A robust frontal system will bring heavy rain to the B.C. South Coast on Friday. Rain will begin late overnight and intensify during the day on Friday. As the system moves through, heavy rain and gusty winds will ease Friday night. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads.

A storm swept in from the coast this weekend bringing heavy rainfall usually not seen until later in the season. I spent the afternoon doing a closet overhaul; I vacuum sealed and stored Summer dresses and clothing I’ll likely not wear until next Spring making way for soft knits, sweater-dresses and boots. Fall is my favourite fashion season.

With the sound of the rain tapping the windows the closet slowly started taking shape, ready for crisp Autumn days as well as grey ones and we get a lot of those in this part of the Pacific Northwest.

BEFORE

AFTER

Dinner was paella with Spanish chorizo and tiger prawns. After a day of work, a glass of wine and paella sounded like a good idea. Here’s my recipe.

Spanish Paella Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Large yellow onion finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 a  red pepper, chopped
• 1 x 400ml can of fire roasted tomatoes with garlic ( you can also used diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika 
• A good pinch of saffron threads or 1/2 tsp of Tumeric is a good substitute
• 1 1/2  cups of Arborio (that’s what I had at home but if you have Spanish Paella rice even better)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups vegetable stock, heated (plus 1 more cup if needed)
• 1 x 400 g jar artichoke hearts in oil, drained and chopped in quarters
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 1/2 cups of chorizo chopped (2 sausages)
• 10 jumbo tiger prawns, deveined, in their shells
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley (to garnish)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a paella or large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and red pepper and add salt to taste followed by the smoked paprika, and saffron (or tumeric). Cook for 2 minutes stirring.
3. Add the Arborio rice and stir until well coated. After about a minute it should start to look transparent.
4. Add the wine and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until the wine is reduced, stirring a couple times.
5. Add the canned tomatoes and warmed broth. Season with salt.
6. Stir in artichokes and frozen peas and bring to a simmer. Stir well a few times and spread the rice out evenly in the pan.
7. Lower the heat to medium and be sure to keep it at a steady simmer. The rice should be completely covered by the broth. Do NOT stir again — the paella must cook undisturbed — this is key.
8. Set a time for 20 minutes. If needed add a little broth to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente.
9. In the last 10 minutes, cook chorizo and prawns in a separate pan.
10. First add the chorizo into a pan with a drizzle of oil and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown for about 3-4 minutes then add the prawns to same pan and cook, turning over until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on size of the prawns.
11. Pull the Paella pan off the heat and top the paella with the chorizo and prawns and squeeze some lemon juice overtop. Cover and let paella rest 5 minutes.
12. Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Do you enjoy rainy days? I find myself much more inspired to get projects done around the house like this one. My husband and I created a gallery wall above our bed with photos we’ve each taken during our travels; Paris, Jamaica, Siena Italy, Whistler and our wedding.

Thanks for joining me today.

If you feel so inclined to buy me a hot chocolate so that I can continue creating content like this, you can now do so here

Stay cozy.

Love,

Jennifer