Jambalaya

Printable Version:  Jambalaya

This recipe comes from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meal--Comfort Foods recipe book. I think next time I may use a little less pepper sauce. We like spicy, but this was a little too spicy.









Ingredients:
1 cup enriched white rice, following directions on package
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast meat, diced
1/2 pound andouille, chorizo, or linguica sausage, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery from heart of stalk, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
A few drops cayenne pepper sauce
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (14oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (14oz) chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 round teaspoon chili powder
1 rounded teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
4 drops each cayenne pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
4 springs fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stemp and chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
4 scallions, sliced thin.
Method:
Cook rice and keep covered.  Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and melt butter into it. Add chicken and brown 2 minutes. Add sausage and cook 2 minutes more. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper sauce. Saute' veggies until tender, another 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and chicken and cook a minute more, stirring to incorporate flour. Add tomatoes and broth to pan and combine ingredients well. Season with cumin, chili powder, Old Bay seasoning, Tabasco, and Worcestershire.  Scatter shrimp into pot and cook until shrimp are pink and firm and sauce thickens a bit, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  To serve, ladle jambalaya into bowls. Scoop rice with an ice cream scoop and place 1 scoop in the center of each dish of jambalaya. Top rice and jambalya with chopped thyme and scallions. I put the rice in the dish first, and then topped it with the jambalaya.

Potato-Leek Soup (Vichyssoise)

It's not  Fall in Texas yet, but we made our first soup of the season declaring Summer over.  We will still have some 90 degree days, but hopefully the 100 degree weather is in our past for the year. This went really nice with the corn dog poppers.







Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
3 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and chopped
2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 - 11/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Minced chives for topping
Method:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add vegetables and saute' for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the stock. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add more stock, if necessary. Transfer to a blender or food processor in batches and puree. Return to pot and add remaining stock, half-and-half, salt, and white pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes longer. Blend again for extra creaminess, if desired. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives.

Bon Voyage Soup

This looks very similar to my New Orleans Bean Soup. We are leaving on vacation for 3 weeks and I was trying to clean-out my refrigerator.  I had two sweet potatoes, a large onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 6 carrots, 1/4 head of cabbage, about 2 cups of cooked pinto beans, a carton of chicken stock, a can of diced tomatoes, and about 10 chicken tenders in the freezer. I added a little oil in the bottom of my dutch oven, added the onion and garlic. Then started adding carrots, sweet potato, and cabbage.   I let these cook about 15 minutes while I browned the chicken in a separate pot. After the chicken was done, I added that to the pot along with the pinto beans, chicken stock, and diced tomatoes.  It cooked another hour until the vegetables were fork tender.  I was a little surprised that it turned out so good.  Jud made some cornbread and that was dinner.  Oh, I also added 2 limes that I cut in half.  It added a little something that I really liked.  My refrigerator is ready for us to leave on vacation.  I'm ready and packed.  I just have to wait until my ticket says it is time to go.  Bon Voyage. See you in 3 weeks.

Bean Soup

If you haven't followed my blog, you should know that Jud and I try to make a soup every week. This was our soup for this week.  I had a ham bone left-over from Thanksgiving that I had put in a freezer bag and my brother had given me some deer sausage the last time I visited; this seemed like the perfect soup to make.  This recipe came from my Talk About Good Cookbook that I got 40 years ago when I got married.




Ingredients:
1 can whole tomatoes (I used the large can)
1can tomato sauce or tomato paste
1 large onion (I used 1/2 of a large onion)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
ham bone
1 package Great Northern white beans
sausage
salt and pepper to taste (salt in the last 1/2 hour)
Method:
Put all ingredients except sausage in a large pot and fill with water. I used my crock pot. Add black and red pepper to taste. Add salt after it has cooked as the ham may have enough salt. Cook 8 hours in the crock pot on low. In the last hour cut-up the sausage in rounds and fry it in a frying pan to remove grease. I just cut it and put it in the crock pot without frying. Deer sausage doesn't have much fat. 
Note: Mrs. McGinn says she cooks hers 8 hours in the pot. She doesn't say if she puts it on top of the stove or cooks it in a 300 degree oven for 8 hours.

Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage Gumbo

I went to visit my brother and his wife this past weekend and she made an awesome gumbo.  My brother gave me some of his smoked deer sausage, and I used it in the dish along with some chicken breasts and shrimp. It was really good, but I think Pam's was better. Maybe it has something to do with being cooked for that is so delightful.
I think I got this recipe years ago from one of Jud's friends who cooked dinner for us. Thanks Mike Walzel for the wonderful meal you cooked for us.
Printable Recipe:

https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/shrimp-chicken-and-sausage-gumbo
Ingredients:
1/2 large onion
1 rib of celery
1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil, olive oil will also work)
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 link of smoked sausage cut into cubes
2/3 pound of shrimp (if they are large, cut in 1/2)
1 cup of cooked rice
Sweat the first 2  ingredients over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes in the oil.  Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir to make a rough. Add the 2 chicken breasts and cook until no longer pink.
Add water or chicken stock (about 3 cups), diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add  sausage and shrimp.  Cook until the shrimp are no longer pink.  Serve over a nice spoonful of rice. Enjoy!

Southwest Shrimp and Corn Chowder

I made a variation of this soup which I will give at the bottom.  We really liked it.  I bought the easy-to-peel shrimp and cut them in thirds. It was a nice change.  We bought a ham this week and got a bunch of free stuff. One of the items was a package of frozen H.E.B. Southwest Style Rice and Beans. I was out of hashbrown potatoes, so I substituted this instead. It was really good. I can't imagine the hash brown potatoes being any better, but I will probably try it next time.







Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/sw-shrimp-and-corn-chowder

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons serrano chiles (I used 1 jalapeno)
1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chiles, undrained
3 tablespoons flour
1- 1/2 cups milk
1- 1/2 cups chicken stock
1- 1/2 cups hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 (1525oz.) corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Melt butter in a large cooking pot. Add onions, bell pepper and serrano peppers
Saute 2 minutes. Add canned chiles to pan. Add flour. Cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Stir in milk and next 5 ingredients through corn. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp. Removefrom heat and add cilantro
Servwe with Quesadillas

If you make the variation, add the frozen SW Style Rice and Beans when you would have added the potatoes.  I also left out the can of corn with green and red bell peppers because the SW rice and beans has corn in it.  You could also cut down on the red bell pepper because the package also has bell peppers.

Chicken Cacciatore Soup

I really liked this soup, but next time I will add the pasta each time I warm the soup. By the time we had warmed it a third time, the pasta was a little mushy for my taste. I took it with us to the beach for Spring Break with the kids and grandkids.  It comes from my Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt



Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/chicken-cacciatore-soup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces medium mushrooms, sliced
2 boned and skinned chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked rotini
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for topping
In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute' 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and chicken and saute' until chicken turns white and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Add stock, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and rotini. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until rotini is tender, about 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, wine, and parsley and cook uncovered, until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes longer. To thicken, mix flour and water in a bowl and stir into soup. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Chicken, Ham, and Vegetable Chowder w/ Amish Bread

I've made this soup 4 other times, and I have probably posted it, but it was in 2009 when I made it last. So itis time again. This is a great soup, and the Amish bread has also been posted. The picture came out a little fuzzy, but it is gone so I won't be making another picture until I make it again.
I made this soup for a friend and he doesn't like any vegetable that is red, so I used green bell pepper.  The soups is a recipe from "The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt and the bread is from Allrecipes.com

Printable Version for Chowder:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/chicken-ham-and-veg-chowder

Ingredients:
1 talbespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup cooked cubed ham
2 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 1 pound) cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds) peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 zucchini, unpeeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
copped parsley for topping
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm oil. Add onions and bell pepper and saute' until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in ham and chicken and cook for 5 minutes. I drained the greese at this point, but it is not in the recipe. Add poataoes and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add zucchini, corn, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and chicken turns white, about 10 additional minutes.

