Jambalaya - redone; plus Cornbread Muffins!

 So my last post, (sorry it's been so long!), has really been bothering me. I thought I had made Jambalaya... but once I went on an online search about it, I realized Jambalaya is more of a rice pilaf than a soup. So I've been itching to try it again. Today provided perfect conditions for doing so: rain, rain and more rain (with a few thunderstorms and tornado watches thrown in the mix, ugh). 

But first, I must rave about our side dish, Sweet Cornbread Muffins.  

Recipe inspiration comes from The Galley Gourmet! Love her recipes and her site! 

My hubby usually doesn't eat a bread side dish, but tonight, I had to tell him to slow down and to save some for tomorrow! Even our 3 year old-picky son loved them! 

I thought I had "corn meal" but when I pulled it out I realized it was "corn masa." I'm not sure if they're different... but just in case, I decided to add 2TBS ground flax to the mix of dry to give it the texture I thought it was missing. Maybe I was mistaken, but it was good regardless! Everything else I followed, and mine aren't as pretty (really, I'm not a baker. I'm just happy they turned out at all!), but they were perfect for us! 

Go check her out!! 

So what did I do differently from last time? 

Well, I kept to one can of chicken broth, and halved the onion, oregano and parsley. I cooked it on the stove this time for fear of losing power. I basically brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for about 2 hours, then added the rice directly to the pot (already cooked rice that was a leftover, that is) to allow the juices to be soaked up by the rice.  I accidentally allowed it to boil too long (losing a lot of juice), so I added about a cup of water. 

And... I didn't have a green bell pepper. I know I committed a Southern sin, but in my defense, I thought I had one in the fridge. I was mistaken. Oh well. It was good regardless. It's a bit spicy, but sided with the cornbread (and cottage cheese), it helped. 

The recipes: 

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut in pieces

1 pkg Andouille sausage, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1/2 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1C celery, chopped

1 can chicken broth

1tsp Oregano

1tsp Parsley

2tsp Cajun

1tsp. Cayenne

1/2tsp. Thyme 

2 handfuls frozen peeled/deveined shrimp *optional

2C Rice, prepared. 

Instructions:

Add everything to a large stock pot or crock pot. If using stock pot, bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and allow to simmer about 30min - 1 hour. If using crock pot, add everything cook on LOW 7-8hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours. If adding shrimp, do so with about 10 minutes remaining. Add rice, mix well and turn of heat. Allow to cool a few minutes. 

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients:

1C flour

1C cornmeal (or 1C corn masa + 2TBS ground flax)

1/4C sugar

2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

3/4tsp kosher salt

1C milk

1TBS white vinegar

1 lg egg, room temp. 

1/4C butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Combine milk and vinegar and allow to sit for 30 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 425. Place liners in muffin tin and spray with a bit of Pam. (Follow The Galley's recipe for a cake pan). 

3. In a large bowl, combing flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk mixture, egg, and butter. 

4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix just until combined. 

5. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. 

6. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. 

Crock Pot Jambalaya

 Now that I live in the South, I thought I should probably start learning how to cook some good Southern food. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it looked simple and yummy! Doing a little more research, I've discovered this looks more like Gumbo than actual Jambalaya... but it has the rice like Jambalaya. I did add more water than the recipe called for (I thought it was supposed to be "soup-y"!). So all y'all Southerners out there don't be hatin ok! I tried.

The recipe calls for "andouille sausage" well, according to ETNT, Aidells is the best sausage you could eat! Pretty tasty too!! (Found at local Publix)

Oh! And if you're like me and your Cajun Seasoning just happened to "disappear" magically when you needed it and you decide to opt for Creole Seasoning, don't throw in the full 2tsp it calls for, unless you like it HOT. Lesson learned. 

Learn from me (what I'd do differently next time is in parentheses)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes (I used one breast)
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced (1 - 12oz package worked perfect)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large onion, chopped  (I'd do half)
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (1tsp next time)
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley (1tsp next time)
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (if using Creole Seasoning, I'd use 1/2tsp - 1tsp)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp without tails (I used about 2 good handfuls of frozen, cooked shrimp, thrown in during the last 30 minutes)

Instructions:

1. In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
2. Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

Chipotle Chicken

This chicken has a serious KICK to it... and it's so good as a taco, burrito, or enchilada filling. Move over Cafe Rio... 

