Chez Katie: Spicy Peach Shrimp over Cabbage Steaks

New recipe alert!  

We love to have people over for dinner even during the week but it can be difficult to get home from work and have things prepared without feeling like it's more of a hassle than it's worth. Today, I've got a super easy recipe to share with you that's tasty and beautiful when plated - great for a dinner party when you want to serve something that looks impressive and tastes great but without major headaches.  

Warmer weather is upon us here in Alabama and I'm craving light and healthy meals - particularly any seafood I can get my hands on.  G & I recently took a quick road trip to Peach Park in Clanton, AL and I picked up some delicious Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce which served as the marinade for this dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of cabbage
• 1 head of red cabbage
• Shrimp 1.5 lbs serves 4 people 
• Sauce/Marinade - I used the Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce but you could easily puree peaches or mix peach preserved with some vinegar, sriracha, garlic and seasonings of choice
• Garlic, Salt, Pepper, & Olive Oil
• Goat Cheese
• Bacon

First, place peeled and deveined shrimp in bowl with marinade/sauce.  Shrimp isn't really something you would marinate overnight, so I do this just about 45 minutes before I'm planning to serve just to give it a little kick.  If your marinate too long, your shrimp will be mushy and gross.  You'll use the sauce later as well.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Second, slice your cabbage into round discs (horizontally).  Place on baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste.  Since the main element of this meal - shrimp - isn't super flavorful on it's own, I suggest going heaving on the seasoning.  Roast the cabbage in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes.  That's about how long it will take you to do the rest of steps.

Next, chop your red cabbage.  Easy enough, right?

Now, cook the shrimp with sauce in pan on medium-high heat until pink. Throw in the chopped red cabbage toward the end.  Add a little extra sauce and if it's looking thin, sift a little cornstarch or flour to thicken it up.

While this is going on, pop a few strips of bacon (just enough to add some crumbles on top) in the microwave (I'm not a fan of microwaved bacon typically, but for the purposes of crumbling, it's just too easy).  

By the time you've done all this, your cabbage steaks should be ready.  I like to get mine a little blackened on the edges and top.  It pulls out more flavor.  

Now you just have to assemble - basically, like a pizza.  The cabbage steaks are your crust, everything else serves as the topping.  Spoon the shrimp/sauce/red cabbage mixture on top. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese & bacon and you're done!

Easy, yummy, pretty and the best part - HEALTHY!  

Between the low calorie shrimp and cabbage, the only major calories items in this dish are the bacon and goat cheese which are used in small quantities.

Because you can pre-slice and chop your cabbage, the time this requires you to be in the kitchen away from your guests is minimal.

Hope you enjoy! If you cook this, comment & let me know what you think.  I've never posted recipes here before but if I get good feedback, I'll post them more often!

It's Been a While!

I guess you could say I've been a neglectful blogger seeing as how it's been almost a year since my last post.  For me, interior design (decorating for us amateurs) is a creative process.  And creativity can certainly ebb and flow.  In the last year, I've been practicing the work hard, play hard mentality - pouring tons of energy into my career and enjoying every last drop of my free time.  Since we last spoke I've been out of the country multiple times and seen a bajillion live shows.  And in the midst of all of this, blogging and decorating have fallen to the wayside.

To be honest, I just love so many styles, colors, shapes.... I was overwhelmed with the options in our new home and just couldn't make up my mind.  I love our home and it's, of course, ever evolving.... and now we are about to embark on a potential new, HUGE project.  We're close to making a decision on whether or not we want to add on to the house... which would include a total kitchen makeover, adding a family room/den, adding a full master suite and renovating multiple bathrooms.

The thought of it both thrills and exhausts me!  But it most certainly deepens my desire to get inspired, brainstorm and share the process with you.  In the near future, I'll be stepping through our home room by room - sharing it's current state and my inspiration for what it will be.  Addition or no addition, there will be major changes coming to the Gulas House over the next few months.  I hope you'll join me (even if I did abandon you for like a really, really long time) and share your thoughts and inspiration with me.

In the meantime, here are few things I've inspired by/crushing on lately.....

Making Updates that Support the Original Style of a Bathroom in an Older Home

Hi all!  I'm back!!!  Hope you enjoy this guest post from guest blogger Tom Coan of Case Birmingham.

Katie, thanks so much for giving me the chance to talk to your readers about redoing
their bathrooms. One of the objectives of remodeling a room is to make it look new
again. But when you live in an older home and its antiquity is an inherent part of its
character, it’s essential to preserve the original look of the home in the remodeled
and updated spaces. In many cases we need to update older spaces to improve
comfort and energy efficiency. And sometimes we want to make a space look fresh
while still maintaining an old-fashioned aesthetic.

Get a sense of your home’s style. Understand both what your home is and what
it is not. There are dozens of different architectural and design styles celebrated in
our country’s historic homes. Learning more about your home’s specific style can
provide a compass for choosing new materials with a look that’s consistent with the
rest of the home. Professional >bathroom renovators can help you locate materials specific to your home’s
style.

Brass fixtures help create an elegant, old-world look.

Keep in mind that an older home does not follow to a modern or contemporary
design aesthetic. While you may love the sleek look of modern cabinets or the open-
space feeling of contemporary, making a conscious decision to shy away from the
hallmarks of other architectural styles will help keep your bathroom in tune with
the rest of the home.

