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.