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

3 Chipotle Peppers + a little juice

2C tomato juice (or 1 can sauce + 2C water)

1 onion, chopped

1 can diced green chiles

1/2 bunch cilantro (optional)

3 juiced lemons +1/2 rind

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot (or crock pot). Add a bit of water to completely cover the chicken, if necessary). Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook for an hour and a half to two hours (if using crock pot, cook on high 4 hours), stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from broth, shred into large bowl or pan. Add a little of the broth, discarding the whole peppers and lemon rind. Place on tortillas, top with guacamole and sour cream or yogurt.

And a new feature here at Dancing in the Kitchen... I will provide a printable recipe card! Show some love would ya?!

Chicken Pot Pie

.... from scratch? Well... it was supposed to be. And there won't be a picture for you... sorry.

I was nervous to make this recipe as I don't make dough... but I was excited to use my handy-dandy food processor my wonderful hubby gave me for Christmas for the first time making this pie dough. The machine did a GREAT job. It was like watching the chefs on TV make their dough...
The dough on the other hand... was terrible. I followed the instructions perfectly, but I could not get it to roll out without sticking to EVERYTHING (even with flour everywhere). And the Food Nanny expected half the dough to be able to fit the bottom and up the sides... ya right. With that dough, I was lucky to get it to fill the bottom of the pan. And for the top, there was NO WAY I was going to be able to roll it out and be able to pick up and lay it across the pan. It just crumbled. I admit, I broke down. I cried. My poor husband had to run to the store to get the refrigerated pie crusts (heaven-sent I tell you!). 9pm and dinner still wasn't done. And when I was grocery shopping I thought I should just go the easy route... should've listened to myself.

So here's my opinion on the matter... if you're really good at making dough and you feel comfortable doing so, go ahead and follow the recipe. If you're like me and don't bake... and certainly don't make dough... go ahead and cheat and go with the already-made stuff. I could've saved myself 2 hours and a ton of frustration.

The insides, however, were DELICIOUS. And this will definitely be something I will make again, just minus the homemade dough.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1/4 C chilled butter
2 bone-in chicken breasts
2 carrots, sliced crosswise (I used about 1 C baby carrots cut in half)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4C cold water
3/4C shortening
1 tsp salt
4 TBS ice-cold water
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4C flour
1/2C frozen peas

Instructions:

To make the crust, stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with the ice water, a TBS at a time, and stir with a fork to moisten all the dough. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface and fit it into a 9in pie dish. Roll out the other half and set aside.
Put the chicken breasts in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 18 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board or plate. Add the potatoes and carrots and return to boiling. Decrease the heat, cover, and simmer until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, tear or cut the chicken off the bones into bite-size pieces, discarding skin, fat and gristle.
Remove the veggies from the simmering broth with a slotted spoon and set aside with the chicken pieces. Measure the broth and add water, if needed, to make 2 1/2 Cups. Return to the pan and simmer, stirring in the bouillon and the salt.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Stir the flour into the cold water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir into the broth and increase the heat to medium. Stir constantly until the broth thickens. Add the chicken to the broth along with the potatoes, carrots and peas. Stir to combine.
Pour the filling into the pastry-lined pie dish. Cover with the top crust, seal and flute the edges, and cut a slit in the top for the steam to escape. Bake 40 minutes, or until the crust is light brown.


Here is what I would do instead:
Use refrigerated pie crusts for the bottom, make the filling according to instructions, but add 1 tsp. each: onion salt, celery salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Top with 2nd crust, and drizzle with melted butter and bake according to pie crust instructions on box.

Crunchy Parmesan Baked Chicken

Last night was our first adventure trying out BYU's The Food Nanny's recipes. I had seen this recipe on one of the two episodes I watched and it looked easy and yummy... and let me tell you. It was SO easy, and SO delicious. My husband was RAVING about it and said it was a keeper! I had a really long and trying day yesterday, one that ended up making an emergency trip to the phone store an hour away. By the time we got home I was exhausted and didn't really want to cook anything. But I had pulled chicken out of the freezer that morning, and I knew I had to do something with it. This was such a quick throw-together meal. We had marinara sauce on the side to dip, but I ended up not dipping them at all. They were that good.

