Jambalaya With Shrimp and Smoked Sausage

The other night we decided to take a trip to Louisiana via our food. For any of you who are thinking we got a box of Popeye's Fried Chicken,, shame on you!

Per a request from my sweetheart I made some Jambalaya. This is one of those recipes that I found on the Internet and then tweaked a few times until I was happy with the way it turned out.

Your cast of ingredients:
1 tblsp olive oil
1 lge. onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced.

1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tblsp tomato paste
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ozs) diced tomatoes

1 cup uncooked rice
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound smoked sausage


Here is the shrimp, thawing out.


To start with I saute up the sausage until it is nice and brown and some the fat has been rendered out (I did not take a picture of the cooked sausage)



While the sausage is cooking I chop up the onion, peppers and mince the garlic.


Once the sausage is cooked I put it on paper towels to drain and pour off the grease. Then in the same pot I put the olive oil, onion, red pepper, green pepper and garlic. The browned pieces from the sausage on the bottom of the pot add a nice color to the vegetables and a bit of extra flavor. Cook the onion, peppers and garlic for about 10 minutes or until they start to soften.


Next you add everything from the paprika to the diced tomatoes. Bring it all to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling stir in the rice, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is done. This will thicken up while cooking. When the rice is done add the shrimp and smoked sausage, cook covered for 5-10 minutes or until the shrimp are done.


This will warm you up on the inside on any day. And if you put Tabasco on it you will get even warmer.

March 17th, 2012

March 17th is St. Patrick's Day but we did not celebrate that this year. Our basement tenant, Tyler, turned 21 on the 16th and we had him up for a birthday dinner on the 17th.

During the afternoon rain storms I saw a rainbow. It looked like it was coming right out of our shed.


A few seconds later I noticed it was a double rainbow. Since I was talking with friends in Florida at the time it was hard to hold the phone with one hand and shoot the picture with the other. If you look where the rainbow ends on the left, just above the Shepherd's hook you can see the faint second rainbow.


Tyler was wearing an interesting shirt when he came up for dinner.


I made Flat-Iron steaks, marinated in balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and a little bit of thyme, once cooked they were topped with glazed pecans and bleu cheese crumbles. We also had broccoli and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.


For dessert I made a strawberry cheese cake but forgot to take a picture of it,,,,must have been the fault of the wine.

Barley Casserole

Back in the spring of 2004 I left my home in the mountains and drove down to St. Simon's Island, Georgia for a Women's Retreat with my Church in Florida. A few of us ladies ate at this restaurant named The 4th of May. The food was good and they were selling their cookbook. It has been printed to look like the actual copy from the kitchen of the restaurant.

Here is the front cover,



Here is the back. I like the Kilroy cooked here doodle.


Barley Casserole

1/2 lb mushrooms
1 lge onion, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1 cup pearled barley
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large skillet melt the butter and add the onion; saute until the onion is tender, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.

Mix in the barley, salt and pepper and brown lightly, mixing well with the onions and mushrooms. Pour barley mixture into a buttered 1 quart casserole and stir in the chicken broth. Cover the casserole and bake for 25-30 minutes until the barley is tender.



For this recipe I used medium pearled barley from Quaker. After 40 minutes in the oven I thought it was still a bit tough. Not bad though and high in fiber.

Asain-flavored Short Ribs

When I send Richard to the grocery store by himself I always wonder what he'll find that is not on the list. Recently he came home with about 2 pounds of boneless short ribs.

I went on the hunt for a new recipe, something different. This was it. This cookbook was published in 2004 and I had never even opened it before this.

Since this recipe is supposed to serve 4-6 I halved it for just the two of us.



Asian-Flavored Short Ribs

2 lbs of beef short ribs with bones, trimmed of excess fat and cross-cut into 2 inch pieces
salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 tblsp olive oil
3/4 cups chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1 tblsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cups light or medium bodied red wine
2 cups homemade beef or chicken stock or your favorite canned broth
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tblsp brown sugar
1 tblsp Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 1/2 tblsp finely grated orange zest
1/2 tblsp Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tblsp cold water (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Season the ribs lightly with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or casserole, heat 1 1/2 tblsp of the olive oil, and brown the ribs over high heat. Remove the ribs from the pot, set them aside, and pour off any fat from the pot. Add the remaining 1 tblsp of oil, the onions, ginger, and carrots to the pot and saute until they are lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, stock, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, orange zest and five-spice powder. When everything is simmering, return the ribs to the pot, cover tightly, and place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

Transfer the ribs to a serving bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pot, discarding the solids. Skim off as much of the fat as possible. Boil the liquid uncovered until it is reduced by about a third, about 5 minutes. If you like a thicker, more gravy-like sauce, lower the heat, stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Taste the sauce, season it with salt and pepper if you think it needs it and then pour over the ribs.

Tandori Chicken

No, this is not an error. I was flipping through this cookbook while making the country-style ribs and saw this recipe. I forgot how wonderful this chicken turns out.

