Recipe: Jambalaya

Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely LOVE New Orleans. I've been known to turn to Jason out of nowhere and say "Can we go back to NOLA soon?" Most of the time we aren't able to be quite that spontaneous, but oh how I dream we were strolling Jackson Square with a Hurricane and beignets in hand after a lunch of charbroiled oysters and po' boys. And having some amazing family friends who live just across the lake means that there's not only good food, music, and weather to be had, but also great company. Sigh...

Well in the meanwhile until our next getaway, we enjoyed some delicious jambalaya this past week for lunches. This recipe is so simple and so full of flavor. I had never been real thrilled with homemade jambalaya until about 2 years ago when I had my cousin, Andrea's, version. And no, she's not from New Orleans, she's actually from Texas, but she set the bar pretty high with this one. I think after she served this at her parents' in Oklahoma all of our extended family was asking for the recipe. And for good reason, it's become a favorite in our house. I have made a few tweaks to the original recipe based on the ingredients I generally keep on hand, but believe me, none of the wow factor has been lost.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:                                                                 

24 oz. chicken broth or stock                        ½ onion, diced

½ cup of French Onion Soup Mix                2 T. butter

          (click here for my DIY recipe)           1 ½ cups shredded Chicken

20 oz. tomato juice                                        2 Andouille Sausages

1 ½ c. brown rice, uncooked                         ¼ tsp. sea salt

2 stalks celery, diced                                     1/8 tsp. black pepper

1. Bring half of the chicken stock to a simmer, then stir in the rice. Cover and cook for 15 minutes while prepping the other ingredients. Place the butter in a 9x13 casserole dish and put in the oven while it preheats to 350 degrees.
2. Dice the onion and celery, and cut the sausage into bit sized pieces, preferably half circles.
3. Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven. Pour the par-cooked rice and all the cooking liquid into the baking dish, then add all the remaining ingredients to the pan also.
4. Stir to combine everything, then cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender, at 350 degrees. Be sure to stir the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking and no burnt edges.


Did I mention this is a GREAT way to utilize some of that amazing homemade stock and shredded chicken you've now got stored in your freezer from the Crockpot Chicken and Overnight Stock recipe? Well it is. And while the above version is how I most often times make it, you can also mix it up by adding things like shrimp and the true star of creole cooking, crawfish, when you can get your hands on them. Please also note, if you are using white rice instead of long-grain brown rice, you should reduce the amount of stock to only 15 oz., and you can forget the step of par cooking the rice - just dump the uncooked grains straight into the baking dish and call it a day.

**Yes, I am once again guilty of diving right in (and in this case serving the whole week's worth of meals) before realizing that I didn't take a single picture. I'll update this post the next time I make this recipe...which most likely won't be too long from now.)

Printable version (also lacking photos.. epic failure, I know)

Make it Yourself - French Onion Soup Mix

I've been making our own mixes and staples for quite a while now, and it dawned on me that this is a super simple and cost effective things I should share with you all, especially since some of the upcoming recipes I'll be posting contain these things.

A lot of recipes I have inherited or loved as a kid had things like Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken or other canned, condensed soups as an ingredient. The first reason I started making my own versions of these was because I would find myself in a bind when everything else for dinner was ready to go and I realized I didn't have that one "can-o-something" I needed. Once I had been in this position a few times (before I figured out the magic of meal planning of course), I realized that it didn't take anytime at all to mix up a batch of these things, and that I already had the ingredients on hand in my spice cabinet. Another big perk... control over the ingredients. Have you ever read the label on condensed soups or things like powder ranch dip mixes? In case you haven't I've done the liberty of finding a photo of the ingredient list for both Campbell's French Onion Soup (canned) and Lipton's Onion Soup and Dip Mix (powdered).

... I'm a big fan of the saying "if it's not an ingredient you'd find in your pantry, it's probably not real food". Why does a soup mix need sugar, caramel color, MSG and corn syrup in it? Oh right, those are there to trick your brain into thinking you are eating the real thing. Don't get me wrong, making real, from scratch, french onion soup is a decent sized labor of love, but its worth it, and tastes NOTHING like either of these convenience items. I digress.