Crunchy Parmesan Baked Chicken

1-2C Buttermilk
1/2C grated Parmesan Cheese
Chicken Breast tenders (buy breasts on sale in bulk, freeze in double ziplock baggies and cut them up yourself. Save $$ - I used one large chicken breast, it filled up my baking dish and could've fed 3 people)
pinch of salt
2C Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp Garlic Salt
half stick of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400. Grease an oblong baking pan. Pour the buttermilk into a wide shallow dish or pie plate. Mix the Panko, cheese and garlic salt in another shallow dish or pie plate. Roll each piece of chicken in the buttermilk then dredge in the Panko mixture to coat. Arrange in the prepared baking pan. Drizzle the butter over all. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Sprinkle with salt to taste.


YUM!!! Food Nanny, I {heart} you!

Lemon Chicken

Recipe courtesy of Deals to Meals. I saw this posted on Facebook a few weeks ago and thought it sounded easy and yummy and right up my husband's alley. Little did I know he doesn't like "fruity-flavored meat," as he would put it. Doh! Oh well, I thought it was delicious!! And they're totally right. You can shorten the marinade time, you can use bottled lemon juice, dried herbs, and different noodles and it tastes great! At least that's what I had to do!!


Ingredients:

1 lb. linguine (or fettuccine)
2 T. olive oil
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
½ c. chopped green onion
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese

Marinade:
½ c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, whole
2 T. Cajun seasoning
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. minced parsley
1 T. brown sugar (or more if you like it a little sweeter)
2 T. soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, sliced. (OR 16 extra large shrimp)

Instructions:

Combine the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Slice thawed chicken (or shrimp). Pat dry and toss in marinade to coat. Refrigerate 1-12 hours. Cook marinated chicken with the marinade sauce in a large saute pan on medium heat until chicken is cooked. If using shrimp, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Be sure not to over cook shrimp.

Cook linguini in boiling salted water until done; drain well and rinse noodles. Combine juice of one lemon, zest, olive oil, green onions, and fresh parsley together. Add hot pasta into bowl and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken (or shrimp) with marinade into the large pasta bowl. Toss in parmesan cheese to taste and serve warm.

Shake 'n' Bake Chicken

I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I was planning on making this post DAYS ago... but for some reason never got around to it. But here it is. It is probably the most simple thing you could make. It's great for lunch... dinner... or just a snack! :) Really, all you need is chicken, a tomato and a few pickle slices (and some shake n bake). The best part is, if you make a few extra, you can just reheat them for a sandwich, or cut it up into a salad. Super yum!!

The inspiration from this comes from a meal my mom always cooked growing up. Exactly the same items, except we had sliced cucumbers and sliced tomatoes on the side. I mixed that with McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. Mmmmm...

Shake 'n' Bake Chicken w/ tomato and pickle "salad"

Ingredients:

4 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Shake N Bake - any flavor, I prefer Chicken
fresh tomatoes
sliced hamburger dill pickles
salt and pepper

Box of Chicken Rice-A-Roni

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375. Pour Shake seasoning into Shake Bag and place 1-2 breasts at a time inside. Shake well, making sure to completely coat chicken. Repeat until all chicken is used up (if using more than 5 breasts, it's best to use 2 bags/seasonings).
Place chicken on a foil-lined pan. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until completely cooked.
2. Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions.
3. Slice (or chunk) tomatoes and dice up pickles. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and combine.
4. Serve and enjoy!

The different textures and flavors are so perfect! If you don't like raw tomatoes, you definitely won't like this meal and you shouldn't try it without. It's just not the same. But it's definitely worth it to just give it a try. My mouth is watering.....

Chicken Pockets

This meal is so simple and quick. And it really only calls for a handful of ingredients. A great meal idea on those days you're stretched for time. My first time tasting a similar recipe was from my husband's sister, Maarsi. I instantly fell in love.

