Toby's Homecoming: Shrimp Salad & Sangria

Toby is on an assignment which has him going to Pasadena, California, one week a month. We've never had careers that had us travel much, but that has been increasing of late for both of us, especially him. He's been on this assignment for over a year. At first it was difficult for the children - we are a very close family - and it was hard on me as well. But the children and I got into a rhythm and we adjusted. 

And, we celebrate Toby's homecoming. I insist on driving him to the airport and picking him up. I'm old-fashioned that way. I want to be among the last things he sees before he leaves and among the first upon his arrival back in Dallas. I love doing it. 

One thing I started doing from the beginning was planning a nice little homecoming for him. The schedule he's on requires that he arrive home very late Friday night. Often we don't get home until early Saturday morning. In general, I greet him with a Topo Chico and frequently Anniversary Candy, which he loves. Lately, I've been switching it up. Last month, his cousin, Carl, was here as we were getting ready for Augie's graduation. Carl, like Toby, is from South Louisiana - Cajunland. He's been teaching me how to make a gumbo - a gluten free one at that. So we had that ready for Toby's return.

This month, I opted for Shrimp Salad and Sangria. I just tried Sangria recently when we ate at Arepa TX, which we love. It's fantastic! We made some at home the other day with some BBQ. I tried a different recipe today and modified it, as I usually do. 

I used pears instead of apple, one orange (because I ran out of room in my new pitcher), and fresh ginger! All recipes will tell you that you don't need to use your best red wine; a cheap one will do. We were at Costco the other day and happened upon a 1.5L bottle for about $6. I'm excited about my new pitcher I just purchased from Amazon for about $25 specifically for Sangria. It's very pretty and real glass, which I wanted. It has a nice lid that either strains or not. Of course, these chunks are pretty big so you'll want to just take the lid off to serve. 

The final product was very pretty.

Note the red Alstroemerias. That was not actually planned. They were just the ones that were freshest at the local supermarket this week.

I also made a Strict Fast Friendly Shrimp Salad which was to be served over avocados. In Orthodoxy, we (are supposed to) fast a great deal. And, in general, the fasts are vegan plus the omission of olive oil (some say all oil, but I'm not getting into that debate; we're new and taking it easy) and wine (which does include all alcohol, which is a consensus so far as I can tell). Now, all meat and meat products, including fish, are excluded; but not shellfish (there's a reason, but I don't want to get too far afield). Suffice it to say, it's much stricter than the Catholic fasts and it's more often. We normally are to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays (with some exceptions) and then all during Great Lent, during "Advent" (we don't call it that; it's just a lesser Lent before the Nativity - which is what we call Christmas); and a few other times. Sometimes the fast is less restrictive and we are allowed fish, wine, and oil. Today was a less restrictive fast day so we could have fish (and if you can have fish, you can also have everything under that in the "hierarchy" which would be oil and wine), but I still made the Strict Fast Friendly Shrimp Salad I came up with during Great Lent. 

Ingredients: Celery, Olives, Vegan Mayonnaise, Lemon, Parsley, Chives, Dill, and Shrimp.

Throw the amounts of each thing you want in a bowl and mix. It's really that simple. I used a whole can of olives, about a pound of shrimp, 6 stalks of celery, and healthy amounts of fresh dill, parsley, and chives chopped finely. I used probably 1/3 cup of vegan mayonnaise and stirred gently to combine. Chill and serve.

A close-up of the final product.

I finished cleaning the house and showered and got ready to pick up Toby. 

Purse & Topo set out so I can dash out the door once I'm ready and running late, as I pretty much always am.

Once my Toby was safely home, I plated our food as he poured our Sangria.

We ate about midnight, which is pretty late even by our standards, but I wait to eat until he comes home. I had a snack this afternoon before I started cleaning house.

And, that's our Friday night and how we celebrated Toby's return. Right now, Toby and the children are looking at the moon, Jupiter & its moons, and Toby's taking pics with the new camera I gave him for Father's Day. It has a very powerful zoom. 

Next month, I will go with him and we'll have a little honeymoon, working trip together. More about that later. 

Happy Weekend! Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! 

Thanks for reading!