Maybe???

I'm tracking a package that has been sent from Beijing to our adoption agency and is due to arrive by noon tomorrow. I don't know if this is the package containing info about Baby S. So everyone, keep your fingers crossed that this is the news we've been waiting to hear!!

Until I have referral news, I'm turning this into a cooking blog. At least if I'm cooking I'm keeping busy and making the time pass. For dinner tonight I made my easy, weird version of cioppino. Here it is all nice and hot, ready to eat. I serve this with a nice Chicago hard roll, you know the ones that have crusts so crunchy that if you're not careful it'll cut your gums. It's great when you dip the hot roll in the cioppino, yum!

Here I go with another recipe.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with added puree
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups bottled clam juice
2 cup dry white wine
2 28-ounce cans baby or chopped clams, drained, liquid reserved
1 pound uncooked salad shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 pound crabmeat
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
1-2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and brown, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and fennel seeds and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes with added puree, peeled tomatoes including the juice, clam juice, white wine and liquid reserved from clams. Increase heat and boil until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Add clams, shrimp and crabmeat. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Mix in fresh basil and simmer until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 2 minutes longer. Season stew to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper.

Maybe tomorrow will bring news about referrals!!

Enjoy!!