Chicken Pockets

Ingredients:

1 can chicken breast
2 8oz cream cheese
2 crescent roll tubes
2C mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
Celery Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Italian Seasoning
1/4C Panko Bread crumbs
drizzle of olive oil
*once again, I just throw the spices in until it tastes right. Feel free to experiment.


Instructions:

1. Set oven at temp. according to roll instructions.
2. Allow cream cheese to soften, either by leaving out for a few hours, or microwaving for about a minute. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheeses and spices. Set aside and prepare the rolls.
3. To prepare the rolls, open and unroll one tube. Separate rolls, not by the crescent shape that they're supposed to be, but in rectangles (2 rolls = 1 rectangle). Place onto a cookie sheet (each tube should yield 4 rectangle pockets.
4. Place about 2 heaping TBS in center of pocket. Enclose filling and pinch edges closed, leaving a little gap in the top. Continue until all 8 pockets are filled. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
5. Bake 25-40 minutes until outsides are golden brown.

Sunday Dinner AND Dessert: Herb-Roasted Citrus Chicken w/ Root Veggies AND Peaches 'n' Cream

It's Sunday, it's a special day. Which calls for a special meal! Tonight's menu includes a whole herb-roasted Chicken with roasted sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.
Plus, a yummy dessert of Peaches 'n' Cream. Enjoy!!

Herb-Roasted Citrus Chicken

The chicken recipe is a mixture of Ming Tsai's Cranberry-Glazed Chicken, Jamie Oliver's Herb-Roasted Chicken, and a little of my own ideas.

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (can also use 4 chicken breasts, cooking time will vary)
8 Cloves Garlic, minced (or pressed is my favorite) and separated
thumb-size piece of fresh Ginger, minced
Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lemon (keep rind to place inside cavity) and 2 limes
Fresh Parsley (I used 3-5 ice cubes - check under Herbs for info on that)
2 TBS Rosemary
1TBS Red Chile Flakes
2 Bay Leaves
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
2 Yellow Onions, diced
2-3 Sweet Potatoes, diced
sm. bag of baby Carrots (or 2 Fennel/Anise bulbs, cored and sliced)

Instructions:

1. Combine all herbs and spices- except Bay Leaves, half the minced garlic, oil, lemon and lime juices into food processor/blender. Blend well. Pat chicken dry and carefully poor marinade mixture all over. Starting at the neck, lift up the skin to break it apart from the meat and gently stuff a little marinade inside. Pour remaining marinade inside cavity, and add lemon rinds. Allow to sit at least 4 hours, or over night.

2. Pre-heat oven to 500-550 and pre-heat roasting pan. Once heated, place chicken in pan, place bay leaves on top, and brown 15-20 minutes, turning pan around half-way through. In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine potatoes, fennel/carrots, and onions. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once chicken is browned, reduce heat to 350 and cover with foil. Roast for 45-55 minutes.

3. Uncover and add the veggies to the pan. If you can, lift up the chicken a little so the veg can fall underneath. (Once again, I don't like my veg soggy, and I've found this it the best way to fully cook everything without OVER-cooking anything). Recover with foil and allow to cook another 50-60 minutes, depending on size of chicken (you're looking for a temp of 160-165). Take it out and place it on a cutting board and lightly tent with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving it. Spoon the veg into a bowl.

Enjoy!

Peaches 'n' Cream - Grandma Style

Three simple ingredients and 20-40 minutes is all it takes for this delicious recipe, brought to you by my own mom!

Ingredients:

Peaches (1-2 per person)
3TBS white Sugar (per serving)
Half and Half


Instructions:

1. If you prefer, you can place the peaches into a pot and barely boil them, then dunk them into cold water and peel them. Or you can skip this step and just cut them up.
2. Cover with sugar. Lots. Of. Sugar. Allow to sit at least 20 minutes, until a "syrup" forms.
3. Dowse them in half and half.

Just a side note: I. Love. Half and Half. Yum! This recipe also works with strawberries. When I make it with strawberries, I add about 1/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (remember I like texture!) to my bowl, and not as much sugar.

Enjoy! I know I just did!!