Kickin' Gumbo

Kickin' Gumbo serves 8 to 12

2 T olive oil 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces  1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teas salt  1 1/2 teas pepper 3/4 lb andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch slices or crumbled 1/2 lb frozen cut okra 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped 3 celery stalks, finely chopped 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 2 T flour 2 cups chicken broth 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice 1/2 teas salt 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled Steamed rice, for serving   Heat 1 T olive oil in large frying pan. Brown sausage.  Remove sausage with slotted spoon and place in slow cooker.  Leave oil in pan for chicken. Place 1/4 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teas pepper in a plastic veggie bag.  Add 1 1/2 inch pieces of chicken to bag and shake.  Coat chicken with flour mixture.  Place chicken in pan with sausage brownings.  Cook until lightly brown on all sides.  Place chicken on top of sausage in slow cooker. Scatter finely chopped bell pepper, celery, onion and cut frozen okra on top of sausage and chicken.  Make a roux.  Use same pan from chicken and sausage.  Heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat, slowly sprinkle 2 T flour in the pan.  Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes with juice.  When the mixture bowls remove from heat.  Season with 1/2 teas salt and cayenne pepper, stir together.  Pour mixture over veggies.  Set slow cooker on low-heat setting for 8 hours or 4 hours on high-setting.   Add shrimp the last 1/2 hour of cooking.   Place desired amount of rice in bowl and ladle gumbo over rice.  Serve with sourdough bread. *I like cooking gumbo 8 hours on low best.   *Gumbo can be made ahead of time.  It tastes better the next day.    

Sausage Vodka Penne Casserole

 Sausage Vodka Penne Casserole serves 12

4 T extra virgin olive oil 3/4 lbs sweet italian sausage, crumbled 3/4 lbs hot italian sausage, crumbled 2 large onions, chopped 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt 3/4 tsp pepper 1/4 cup fresh basil, slivered 1 T minced garlic 1/2 cup vodka 1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes 1 tsp Emeril Essence 1/2 cup heavy cream 1T extra virgin olive oil 1 lb penne pasta 15 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 1/2 c grated mozzarella

Heat 2 T olive oil in large skillet.  Add sausage and cook until brown, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add onions,   3/4 tsp salt, and the black pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are just soft, about 4 minutes.  Add basil and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add vodka and tomatoes: reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.  Add essence and heavy cream, stir to mix and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta.  Combine 4 qts water with 1 T olive oil and 1 tsp salt.  Bring to boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain well.  Combine 1/2 ricotta cheese and 1/2 of the Parmigiano-Reggiano with remaining 2 T of olive oil in large mixing bowl.  Add pasta and toss to coat evenly.  Add the sausage mixture and mix well.  Add remaining ricotta cheese and the Parmigiano- Reggiano and mix well.

Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella.  Bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes.

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili 

Serves 6-8 people   prep time 15 min   cook time 2 hr 15min

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 cans great white Northern Beans, not drained

1 10 oz can Rotel 

1 T. oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 4 oz can of chopped green chilies

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. salt

3 cups shredded Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese

1 16 oz sour cream with chives or plain

Directions:

Sear chicken then cube it. In skillet, heat oil.  Add onion, garlic, green chiles and spices cook until onion is transparent.  Toss in chicken. Cook 1 minute longer.  Transfer to a crock pot or soup pot.  Add beans and Rotel.  Cook one hour on low.  Stir in cheese and sour cream. 

I like to serve this with tortilla chips.

Guacamole

Guacamole 4 ripe avocados 1/4 c onion, finely chopped  3 green onions, thinly sliced  !/2 jalapeño, finely chopped 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 or 2 roma tomatoes, diced 1/2 lime, juiced 1/2 tsp kosher salt  1/2 tsp pepper Finely chop the onion, jalapeño, cilantro then place in a medium size bowl.  I use a food chopper or food processor for this.  Next scope ripe avocados into the bowl remove pits. (save one pit for later)  Mash the avocado against sides of bowl with a fork.  Mash to desired consistency.  Stir to mix everything together.   Dice tomatoes. Add tomatoes, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Mix everything together, bury reserved pit in the guacamole.  The pit helps keep the guacamole from browning as fast.   *You can tell if a avocado is ripe by pressing the top by the stem with finger.  It should not be hard.  It should give but not to much or it is overripe and brown in middle.     *I like to buy hard avocados place them in a brown paper bag with an apple.  Put the bag in my pantry for 3 or 4 days.  This ripens them perfectly.  Just don't forget them.   *Cut the stems off cilantro before chopping.  I usually slice the stems off below the last shoots of leaves or below where the twist tie is .  You can do the whole bunch at once.   *Press down and roll lime in circles on table before juicing.  It yields more juice.

Kimberly's Roll's

Kimberly's Roll's makes 2 dozen rolls 3 3/4 c  white bread flour  5 Tbl  butter, softened 1/2 c milk  1/2 c water  1 egg 1/3 c sugar, plus 1 tsp 2 3/4 tsp yeast  2 tsp salt 3 Tbl butter, softened

Place water and milk in glass measuring cup.  I usually add a little more milk or water to measure 1 1/8 cups of mixture.  Add 1 tsp of sugar.  Heat in microwave about 30-60 seconds.  Liquid should be warm to touch, not hot or it will kill yeast.  Add yeast.  Put aside.  Put flour, 1/3 c sugar, 5 Tbl butter, egg, and salt in a bread machine.  Add yeast liquid mixture, the yeast should be foamy on top.  Set Machine for large dough cycle setting.   When dough is done.  Divide dough in half roll into circle.  Spread 11/2 Tbl butter over dough.  Slice circle into 12 wedges. I usually use my pizza cutter to make wedges. 

Roll the dough wedges from wide end to skinny end. Do same for second half of dough.  

Place on jelly roll pan,  I prefer a stone jelly roll pan.  Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  Let rise in draft free place for 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook rolls for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Stir Fried Green Beans

Stir Fried Green Beans
1 lb green beans, frozen  3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbl olive oil  1 tsp kosher salt  1/2 tsp pepper   Heat oil in a wok or frying pan.  Add garlic stir for 15 seconds.  Add green beans stir until throughly heated.  There will be a white coating on beans from being frozen.  Once the white is completely gone and green beans are throughly heated, stir in salt and pepper.  The beans should be a bright green color they turn more army green when overcooked.   *I usually buy my frozen green beans from costco.  They are the best.

Orzo Parmesan

Orzo Parmesan

1 lb orzo pasta 4 oz butter, softened  3/4 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated 3/4 tsp salt  1 tsp pepper   Cook orzo following directions on box.  Place cooked pasta back in pot add butter, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Stir until butter and cheese are melted.  It should be hot enough to melt without turning the burner back on.   *I serve this with italian pot roast and stir fried green beans. If serving with pot roast spoon extra sauce over orzo it is delicious that way.