TANDORI-STYLE CHICKEN


For the marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tblsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 - 4 pounds cut into 8 serving pieces

Extra virgin olive oil

To make the marinade: In a medium bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Rinse the chicken pieces under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a large, resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 6-8 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Wipe the marinade off the chicken with paper towels. Lightly brush or spray each piece of chicken with the olive oil. Grill the chicken skin side up, over indirect medium heat until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thighs and 170 in the breasts. The leg and thigh pieces will take about 40-50 minutes, the breast and wing portions will take about 30-40 minutes.

instead of using a whole chicken, I pulled 8 drumsticks out of the freezer. They really are in the bag with the marinade.


I kept it simple and served the chicken with peas.

Country-Style Pork Ribs With Red Wine Vinegar Sauce

Here is another freezer diving recipe. I saw the country-style ribs in the freezer and once again grabbed a cookbook. This is one that I have not posted about before.

Now normally grilling in the winter would be great and we have done it several times when I had my own house, however here at Richard's house the French doors to the back deck are dead bolted and well sealed to keep out the cold winter air,,,,,so rather than walk all the way around the house I make the grilling recipe work in the oven.



Country-Style Pork Ribs with Red Wine Vinegar Sauce


For the sauce:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp honey
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp Tabasco (I omitted this)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder

8 country-style pork ribs, about 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat

kosher salt
ground black pepper

Hickory chunks or chips soaked in water for at least 30 minutes.

To make the sauce: in a medium saucepan combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour some of the sauce into a small bowl to use for basting the ribs.

Allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling. Season with salt and pepper. Follow the grill's instructions for using wood chunks. Grill over indirect medium heat until the meat is very tender, 1 - 1 1/4 hours, turning once halfway through grilling time. During the last 20 minutes of grilling time, baste with the small bowl of sauce. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.

The sauce for passing with the ribs.


The final product.

Turkey Biscuit Stew

While freezer diving and looking for something for dinner I saw some leftover frozen turkey. I promptly pulled it out and grabbed my Taste of Home Casserole book. (see July of 2011 f0r a picture)

After I looked at several turkey recipes I found this one. We both loved it and it was so easy.


Turkey Biscuit Stew

1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 can (10- 1/2 ozs) condensed chicken broth, undiluted
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed, cooked turkey
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup whole baby carrots, cooked
1 tube (12 ozs) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the turkey, peas and carrots; heat through.

Separate biscuits and arrange over the stew. Bake, uncovered at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

I mixed up everything in a large saucepan and then poured it into a well greased 9x13 pan.


I placed the biscuits on top.


The final product, yummy.


Other changes were that I used regular carrots which I peeled and chopped up before cooking.

Life in The Mountains in Late February

After the last two winters our heroine is happy to have a not so very cold and snowy winter. On the other hand she needs to plan for the really crummy weekends so she can enjoy spending the better portion of a day playing in the kitchen.

On this particular weekend our heroine made a cherry pie, a great sandwich for lunch and Broiled Marinated Shrimp with Garlic & Rosemary. What a great weekend.

The morning started out with making a cherry pie for dessert. I cheated and used canned pie filling but always,,,,and I mean always a homemade crust is the only way to go. I have no idea how old this cookbook is but I got it when I was about 18. It is a Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook. I wonder how many "new cookbooks" Better Homes and Gardens can put out?

For a two crust pie you need:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
5-7 tblsp water

Mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until crumbs form. Add the water 1 tblsp at a time, tossing the mixture with a fork. Repeat until dough forms a ball.

Place half the dough on a floured surface and roll out to fit the pie dish. Trim the edges, fill, add the top. Seal and crimp the edges, bake per recipe instructions.

When I mix my crust I use my favorite bowl, it is from Pampered Chef. I love the handle.


I have a Pampered Chef silicone mat which I use for rolling out my pie crusts. It is marked at 1" increments so it makes it easy to roll the crust out to the correct size.


I used another Pampered Chef item to make the really neat edged on the lattice top. I love my daughter for buying me the above mentioned bowl and the pastry cutter I used for the top.


Before I got started on the dinner portion I took time out to make myself lunch. I made a very bacony grilled cheese with homemade bread and butter pickles on the side. Between the butter, bacon and the cheese I swear I could hear my cholesterol singing the song from the Jefferson's,,,,,,"movin' on up to the eastside, to a deluxe apartment in the sky"


For dinner I used a cookbook I got from my ex-husband which I cannot remember ever using. Then again there is a first time for everything. I thought about shrimp for dinner and found this recipe.



Broiled Marinated Shrimp with Garlic and Rosemary

16 extra-large shrimp, about 1 lb, peeled & deveined
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsps dried, crushed rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 lemons, cut into wedges (we don't use lemons on our seafood)

Place shrimp on four long metal skewers, threading through tails and body.

Combine oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place skewered shrimp in a dish and turn to coat well. marinate shrimp, turning several times, 2 hours in refrigerator.

Preheat broiler. Set skewers on a baking sheet 3 inches from heat and broil, turning once, until lightly browned and just opaque inside about 5 minutes. Brush with any remaining herb oil just before serving. Pass lemon wedges on the side.

For starters I marinated the shrimp before I put it on the skewers. I, as usual, used almost twice the garlic but Richard said it still was not enough garlic.


When I skewer shrimp for broiling or grilling I use two skewers so it is easier to turn the shrimp.


For dinner I served the shrimp on a bed of angel hair pasta I tossed with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Even though there was not much of a garlic taste this was still really good.