Cajun Stirfry

I was planning on making some kebabs with some of the meat I reserved from the gumbo, but I got lazy. I don't mind that I got lazy though, cause I really enjoyed what I came up with instead. I decided to pretty much just toss my kebab ingredients together in the pan and see what came of it. I thought the flavors came together really well, and it was really enjoyable and easy. I think I'll definitely toss this together again sometime.

Cajun Stirfry
Recipe from me; Serves 2-4












6 oz. andouille sausage, sliced thickly
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks
1 green bell pepper, seeded & ribbed, cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, chopped
Dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Olive oil

• Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring, till beginning to soften. Meanwhile toss chicken with enough dried oregano, salt, and pepper to lightly coat.
• Add chicken to pan and cook, stirring, until no longer pink. Add andouille to pan and cook until sausage is warmed through and chicken is cooked completely.

My notes: I served this over brown rice, which was a nice background for the spice and flavor of the meats. The recipe might sound a little vague, but since I just tossed it together I wasn't really paying a lot of attention to what I was doing. It's not hard to toss things into the pan and come out with something good though, so give it a shot! I served chili roasted sweet potato wedges on the side.

Very Pale Chicken Gumbo

This is what your chicken gumbo will look like when you are too impatient to properly cook your roux. It'll still taste pretty good, but tell me if that isn't the whitest gumbo you've ever seen. Sometimes it's hard to be patient when you're hungry. Really hard. Next time I'll be more patient, I promise. In the meantime, just make sure you cook your roux longer than me and you'll be fine. Obviously, this picture isn't all that pretty. Go ahead and scroll down and look at that Orzo. It's a lot prettier. It might redeem me.

Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 10 oz. package frozen cut okra
8 oz. smoked (precooked) andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1" thick
1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 lbs.), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
Store-bought or homemade cornbread, for serving (optional)

• In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add 4 cups water; stir in okra and sausage. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken, and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; if desired, serve with cornbread.

My notes: I only used half the chicken, because I wanted to use the other half for a salad, and I used 6 oz. of andouille (1 link of a 2 link 12 oz. package). I didn't notice it really lacking because of these changes. I also added 1 cup of brown rice to get some extra fiber in there, and help balance out the less meat. I also thought that this was even better the next day for lunch leftovers. The flavors had time to mingle, which makes me think that maybe half-hour gumbo is quick, but a slower cooked one would be tastier. I made some cornbread from mix (Jiffy rules!) to go with it, at EF's suggestion.

Sausage, Pepper & Onion Sandwiches with Oven Frites

Josh and I both stayed home on Friday- me because it's my day off, he because it was his "snow day", despite the fact most of the snow we got had melted by sun up. Anyway, I usually don't cook Friday nights, but we had decided to go to Chipotle Thursday night instead. That left me holding the bag for Friday's dinner. I got the idea for these sandwiches from Jane at This Week For Dinner. She uses chicken sausage and mustard. I had some Italian pork sausages in the freezer, so I went in a slightly different direction. And these frites helped me keep up with one of my cooking resolutions as it comes from one of my cookbooks, The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: Original Classics. I got this for Christmas from my mother-in-law and it's chocked full of great recipes which I looked forward to trying, especially if they come out as nice as these frites did.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onion Sandwiches with Oven Frites
Recipes adapted from This Week For Dinner and Martha Stewart Original Classics












Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sandwiches
2 links Italian Pork Sausage
1 bell pepper (I prefer green), ribbed and seeded, sliced lengthwise
1/2 white onion, sliced
1/4-1/2 cup jarred spaghetti sauce
Olive oil
2 wheat buns
Butter

• Butter the cut sides of your buns and toast in skillet over medium-high heat. Once toasted, wipe out frying pan carefully, to remove crumbs, and add olive oil. Add sausage to pan and cook till sides are well browned. Remove from pan.
  
• Add more oil if necessary and add peppers and onions to pan. Season with salt; cook, stirring occasionally, till softened. Meanwhile, cut your sausages in half crosswise, then each half in half again lengthwise. Add sausage back to skillet, cut side down to make sure cooked through.
• Once peppers and onions have softened and sausages are cooked through, add sauce and stir to combine. Divide between buns and serve.

Oven Frites
2 medium baking potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a heavy-duty baking sheet in the oven. Scrub and rinse potatoes. Cut lengthwise into batons. Place potatoes in a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• When baking sheet is hot, about 15 minutes, remove from oven; place prepared potatoes on baking sheet in a single layer. Return to oven, and bake until potatoes are golden on the bottom, about 30 minutes. Turn potatoes over, and continue cooking until golden all over, another 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

My notes: These sandwiches were delicious, but messy, ha. Almost like a pizza sandwich. Mmmmm. I used wheat hamburger buns because that's what I had, but the sandwiches would probably be a bit messier with split hoagie rolls. These frites were really good too, Josh commented on them several times. The only thing I'd do differently is cut them a bit thicker than I did. I'll definitely use this recipe again.

