Mini Caprese Bites

This is a take on a Caprese salad.  It is a one bite hors d’oeuvres that is great for a summer BBQ appetizer or even nice for a cocktail party.  They are easy to make (just time consuming) and this recipe makes about 50 “bites”.

Ingredients:

• 1 pt. grape tomatoes
• 20 basil leaves, torn into small bite size pieces
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• ¼ C. of balsamic vinaigrette
• ½ T. Sea salt

Directions:

1. Make the balsamic vinaigrette and marinate the cheese cubes in the vinaigrette for several hours, if possible.
2. Cut each grape tomato in half.
3. Using toothpicks, place a tomato, a cube of mozzarella, then a piece of basil.
4. Sprinkle sea salt over all and drizzle with the leftover vinaigrette.

Tips and Tricks:

• DO NOT refrigerate the grape tomatoes.  They taste best at room temperature.
• I can’t leave anything alone, so I changed this recipe.  I made this with mini pepperonis for added flavor (everyone liked it).
• I made my own balsamic vinaigrette, but you can use bottled vinaigrette when you are crunched for time.

Cheesy Creole Tomato Pie

Creole Tomatoes and Vidalia Onions are a summer staple.  This is a great recipe that uses these as an entrée that isn’t a salad.  It’s great as a make ahead recipe because it can be served at room temperature.

 Ingredients:

• 1 (9 in.) refrigerated pie crust
• 3 medium Creole tomatoes, sliced ¼ in. thick (about 2 lbs.)
• 1 small Vidalia onion
• ½ t. kosher salt
• 1/3 C. Panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ C. mayonnaise
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. fresh thyme leaves
• 2 T. fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 C. (¼ lb. or 4 oz.) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 C. (¼ lb. or 4 oz.) Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 T. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Roll the pie crust into a 9 inch pie plate and gently press the crust into place around the pie plate.  Pierce with a fork in several places on the bottom of the crust and in a few spots on the side.
3. Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.  Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool while preparing the pie ingredients.
4. Cut the onion in half to create a semi-circle and then slice thin, cut the core off of the top of the tomato and discard and then cut into slices.
5. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the salt.
6. Combine the mayonnaise, egg yolk, garlic, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
7. Sprinkle 1/3 of the breadcrumbs in the bottom of pie plate, cover with half of the tomato slices, half of the sliced onions, and half of the herbs.  Drizzle half of the mayonnaise mixture and then cover with half of each of the cheeses.
8. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the breadcrumbs over the cheese, and then the rest of the tomato slices, the rest of the sliced onions, and the rest of the herbs.  Drizzle with the rest of the mayonnaise mixture and cover with the rest of the cheeses.
9. Finish with the remaining bread crumbs and drizzle the olive oil over the whole pie.
10. Bake for 1 hour (the top should get nice and brown).
11. Remove and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.  This pie is best at room temperature.

Tips and Tricks:

• DO NOT refrigerate the Creole tomatoes.  They taste best at room temperature. 
• If you can’t get Creole tomatoes you can use Beefsteak tomatoes and it you can’t get Vidalia onions, you can use sweet onions or red onions instead.
• If you don’t have Panko breadcrumbs, unseasoned breadcrumbs work well also.
• I use Pillsbury Pie Crust, which can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, usually by the can biscuits.

Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta Salad

This is a great Spring and Summer salad.  The crunch from the watermelon and the tartness from the tomatoes all get mellowed out by the Feta cheese.  Pretty as a picture!  Oh, here's the picture.

Ingredients:

• 6 C. watermelon, cut into bite size cubes
• 2 pts. Sunburst tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin
• ½ t. black pepper, fresh cracked
• ¼ C. red wine or apple cider vinegar
• ½ C. olive oil
• ¼ lb. (4 oz.) feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Combine the watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and salt and toss.  Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the excess juice; add the onions, pepper, vinegar and oil and toss.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours; sprinkle the feta into the bowl before serving.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you can’t get the Sunburst tomatoes, you can use Roma tomatoes cut into cubes.  The yellow tomatoes give the salad a great color contrast, but it is not necessary.
• The seeds in a Roma tomato are sometimes bitter; I usually squeeze the tomato and remove the seeds, before cutting them for this salad.

Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

We go to St. Patrick’s Day parades on the Saturday and Sunday before St Patrick’s Day each year.  Last year, I made Cabbage Rolls (Lots of Work) with some of the cabbages we caught.  This year I wanted to make something less labor intensive and here it is.  I spent about 40 minutes prepping and then it bakes in the oven for 1 hour.  It is delicious!  Good enough for a dinner party with friends or family.