Anyways, I bring to you a super simple and easy to mix up blend of spices that can add the same flavors to your dishes without all that junk.

DIY French Onion Soup Mix 
 - 1/3 cup dried minced onion
 - 2 tsp. dried parsley
 - 5 tsp. onion powder
 - 3/4 tsp. celery seed
 - 1/3 tsp. ground black pepper
 - 3/4 tsp. turmeric
 - 3/4 tsp. sea salt
 - 3/4 tsp. garlic powder

Simply stir the spices together in a small bowl and voila! If your recipe calls for one packet of onion soup mix, this recipe can be substituted for that packet. If you are replacing a can of soup with this mix, be sure to add additional liquid (such as milk, water or broth) to make up for the fact that the soup was contributing to the moisture in the recipe. To do so, just add 10.5 oz of liquid of your choice.

Another tip to save you some time - mix up a triple (or larger) batch of the seasoning mix and store it in an airtight container so its ready at anytime. To use from a larger batch, shake well and then measure out a 1/2 cup to equate to 1 packet/can.

Recipe: Chocolate Ice Cream

Disclaimer: There is nothing health promoting about ice cream. It is, however, a delicious treat that I am a big fan of. You would be correct in stating that ice cream isn't something any of us should be binge eating every night. But, in my honest opinion, life is too short to not enjoy ice cream every now and then. For this reason, I feel that making my own is the healthiest choice versus store bought, and it's fun to do as well.

 Have you ever read the ingredients on the brands sold in the freezer aisle? Things like guar gum, carrageenan, "natural flavors", corn syrup, soy lecithin, vegetable annatto coloring, cellulose gum, caramel coloring... the list could go on and on. Those ingredients are things found in only TWO of the nations most popular brands of Vanilla Flavor and Butter Pecan. The more complex the flavors they boast, the more questionable ingredients you'll usually find in the mix. I prefer to keep it simple and to use organic ingredients to create a tasty treat I can enjoy knowing there are no chemicals or stabilizers inside.

So onto the treat... You will need a kitchen scale for this recipe, as everything is measured in grams. Scales can be found at places like Kohls, Walmart, Target and even some grocery stores. They usually run around $20, but they are well worth it. Also, before you even think about mixing up a batch of ice cream base, go ahead and throw your ice cream maker's bowl in the freezer. Most models need to freeze for at least 24 hours before churning.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:                                                                       

112 grams Egg Yolks                                      225 grams Heavy Cream

170 grams Granulated Sugar                         1/8 tsp. Salt                 

450 grams Whole or 2% Milk                         50 grams Cocoa Powder


1. Place the milk in a medium sized sauce pot and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.

2. Measure the yolks and sugar into a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk together. Don't forget to whisk immediately or the sugar will scorch your yolks.

3. Measure the heavy cream into a large bowl and set aside. Measure the cocoa powder & salt into a small bowl and set to the side as well.

4. Once the milk has reached a simmer, temper the yolks by pouring about 2 cups worth of the hot milk into the sugar/yolk mixture and whisk immediately. Once combined, add another 2 cups of hot milk and whisk again. This process prevents the eggs from scrambling.

5. Pour the yolk/sugar/milk mixture back into the pot and cook on medium heat while whisking constantly. Cook until nappe, a term meaning that the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. There's a photo below of what that looks like.

6. Once you've reached that stage, turn off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and salt relatively quickly. Once combined, pour the hot mixture into the cold cream bowl and whisk everything together. place plastic wrap on the surface (touching the liquid mix) and then cover the bowl with a lid as well. Refrigerate the mixture overnight, then churn following the manufacture's instructions for your machine. The recipe will hold in the freezer for up to 3 months (if it lasts that long!). I recommend freezing with plastic touching the surface also to prevent freezer burn.

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