crab season just ended, so a few days ago he brought home one of the last pounds of deliciousness they will have until spring.

I got out my new apron, a gift from the Red Cross.

Aside - Our group from the Home did our quarterly platelet donation Friday before last, and we usually get a t-shirt with our Panera $10 gift card (worth it right there).
But this time they gave us an apron. And not just any old apron. A Paula Deen apron ya'll!
Some of you will know why this made me ridiculously giddy.

But I digress. I got out my big pot and made soup. But not just any soup. She-crab soup, aka crab bisque.
A bowl of pure heaven. And I did it with nary a can of cream o' soup in sight.
No sir. This aromatic goodness was homemade:

butter
onion
celery
garlic
Old Bay seasoning
bay leaf
salt & pepper
seafood stock
milk
cream
sherry
c-r-a-b

Holy toledo, was it good! I added a dash of chipotle hot sauce to mine. Yum.
BS scarfed down 2 large bowls, proclaiming it to be perfect.

Yesssss.

Tomorrow, I go to my mother's house to make Christmas goodies. Maybe I'll take pictures.