Look to the rest of the home for features that can be replicated in the
bathroom. Help your updated bathroom “match” the rest of your home by
repeating themes used in other spaces. Try using the same types of wood and
matching stains, similar hardware, and the same style of window treatments. Pay
attention to architectural features as well, which can differ drastically according to
period.

A Gothic arch in a master bath reiterates the architectural style of the home.

Reuse materials from the original bathroom. What better way to create a
seamless bathroom than to keep with its original features? Salvaging and reusing
materials in an older home helps to keep it original and gives it a richer history.

Fixtures, vanities, tiles, wood, countertop materials, and features such as crown
molding and wainscoting can be refinished and reused countless times in a home
that’s well cared for. If reusing some of the original finishes proves to be difficult
due to over time ware and poor upkeep, there are many places to find refurbished
or replicated materials that fit within the period of your home.

A reproduction claw-foot bathtub and vintage vanity blend perfectly with the
updated bathroom. Antique shutters and other design accents support the old-
fashioned look of the room.

Transfer materials from other areas of the home. Perhaps you’ve remodeled
other areas of your home and salvaged some of the materials, or perhaps you can
transfer certain materials from other areas of the house to help integrate an older
look in the new space. Borrowing a piece of furniture and a few design accents from
another room can help create a seamless look throughout the house.

Vintage furniture, materials, and accents keep this newly remodeled Birmingham
bathroom in the same era as the rest of the house.

All photos shown in this article belong to Case Design/Remodeling Birmingham.

Outdoor Decorating for Spring

With all of this wonderful & WARM spring weather we're enjoying down here in Alabama, I've got outdoor spaces on my mind in a BIG way!  We're working with a contractor these days to concept a pergola to be build over an existing brick patio in our backyard.  I love the current patio but the southern sun is just too hot with no shade once summer arrives!  So, of course, I turned to Pinterest from some backyard pergola inspiration and she did not disappoint!

Source: bhg.com via Katie on Pinterest

I was instantly drawn to the pergola above because the patio is almost exactly like our existing brick patio so it gave me an idea of how the design and the flooring would look together.

Source: gardenstructure.com via Katie on Pinterest

I'm loving the size of the one above and the little privacy fenced corners.  Wouldn't those be beautiful with clematis and wisteria climbing the columns.

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: squidoo.com via Katie on Pinterest

This last pergola is much more unique the the others....I love the arched top and the round columns.  Not matter what size and pergola style we end up choosing, I'll definitely want one with round column posts to match the architecture of the rest of our home.

All that outdoor pergola inspiration got me on a whole backyard kick so please enjoy the rest of this outdoor inspiration photos I rounded up.

Source: houzz.com via Katie on Pinterest

Loving paver and grass checked patio....such whimsy!

Source: imgfave.com via Katie on Pinterest

And what about this beautiful blue stone outdoor fireplace with built-in bench seating and overhead pergola. Who would ever want to stay inside at this house?!

Source: tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

Bringing the indoors OUT!  Comfortable seating is key to a great outdoor space!  I'll definitely be hanging similar outdoor drapes on our pergola.  Pull that back in the corners for a decorative touch, or close them to create a wall of fabric that turns an outdoor patio into it's own room!

So it's looks like there's alot to do on my backyard agenda over the next month.  Tending to landscaping that I'm not familiar with (new house means new yard) and getting a colonial-ish whitewashed pergola built.....but the payoff will so be WORTH IT!

Tufted

I'm so so close to being ready to give you all a room by room tour of our new (old) home in progress.  I hope to get lots of photos taken this weekend and reveal one room a week over the new few weeks.  In the meantime, I'm struggling with one last wall in my living room so you're about to get a little bit of a sneak peek!

I purchased the most adorable linen tufted settee from a local shop here in Birmingham a few months ago to sit under window in our living room for additional seating space (we already have a large sofa and two chairs) but I had the space to add more seating and thought "why not?".

I realize those pillows are WAY too big & they've been change out since.

There is just a tad bit more length to this wall beyond what's in the photo.  I don't want to clutter it with matching end tables, but it's a little too much space just to leave empty.  I've been struggling with this wall for a while and then I stumbled upon this....

Target Golden Days Collection 

While searching for gold pouf options on Pinterested, I found this gold leather tufted pouf from Target.  I haven't seen it in person, so I have some concerns about the quality and the texture of the upholstery, but I think it's just adorable!  And different from the Moroccan poufs you see EVERYWHERE now.

I'm also a little concerned that if I place one on either side of the settee, there will be WAY too much tufting going on....but then again...is there really such a thing as TOO MUCH TUFT?!?!  I think I've come to the decision that I will order to and if the look at quality isn't up to par, I'll just return them....easy peasy, right!?

The Golden Days collection at Target has a few other super cute items (and some really horrid stuff as well). Here's some more of the good stuff!

 

Happy Shopping!

Southern Living Debut

I've been waiting anxiously to make this public on the blog!  We were approached a few months ago about having our house featured in a Southern Living project and the issue is out!  Here's a sneak peek!  More details to come!

Source: Uploaded by user via Katie on Pinterest

Holiday Recap!

It's been quite a busy holiday season!  Besides the all the giving and receiving, we've been doing lots and lots of other stuff.  Here's a quick photo snapshot of our last month!

Tons of cocktails..... 

and puppy snuggle time.....

family hiking....

nephew cuddling...

and goddaughter snuggle time....

My heart is full with family, friends, food, wine, and Mexican dominoes!  What a wonderful month!

Happy Holidays to you & yours!

~Katie