 Ingredients:

• 1 ½ heads of cabbage
• 1 lb. ground meat
• 1 ½ C. cooked rice
• ¼ C. olive oil
• 1 onion, medium, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ t. thyme
• 1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
• ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 2 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the core of the cabbage and cut into bite size pieces.   Rinse under cold water and strain.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat and add the cabbage, stir well to cover the leaves with the oil and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the leaves are wilted.
4. In a skillet, brown the ground meat until brown and then drain.  Reserve.
5. In the same skillet, sauté the onions with half of the olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Add the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato sauce, Rotel, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, Creole Seasoning and the ground meat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rice to mixture and stir until incorporated well.
7. Spray a 13’ x 9’ baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Place half of the cabbage in the baking dish cover with half of the meat/rice mixture, and then the other half of the cabbage and then the other half of the meat/rice mixture.
9. Seal the baking dish with foil.
10. Bake for 45 minutes and then remove the foil and cover with the cheese.
11. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.
12. Allow to set for 10 minutes and then cut into squares to serve.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is great recipe for those St. Patrick’s Day cabbages.
• This tastes great the next day, but it does NOT freeze well, so eat up.

Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

This is a one skillet meal, if you do it right. (I didn't, see my tips and tricks)  It cooks quick and it really packs some great flavor.  This is a meal you can make in 40 minutes.  I got it from Tracy's Culinary Adventures.

Ingredients:

• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ¼ t. red pepper flakes
• 3 C. water
• 1 (12 oz.) bag of ziti
• ½ C. heavy cream
• 2 C. mozzarella, shredded
• ½ C. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. You need a large 12 in. skillet with a cover, which is oven proof, to make this a one pan meal.
3. Set the skillet over medium heat and add the sausage that has been broken into small pieces, about ½ inch thick.
4. Add the salt and red pepper flakes and cook until sausage is brown, about 5 minutes. 
5. Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up and stir occasionally.
6. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
7. Add the tomatoes and reduce to medium-low heat, cook for 10 minutes.
8. Add the water and pasta then cover the pan and turn up the heat to medium-high.  (adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a vigorous simmer)
9. Cook, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan, for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
10. Add the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and 1 C. of the mozzarella.
11. Stir to incorporate, and then top with the remaining 1 C. mozzarella.
12. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
13. Allow the dish to set for 5 minutes, and then serve.

Tips and Tricks:

• I started this recipe in a skillet that I thought was big enough for this recipe, but when I added the water, I realized there was NO room for the ziti.  I had to transfer to a pot (not a skillet) then I realized the pot wasn't oven proof, so I had to transfer to a Corning ware.  Save yourself the time and cleanup and make sure you start with something large enough to hold about 8 cups AND something that can be put in the oven.

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a comfort food delight.  Rich and flavorful, it makes a wonderful presentation with all of the beautiful colors of red, yellow, and green.  This is a Giada deLaurentiis recipe that I've slightly tweaked.

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs
• ½ C. all purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped in strips
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ½ T. salt
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 C. white wine
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3 T. drained capers
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. dried basil

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
2. Dry chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour
3. Fry chicken in two batches
4. Fry off chicken skin side down first, 5 minutes on each side
5. Place chicken on a plate and cover with foil while the other batch cooks
6. Remove the second batch and cover with the foil
7. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and Creole seasoning to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, on medium heat
8. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes
9. Add the tomatoes with their juice, capers, oregano, and basil
10. Return the chicken to the pot and submerge into the cooking liquids
11. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat
12. Cook for 45 minutes
13. Remove chicken and place it back on the plate and cover with foil
14. Let the sauce boil for 3 minutes to thicken up
15. Return chicken to the pot and heat through for 5 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

• This recipe can be made with all parts of the chicken.  I make it with thighs because they create the best sauce!
• I serve this with angel hair pasta.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top for an added kick.

Cabbage Rolls

We caught a lot of cabbage at the St. Patrick's Day parade this year.  I have wanted to make Cabbage Rolls using Dirty Rice for the stuffing, so this was my opportunity.  I used the cabbage I had, but a recipe of Emeril's calls for the Savoy cabbage, the leaves are bigger and easier to roll.

