Jambalaya

Some friends of ours live in St. Louis.  Every year, a group of us from Cincinnati make the trek to visit them for the second-largest Mardi Gras Parade in the nation.  Being a teacher, it's hard to make arrangements to call off of work in the middle of the school year; so more often than not, we can't attend.  But this year, it just so happens that I have a 4-day weekend built into the school calendar the same weekend as the annual Mardi Gras festivities.  

And whenever I think of Mardi Gras, I think of jambalaya. 

Let me be clear about something-- I am an absolute WIMP when it comes to spice! So when I found a recipe that only used 1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper, I figured this would be a safe start. 

And it is.  The combination of meats, rice, and veggies in this dish are delicious.  It's a lot of prep work, which is why I classify it under "Sunday Meals" (when else do you have the time to do all that chopping??) But in the end you have a one-pot meal that will feed you for a couple of meals that tastes great.  What more could a girl ask for?

Modified from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced (I used the prepared minced garlic I keep in the fridge)

2 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced

1 can of diced tomatoes

32-oz. carton of chicken broth (Next time, I will cut this in half. The end result was too wet.)

2 c. long grain, uncooked white rice

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 lb. uncooked shrimp

Directions:

In a large pot (I used my cast-iron Dutch oven), heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add green pepper, onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute till onions are soft.

Add chicken to mixture and brown. 

Add broth and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add rice, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, stir, and add shrimp.  Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.

Verdict:

Definitely a keeper... but I need to cut the broth down to 2 cups.  Also, I may try to add more seasoning (either more cayenne, or some Cajun blend seasoning).

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

This recipe makes me happy in so many ways.   First off, it's delicious.  Second, it makes the whole house smell fantastic.  Third, when it comes out of the oven, for a brief moment I feel like a real cook! :) 

It looks like a picture-- well, at least it looks better in real life than it does in my crummy photo. No matter how many times I make it, it always makes me proud (and my husband happy!)

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 whole ("fryer") chicken

1 onion, quartered

Fresh Rosemary (several sprigs, chopped)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, and Poultry Seasoning, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse and pat dry a whole chicken.  Make sure nothing is in the cavity. Place bird in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan.

Stuff cavity with onion and rosemary

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on chicken, rub all over (a little bit goes a LONG way!)

Season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. 

Roast chicken for 20 minutes per pound or till juices run clear (use a meat thermometer to be exact)

Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes. 

CrockPot Pork Chops and Veggies

It's cold.

I know, I know! I'm a sissy.  But seriously, when the temperatures get to 35 degrees and lower, all I want to do is eat hot, gravy-covered, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meals.

Like this one. 

Ingredients:

4-6 pork chops (I used 4 boneless chops)

4-5 potatoes (but I only had 3)

1 onion, sliced

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced

2-3 celery stalks

1 can of either cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup (I used cream of celery because it needed to be used up!)

Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Directions:

Grease the slow cooker.

Add onion, potatoes, carrots, celery, pork chops, salt and pepper, and soup (in that order). 

Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. (It smelled "ready" by 6 hours, but we ate it closer to 8 hours because The Mr. was sleeping off a cold)

Verdict: Keeper, but needs revision

This was definitely not my finest first-time try with a recipe.  But I will try it again sometime, because it has potential.  Here is what I may do for the future:

1.  Add another can of soup to the mix.

2.  Season the chops themselves before putting them in the slow cooker.  The meat was good, just kind of bland.  Also, I may consider putting the onions on top of the pork next time, so the meat can absorb some of the flavor.

3.  This version cooked for too long-- next time, I'll eat it closer to 6 hours than 8. 

Banana Bread

Guess what?? My Mom surprised me with a fantastic birthday gift.... she bought me my KitchenAid stand mixer!!!!  YYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


So guess what I've been doing lately?  That's right.  Baking.  I have baked more in the last 3 weeks than I have baked in the last three years. 

Now that the rush of Christmas is over (and I failed to photograph the cheesecakes I made) I decided it was time to blog my first baked good.  There were several over-ripe bananas in the house, so it just made sense to attempt my first homemade banana bread.

Again, forgive the horrible photograph-- the photos will continue to be crappy till I ask for my next self-indulgent gift... a badass camera NOT attached to a cell phone :)

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3 RIIIIIIIIIIPE bananas, mashed

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. milk (I use skim because that's what we drink)

cinnamon (enough to cover the top of the batter surface... I didn't measure :))

nutmeg (not as much as the cinnamon-- maybe about half the amount?)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 F. 

Grease and flour a loaf pan.  (Don't forget to grease the sides, too!)

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. (Don't mix in the sugar like I did the first time... I had to throw out a whole lotta flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar because I mixed them all together and shouldn't have.  That'll teach me to rush through directions.  Well, maybe.)

Cream together the butter and sugar.  (I didn't soften the butter, but the next time I make this I will in order for the "creaming" process to go more smoothly).

Add the mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla to the sugar and butter mixture. 

Add the flour/baking soda/salt mixture-- do this a little at a time.  Trust me, you'll thank me later :)

Last, add the milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Beat together till well-blended.  Pour batter into pan and bake for at least an hour.  Depending on how "done" you like your banana bread, start checking it after an hour.  Personally, I like a little bit of a crust on my bread, so my total baking time was about 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from pan and set on cooling rack to finish cooling. 

... or, if you're like me, slice off a piece when it's cool enough to hold in your hands. Yuuuummmmmy!

Verdict:  KEEPER!