December 6, 2018, Prescott-
Thirty-eight years ago, today, I met the woman who would change my life, immeasurably, for the better. Penny and I met in a crowded and very simple house, in Zuni, NM, on the night of a house blessing (known as Shalako). We shared a chair, taking turns sitting down and nodding off, during the all-night ceremony.
We ended up sharing everything else, for close to thirty years, all but one of those years as husband and wife. As I’ve said before, she’s still looking out for me, in ways large and small, since her passing in March, 2011.
Above, we are flanked by my parents, on our wedding day, June 6, 1982.
We shared many of the same tastes in food, among other things. We both appreciated healthy and unadulterated ingredients. So, I think she would have liked Desert Sweet Shrimp. https://arizonashrimp.com/
I purchased a pound of these gems, over a month ago, and made two great meals out of them. The first order of business, when preparing shrimp for a fine repast, is to shell the Caridea (the correct name of the creatures which are bred in this series of well-derived ponds, in Gila Bend, AZ). Shelling can be done in a variety of ways- the easiest of which is to soak the shrimp in beer, for 8-10 hours. This leads to the shell falling off, almost automatically. I chose to shell each one individually, sans bier, so as to get a feel for the relationship between the shell and the flesh. Deveining follows, no matter what method one uses for removing the shell. Deveining means removing the receptacle holding the shrimp’s fecal matter, so it’s a VERY important step. The Caridea are then rinsed, at least twice, before being added to a recipe. It took me an hour to properly prepare the shrimp for cooking. Below is an image (Courtesy of Arizona Shrimp Company-all rights reserved) of the actual shrimp that I purchased.
I prepared most of the shrimp in sopa de camarones (“shrimp soup”), using green onions, chili powder, turmeric and sea salt. It’s been a favourite of mine, since I first ate it in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, nearly forty years ago. I used the rest in a small scampi dish, using a recipe posted on In Diane’s Kitchen, https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/114793426/posts/27651 , on September 13.
Both were exquisite meals, which gave me sustenance for over a week. I hope to visit the actual facility, during a few days in the West Valley and Gila Bend, right after New Year’s. I also hope the company will continue a presence at Prescott Farmers’ Market, next spring and summer.
This is the first of a series of posts honouring the festive, and deeper, aspects of the great December holidays. NEXT: Prescott’s Acker Night.
Oh, how I WISH I could eat shrimp and other shellfish!
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I wish that for you, too, Janet.
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Thanks!
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What kind people you both are.
You can’t be married for 38 years, and still be kind to the same person, 38 years later, unless you both are very kind people.
I am impressed with both of you.
Happy Anniversary of your first meeting!
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Cindy, she passed away, in March, 2011. I appreciate your well wishes, though.
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One of my fav, in general- all seafood 🦞:) & beautiful photo=memory 🙂
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Thank you for reading, as always, Ray!
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Your wedding photo is beautiful and shows how happy all of you are!
Happy Anniversary Gary! 🎉 🎈 🎉🎈 🎉 🎈
Penny has been a beautiful bride.
💐
I will be married for 34 years this year. And I believe that one can be married, if you work for your marriage.
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You were both so young looking! Penny was a beautiful bride and your smile is huge!! I’m sure she is still watching over you… The description of the soup sounds delicious!!
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The soup was truly delicious and I do feel that Penny is watching over me.
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What an awesome tribute to your soulmate and spouse. Of course, I am so sorry to know that she passed away in 2011, but am also very glad to know that she is, indeed, still watching over you. And the dish you’ve described sounds absolutely delicious! God bless you with peace and happiness! Look forward to your continuing series this month!
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In both cases, I felt at the threshold of perfection!
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What a lovely tribute. I look forward to hearing more about your beautiful wife. HUGS.
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Thank you for your kind words. More about Penny will appear in coming posts, as her late mother is interred, early next week.
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I will look forward to reading more from you, though I’m not sure if ‘look forward’ is the appropriate thing to say given that your mother in law has passed away. ( I think you know what I mean)
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I understand!
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