  Ingredients:

• 1 head of Savoy cabbage, 16 nice leaves for rolling
• 4 C. Dirty Rice
• 1 T. butter
• 1 C. onions, chopped
• 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 C. cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the core of the cabbage and place the whole head in a large pot of boiling water
3. Remove after 3 minutes and place in a large bowl filled with ice and water
4. In a medium sauce pan, sauté the onions in the butter over medium heat until tender
5. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, allow to simmer for 1 hour
6. Cut the heat , add the cream and stir well, reserve
7. In an 13’ x 9’ baking dish, ladle 1 C. of the tomato/cream sauce in the bottom of the pan
8. Roll ¼ C. of dirty rice in each leaf of cabbage and place the rolls seam side down in the sauce, cram all the rolls together side-by-side in the pan
9. Ladle the remaining tomato/cream sauce over the rolls
10. Seal the baking dish with foil
11. Bake for 1 hour
12. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

• Follow my link to get the Dirty Rice recipe.  You only need 4 C. for the cabbage rolls, so just make ½ of the full recipe. I make the Dirty Rice the day before and refrigerate it, so it dries out.
• I use a bag of frozen chopped onions for this recipe.  A 10 oz. bag is 2 C. of onions.

Tomato Basil Soup

Don't you love that "Tomato Basil Soup" at La Madeleine?  I do and this is a "Copy Cat" recipe.  Easy to make and delicious!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 C. of crushed tomatoes
• 4 C. of tomato juice
• 14 fresh basil leaves, cut into small strips
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1 C. heavy cream 

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions over medium heat in olive oil until translucent, about 10 minutes
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
3. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, basil, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook for 30 minutes
4. Add the butter and cream and stir well
5. Serve hot with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese

Tips and Tricks:

• I use canned tomatoes for this recipe, but fresh tomatoes can be used.  Peel the tomatoes first before crushing them. 
• When chopping the basil, stack the basil leaves one on top of another and then roll the leaves into a tube.  Slice into thin ribbons.
• This soup is great with a grilled cheese sandwich.  I make a Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich.  Follow my link to see how I make mine.

Guacamole

Chunky, spicy, and full of flavor.  This is a recipe that my godchild Harrison shared with me, combined with some Alton Brown and Barefoot Contessa ingredients and tips.  Great with tortilla chips or as a side with your favorite Mexican dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 Hass avocados
• 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ C. of finely chopped red onion
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• ¼ C. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Roma tomato, seeded and cut into small pieces

 Directions:

1. Cut the avocados in half and scoop out the avocado with a spoon
2. Place the avocado in a large bowl and add the lemon juice
3. Toss with a large spoon
4. Add the salt, cayenne, red onion, garlic, and cilantro
5. Use a knife to cut through the avocado forming large chunks
6. Next add the tomatoes and stir all ingredients together until the consistency you like
7. Can be served immediately or can be refrigerated for serving later

 Tips and Tricks:

• I serve this with salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips.
• The lemon is what keeps the avocado from turning brown.  Some people use lime juice instead, but limes can have a bit of a metallic taste sometimes.
• Some people are not cilantro fans.  I LOVE cilantro and I think it brightens this guacamole, but it is good without the cilantro.  It is great WITH it.

ABC Salsa

Sitting in the teachers' lounge, I look across the table and see a wonderfully colorful bowl of goodness.  I left that school over 10 years ago and I did not stay in contact with Mrs. Coleman, but I did keep her recipe. I don't know what she called it, but I named it ABC salsa, because of the ingredients.  It's fresh, quick, and a big hit at get togethers. (even if they are only in a faculty lounge)

Ingredients:

• 2 Hass avocados
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of white corn
• 1 can of Mexican Rotel tomatoes
• 1 lime, freshly squeezed
• Handful of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

 Directions:

1. Cut the avocado into small bite size pieces
2. Drain the water from the corn and rinse the black beans
3. In a medium bowl, with a cover, combine the avocado, corn, black beans, Rotel, lime juice and cilantro
4. Stir all ingredients and refrigerate for several hours
5. Serve with corn chips

 Tips and Tricks:

• I serve this salsa with Tostitos Scoops or Fritos Scoops.
• I run the can of Rotel through the food processor.  I don’t like the large chunks of tomatoes, but this step is NOT necessary.
• Some people are not cilantro fans.  I LOVE cilantro and I think it brightens this salsa, but it is good with or without.

Wedge Salad

I love to order a wedge salad when we go out to eat.  My favorite is a deconstructed wedge salad that is served at Ruth's Chris.  I tried to make mine like that one, but for presentation sake it remains a wedge.  