Wish Me Luck

I'm already clumsy as it is, but when I have a rough night in the kitchen it can really get me down. And last night I took a beating. Things seemed to go especially rough considering it was a repeat meal on the menu. I got home and began prepping to make Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions. What could go wrong, you ask? How about everything.

-While slicing onion on my mandolin some onion was flung into my eye! My EYE! And my hands were covered in onion juice, so I couldn't just react. I had to get a paper towel, carefully wipe the onion stuff from the corner of my eye, scrub my hands as I watched myself cry in the mirror, and finally be able to flush my eye.

-My sausages cooking away in olive oil decided nothing would be nicer than to open just ever so slightly at the ends, causing extra fat and grease to splatter all about. Grease is flying everywhere, and despite me using a pot lid as a shield I get a burn on my hand. Also, thanks to all the fat sputtering from the end of the sausage, there are burned splotches in my pan. I can't just plop my peppers and onions in there to cook, unless I was looking for a charred flavor. Which I wasn't. So I had to clean out the pan and start over with fresh olive oil.

-Boiling water? Check. Package of rigatoni? Check. LIVE BUGS IN THE BAG. CHECK!!! Oh by the hammer of Thor, there were live bugs in my bag of pasta. Live. Living. Well, most of them died as soon as they got dumped into the boiling water. In fact, I thought that they were dead, until I inspected the pasta bag I had already tossed in the trash and saw several still breathing, still moving specimens. Had to dump the pasta and clean the pot. Luckily, oh so luckily, I still had a half package of rigatoni from another recipe. Which I scrutinized well before using.

This recipe came out a little saucier than the last time, since there wasn't as much rigatoni, but it wasn't a detrimental issue. In fact, considering all the trouble I had, it's a wonder that the dish came out just as delicious as I remembered. At least there's some consolation in that.

A Better Monday

Monday night's dinner was exactly what I was looking for. I hadn't made anything spicy in quite awhile after Josh's bout with acid reflux, so it was about time I made something full and flavorful. I'd been craving something like this for sometime now, but I didn't really know if this recipe was going to hit the spot. But it did, and it's going to hit that spot again at lunchtime when I ravenously devour my leftovers. This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis, but I found it via Dine and Dish. I don't watch much Food Network, which I'm sure sounds just absurd for a food blogger to write. I usually just can't stand many of the personalities that are on there- specifically Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee, but lots of people tend to bug me. I usually stick to PBS for my food television. Anyway, since I almost never tune into FN this is the first Giada recipe I've made. It is really good though, so I may check out one of her books soon.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis's Everyday Pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound rigatoni pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan.
• Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and basil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until incorporated, then add the Marsala, tomatoes with their juice, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Bring to a simmer.
• Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each. Return the sausages to the pan. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.
• While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the thickened sauce; toss to combine. Spoon into individual bowls and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

My notes: I made several adjustments to the recipe. Usually I follow most things pretty faithfully, especially when it's something I've never attempted before. But because I had a deep yearning to have this recipe come out a specific way I meddled a bit. First, I couldn't get turkey sausage, so I used pork. I mean, I looked, but even the gigantic meat counter at Central Market didn't have any. I used petite diced tomatoes because the hubster isn't partial to giant hunks of tomatoes, and because I wanted the tomato part to be a little more sauce-like. I used green bell peppers because 1) they're cheaper, and 2) offer more color contrast with the tomatoes. I ditched the Marsala wine and substituted half a can of water instead. I'm sure it adds a great flavor, but it wasn't the flavor I was looking for. And I definitely used the optional red pepper flakes.

Happy National Pigs-In-a-Blanket Day!

Today is National Pigs-In-a-Blanket Day, so of course I made some pigs in blankets. I was intending to make them as an accompaniment to Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche, but while at work I realized that I'd forgotten to get the half-and-half for it. So, I figured I'd get some on the way home, but then there was a bit of an April shower moving through. We left work many hours early when the power started flickering and reports of hail and possible tornadoes in our future. One the way home the streets were mad flooded, as was our parking lot. My mom (I work with my mom, by the way) pulled up as parallel as she could to a parking spot bumper, which I hopped to from the car, then hopping to the sidewalk to avoid the above-ankle deep water. Luckily the second round of storms that moved through weren't near as harsh on us, although it's been an evening full of weather interruptions on tv. Oh well, welcome to spring in Texas. :) So, seeing as I didn't acquire the missing ingredient I didn't make the quiche. But I was determined to make PIBs on PIB day! So, I just fried up some eggs and had a bit of breaky for dinner. These obviously aren't some amazing culinary concoction. I used Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls, beef smoked sausage links, and I put a bit of shredded cheddar cheese on the crescent dough before wrapping the sausages up. I bake them as directed on the packaging on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. They are super yummy, and always a big hit with the hubby.