Printable Version for Bread:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/amish-bread
Amish Bread:
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon and 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use Canola oil)
6 cups bread flour or all purpose-flour
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water; add yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. (about 5 minutes)
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Work in 5-6 cups flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured level surface until smooth. Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat the entire surface. Cover with a damp cloth. I just cover it with a clean cup-towel to keep in clean. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9" X 5" loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.


In a cup or small bowl, blend flour and milk. Add to soup and stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Portuguese Soup

We always grade our soups for the week and this one got a 10+.  I think that is a first.  We both loved this soup.  It was one in my cookbook that I have had for years and decided to try one that I hadn't tried before.  That taught me a good lesson; try new soups.  From The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt




Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/portuguese-soup


Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock or broth
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into bite-size slices
2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and diced
1 can (15oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2oz.) whole tomatoes, coarsely choppped, with juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 head (1 pound) cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, diced
12 stalks celery, diced
1/2 green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
In a large soup pot, combine all ingredients excpet parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncobver and simmer until flavors are blended, about 30 minutes longer. Stir in parsley before serving.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

This is the soup of the week and Jud made it. As I have mentioned before, we give each soup of the week a grade, and this one got a 9.  We don't remake a soup unless it gets at least an 8. Since we have lunch every day at home, this is a great option. Make a batch of cornbread, and lunch is served. We doubled this recipe.
From The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt


Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/chicken-and-corn-chowder
Ingredients:
3 slices thick bacon, diced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced (I slice the leeks and then put them in a bowl of water.  I separate the rings as I swish them in the bowl of water. The leeks are dirty and this way the dirt goes to the bottom and then I just pull them out and put them in the pot to cook. 
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock or broth
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and chopped
2 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 can (15oz) creamed corn
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a plate, leaving 2 tablespoons drippings in pan. Add onion, leeks, and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add chicken, reserved bacon, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered, until chicken turns white and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Add creamed corn and simmer, uncovered, until flavors are blended, 5-10 minutes longer.

Meaty Minestrone Soup and Parsley Supper Ring

This is our soup and bread for the week.  I will print the bread recipe after the minestrone soup recipe. Really good soup.  O.K. bread. I like my regular homemade bread recipe better, but this is a nice change. It is sort of like a monkey bread in that you cook it in a ring.
Soup from The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt. The bread - Cookbook called The No-Knead Way - Ann Pillsbury's Amazing Discovery


Ingredients:
1 cup dried Great Northern or navy beans, presoaked. May substitute canned beans that have been   washed and drained.  If you use canned beans add them at the end.
1 can (16oz) plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice
6 cups beef stock or broth
1 pound beef stew meat
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1X1 inch wedge Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups cut-up green beans
1 small zucchini, unpeeled, halved lengthwise and then sliced
1/2 cup small uncooked macaroni
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine drained beans,(unless you are using canned beans--add them last) tomatoes, stock, beef, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil. Immerse the Parmesan cheese wedge in the soup. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer, covered, until beans and meat are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Add green beans, zucchini, and macaroni. I cooked the macaroni separate and added it to the bottom of the bowl and then ladled the soup in to the bowl. I knew I would have soup left-over and didn't want my macaroni to get mushy. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender-crisp and macaroni is al dente, about 20 minutes longer.

Remove bay leaf and discard. Ladle into large bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Note: You can use 1 can (15oz) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained, instead of the presoaked beans. Add them when you add the macaroni.
For a thicker soup, at the end of the cooking time, puree 1 cup of the begetables in a food processor or blender. Return to soup, mix well,
and reheat. I did not do this.

Parsley Supper Ring
Soften 1 package yeast, compressed or dry granular, in 1 cup lukewarm water.
Add 3 tablespoons melted shortening
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt.
Blend in 1 egg
Add 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour. Mix until well blended and soft.
Turn into a greased, 9" ring mold. Let rise in a warm place until light, about 45 minutes.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cut into thick slices, spread generously with garlic butter and sprinkle with parsley.