Ingredients:

• 1 head of Iceberg lettuce
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 4 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 2 green onions, chopped fine
• 1 can French’s French Fried Onions
• 4 oz. of Blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 C. of Chunky Blue Cheese salad dressing

Directions:

1. Remove the heart of the head of lettuce by firmly pounding it into the counter
2. Fill the head of lettuce with water and allow to drain
3. Cut the lettuce in half , then into fourths
4. Place each wedge on a plate
5. Pour ¼ C. of salad dressing over each wedge
6. Sprinkle each with green onions
7. Next add the following to each wedge: 1 strip of bacon, ½ of a tomato, 1 oz. of blue cheese, and ¼ can of French Fried Onions
8. Serve with salt and pepper

Tips and Tricks:

• I like to drizzle some Balsamic vinegar over my wedge also.
• This makes a great presentation for a dinner party.

Meatballs and Scaccia Family Red Sauce

This is a combo recipe.  I've combined the recipe I use for meatballs which I've tweaked over the years and a recipe for Red Sauce from my friend, Sal's mother.  Sal's parents are from Sicily. His mom makes a delicious Red Sauce, and now you can too.

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

• 1 lb. of ground chuck
• 1 lb. of ground pork
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 T. kosher salt
• ½ T. black pepper
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 C. bread crumbs
• ½ C. Romano cheese

Sauce:

• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 C. finely chopped onions
• 6 cloves of minced garlic
• 8 (6oz.) cans of tomato paste
• 4 (8oz.) cans of tomato sauce
• 10 C. water
• 2 T. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• ¾ C. sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large pot, sauté the veggies minus the garlic on medium heat until limp
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute
4. Add paste and cook for several minutes, then add sauce
5. Add water, stir well
6. Add salt, pepper and sugar and heat until bubbly
7. Lower the fire and cook for 1 hour (stirring frequently)
8. Mix all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl
9. Make meatballs and place on a baking sheet
10. Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes or until brown
11. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for an additional hour
12. Serve over spaghetti or angel hair pasta

 Tips and Tricks:

• Meatloaf mix is ground beef, pork, and veal.  It is more expensive then buying the ground chuck and pork, but it makes great meatballs.  It’s your choice.
• I make meatballs with an ice cream scoop.  It makes about a 1 ½ oz. meatball.  This recipe will make about 28 meatballs.
• This freezes well. 

Corn Macque Choux

This is my Mom and Dad's recipe for Macque Choux.  My Dad liked corn.  He made Macque Choux different ways, but this was a favorite because it is a one pot meal.  It serves like a soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of finely chopped onions
• 1 C. of finely chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of finely chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• ¾ C. vegetable oil
• 6 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob and scraped
• ½ lb. of pickle meat or ham seasoning
• 3 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb. of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 2 cans of Rotel
• 2 cans of Cajun stewed tomatoes
• 2 cans of yellow corn
• 2 cans of white corn
• 2 cans of cream corn
• 10 C. shrimp stock or chicken stock
• 2 T. of salt
• 1 T. of black pepper
• ½ t. of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a gumbo pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until limp
2. Add garlic for 1 minute
3. Run the Rotel and stewed tomatoes through a food processer
4. Add both to the pot and cook for 10 minutes
5. Add the fresh corn, including the cobs, to the pot
6. Add the chicken or shrimp stock, sausage, ham, salt, pepper, and cayenne
7. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes
8. Add the can corn and cook for an additional 15 minutes
9. Stir then add the shrimp and cook for an additional 15 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

·        My Dad insists that the KEY to Macque Choux is scraping the corn cob to get the “milk” from the corn.  After you cut the kernels off the cob, you need to scrape the knife down the side of the cob and add the “milk to the bowl of corn. 

·        I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 

·        I use Green Giant corn.

·        You can make shrimp or chicken stock.  It is easy! Follow my link to find out how I make mine. 

Shrimp Creole

This was my favorite dish growing up.  My Mom is a great cook and this is her recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 C. of chopped onions
• ½ C. of chopped bell pepper
• ½ C. of chopped celery
• 4 cloves of mined garlic
• 5 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cans of tomato paste
• 4 cans of tomato sauce
• 4 C. water or shrimp stock
• ¼ C. of Crystal Hot Sauce
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 T. of salt
• ½ T. of black pepper
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ C flour
• ½ C vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Add oil and flour to a cast iron pot to make a blonde roux over medium high heat until the color of a walnut (about 7 – 8 minutes)
2. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until limp
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
4. Add paste and cook for about  3 minutes
5. Add sauce, stock, hot sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne
6. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes (stirring often)
7. Add shrimp and cook another 20 minutes
8. Serve with hot rice

Tips and Tricks:

•        You can make shrimp stock to use instead of the water.  It is easy!  After you peel your shrimp, place everything that is left in a big pot with 12 C. of water, 2 onions cut in half, 4 stalks of celery, 1 head of garlic cut in half, 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.  Boil for 1 hour then strain stock. 
•        This Creole is very smooth.  If you like a chunkier sauce, you can use crushed tomatoes instead of the sauce.  Rotel tomatoes are good for this also, but cut out the cayenne and hot sauce or it may get too spicy.

