My first attempt at Shrimp Etouffee

So a few days ago I got a wild hair and decided to cook something I have never tried before, and by tried, I mean I've never even tasted this dish.  It was fun trying a new recipe and the end result was pretty darn delicious.  I got the actual recipe off of my Iphone app called allrecipes.com.  I did add my own touches to make it a little more me.  The above picture is not mine, but it's what it should look like.  So here it goes...

Shrimp Etouffee

- 1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and devained

-  1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup of butter, divided

- 1 cup minced onion

- 1 1/2 cups celery

-1 1/2 cups green bell pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup of chicken broth

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup of milk

1.   In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, and pepper.  Blend well.  Cover and place in the refrigerator.

2.  In a large pot over medium heat, melt a 1/4 cup of butter and add the onions.  Saute the onions until they are translucent.

3.  Stir in celery and bell pepper.  Increase the heat to high and stir occasionally for 10 minutes.  Add  the remaining 1/4 cup of butter and bring to a boil.  Fold in the shrimp and diced tomatoes.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

4.  Mix the cornstarch and chicken broth together and slowly pour it into the pot.  Add the milk.  It should just cover the shrimp mixture.  Cook on medium heat covered until the celery is soft, about 20 minutes.  Add any additional salt, or pepper to taste.  

Usually this recipe is spicy, and the one I got originally found called for red pepper flakes.  I don't care for spicy food so I deleted this.   You can most certainly add it.  You can also double this recipe to serve more people.  This feeds about 2-3.  Serve over white rice and with the bread of your choice...and voila!  Shrimp Etouffee!  

My finished dish : )