Shrimp Chowder Recipe - Easy & Quick!

Hello, Shopaholics! Happy Tuesday to you!

Today I'll be running around like a crazy woman, trying to get these bathrooms completed. After that I have to decorate the house for the holidays. I can't believe it - I have NEVER been this late getting the decorations up. I'm beginning to wonder if it's even worth the effort at this point. Typically I have the tree up by the weekend after Thanksgiving. Ugh. Always running behind...

Anyway, it's turned really cold here (don't laugh, friends up north - it's under 30 degrees and that is cold for us!). For tonight's dinner, I need something easy, quick and warm. Enter the famous Shrimp Chowder recipe from "Southern Living".

Mother gave me this recipe several years ago and it's always a hit. DH is famous for telling me "soup isn't a meal" but that does not apply with this recipe - it's very hearty. Try it - you'll love it and so will your family! It's on the menu here tonight. :-)

QUICK SHRIMP CHOWDER (from an old issue of "Southern Living" - not sure which one!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine

1 Medium Onion, chopped

2 cans Cream of Potato soup, undiluted (10.75 oz size)

3.5 cups milk

1/4 tsp. ground Red Pepper

1.5 lbs. medium-size fresh Shrimp, peeled and devined

1 Cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION:

Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and saute 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in cream of potato soup, milk and pepper; bring to a boil. Add shrimp, reduce heat and simmer - stirring often for 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve immediately.

Optional: Can be served with oyster crackers (see photo above). Personally, I like to serve this with hot and crusty French bread instead of crackers. If shrimp isn't your thing, this recipe can be prepared with 3 cups of chopped cooked chicken or 1.5 lbs. peeled crawfish tails instead.

For those who don't normally cook seafood at home, do not let this intimidate you. It's super easy and if you don't tell anyone how easy it was, they will never know and still be impressed! Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite hearty soup for these cold days? I'd love to hear about it - I'm always looking for something new to try.

Have a Terrific Tuesday!