Berry Good Shrimp Salad

What a beautiful salad for a nice Spring meal.  I bought what looked fresh and pretty on the day I made it.  The balsamic vinaigrette recipe follows this one.  It is easy to make and so good with this salad.

I used yellow cherry tomatoes and blackberries this meal.

Ingredients:

• Baby Greens
• 3 lbs. of fresh jumbo shrimp
• 1 T. Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
• ½ of a Vidalia onion
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1 pint of blackberries or raspberries
• 6 boiled eggs
• 8 oz. of crumbled feta cheese
• Balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Boil eggs, then peel and cut them into circles with an egg slicer
2. Rinse the berries
3. Cut the onion into thinly sliced semi-circles
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves
5. Grill the shrimp, that have been seasoned with Creole Seasoning, for about 2 - 3 minutes on each side on medium-high heat in a grill pan
6. Toss the greens, tomatoes, onions, and berries with about ¾ C. of dressing
7. Divide evenly to six plates
8. Top each with sprinkles of cheese, 1 egg, and 5 – 6 shrimp
9. Serve the vinaigrette on the table for those who like additional dressing

Tips and Tricks:

• Boiling eggs that peel easy is tricky.  Click on my link in the ingredients list to see MY tricks.
• This salad can be made with any lettuce, but the baby greens have a great flavor with the vinaigrette and berries.
• My balsamic vinaigrette recipe is attached through a link.  Click on the balsamic vinaigrette link in the ingredients list.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This is a combination of my Mom and Dad's Jambalaya recipe with my friend Gary's quick tips to make it a little easier. It's got all the "Cajun" staples (a roux, the trinity, plus garlic and pepper) It's spicy and makes enough to feed a crowd.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 lbs of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 C. chicken stock
• ½ C. of Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• 1 C flour
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 5 C. parboiled rice

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dust with flour
2. In cast iron pot, brown chicken in ½ cup of veggie oil, about 4 minutes per side
3. Remove chicken and let rest
4. Add other ½ cup of oil, and make roux with oil and flour over medium high heat until the color of dark peanut butter
5. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
7. Add Rotel and crushed tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes and then transfer to a gumbo pot
8. Add chicken stock, sausage, salt, pepper, and hot sauce
9. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes
10. While cooking cut chicken into 1 inch chunks
11. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes
12. Add rice and cook for 15 minutes on low heat (cookbook has 5 minutes, that's a typo)
13. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

•         Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better. Follow my link to find out how I make mine.  
•         If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead.  The trick is to stir constantly.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your gumbo comes.  Be diligent, it takes about 20 minutes to make a roux the color you need.
•         I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 
•         The ½ C. of hot sauce might have you scared.  Don’t be!  The sausage, chicken, and rice all absorb the hot sauce and give this jambalaya a great flavor.  It is spicy, but not tongue numbing.
•         This freezes well.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have tweaked two different recipes and made this soup about five times and now I think I've perfected it.  I started with a Barefoot Contessa recipe that had no corn or black beans.  I think both are necessary to make this soup hearty. This is NOT a soup you eat before a meal!  This is a soup you eat AS your meal.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts bone-in skin on
• ¼ C. olive oil
• 2 C. onions, finely chopped 
• 1 C. carrots, chopped
• 1  C. celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 12 C. chicken stock
• 1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans of Mexican Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of cream corn
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed
• 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1 T.  kosher salt
• ¼ C. cilantro, chopped
• 10 (6 in.) white corn tortillas
• Sour cream
• Grated cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Place chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan and bake for 35 minutes
4. Heat ¼ C. olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot and add chopped onions, celery, & carrots cooking until veggies are limp, about 15 minutes
5. Add garlic for last minute
6. Add chicken stock and then each ingredient as listed (through cilantro), stirring between each
7. Cut the tortillas in half and then into ½ in squares, add to the soup and stir (the tortillas act as a thickener)
8. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 30 minutes
9. While soup is simmering, remove the skin and bones from the chicken breasts and cut into small bite size pieces
10. Add the chicken for an additional 10 minutes
11. Serve soup with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and slices of avocado

Tips and Tricks:

• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• Do NOT scrap the seeds of a jalapeno pepper out with your fingernails.  You WILL regret this.  Scrap with a teaspoon and save your skin.
• This soup freezes great!