Jambalaya with Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Sausage

In our continuing celebration of Mardi Gras here in an area of the world that really doesn't care about it, we decided to make Jambalaya. Well, I gave Harry a choice - we could have Jambalaya or Shrimp Etouffee, one of his absolute favorites. When we were in NOLA, he ordered it every single night!

He really wanted his favorite, but settled with 'we've never made Jambalaya before.' Well, I have but it might have been right before we met.

I had to make do with what ingredients I could find here in Ohio, but found some awesome Key West Shrimp and an Andouille-flavored smoked sausage. No, it's not the *real* stuff, but it does provide a great flavor and some heat. Feel free to use regular smoked sausage.

There's no such thing as a one perfect recipe for Jambalaya - it's doing to be different in every single kitchen. In French cooking, the basic building block of most stews is a combination of diced onions, carrots and celery. Cajun and Creole cooks leave out the carrots and use bell peppers. I chose a yellow bell pepper because of the intense sweet flavor. Try to keep your diced veggies about the same size - celery should be a bit smaller because of the density. Sweat them in a stock pot just until they start to give off their aroma - they'll be cooking for awhile and you don't want them to turn to mush. Add the garlic and stir around for a few seconds until you can smell it.

Add the chicken and smoked sausage. We debated later that maybe I should have seared the meat first before I added the vegetables. Yeah, I might have gotten a little bit of caramelization on the meat but in the end, we didn't miss it. Saute and stir around occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink.

Now I've added all the liquid, canned tomatoes and seasonings. Once this comes to a simmer, it's time to add the rice. Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on it and don't peek for at least 15 minutes. Taste test the rice for doneness, then add the shrimp, stirring gently just to submerge the shrimp. Cover the pot again and it's done in 5 minutes.

And time to eat. I made some quick garlic bread and we nibbled on raw veggies while I was cooking - because Harry was out of peanut-butter filled pretzel nuggets.

Debbie & Harry's Jambalaya - generously serves 6
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced sweet onion
3 celery ribs, cleaned and diced
1 medium bell pepper, cleaned and diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces smoked sausage or Andouille sausage, cut into medallions
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 15-ish ounce can vegetable broth
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can roasted diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or to taste - we used our Cajun Kick)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste (or use your favorite hot sauce)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (we love Basmati or Jasmine)
1 pound medium to large raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
Chopped scallion for garnish

In a large stock pot with a heavy bottom over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery and bell pepper until the aroma fills your kitchen, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds. Then, add the sausage and chicken, stirring well. Continue to saute over medium heat until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the vegetable and chicken broths, the water, the canned tomatoes and the seasonings. Stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a simmer. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Do not open the lid until at least 15 minutes have elapsed. If you stir while the rice is cooking, it will clump together and get gooey.

After 15 minutes, taste the rice for doneness and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Gently stir in the shrimp and cover the pot for another five minutes. Garnish the jambalaya with diced scallions and serve with a crusty bread.

Garbage in the Garden? No, it's added nutrition!

Thanks to rosym over at sxc.hu - beautiful!

THIS is what I'm waiting for! I want bowls and bowls and kitchen counters FILLED with tomatoes. Then, I want my freezer filled with tomatoes for the winter!

But, to get there, I'm turning to my friends who are much more experienced in the garden. Earlier this spring, I found an article from my friend Marie Anne St. Jean over at In the Garden with Sow and Sow. MA had written about using egg shells to start her tomato seedlings a few years ago. That led to a discussion on Facebook. Jaipi Sixbear added that she always places a whole egg in the hole with her tomato plants.

Now, these ladies have been gardening for more than a couple of years and I appreciate their wisdom. So, while Harry and I didn't start our own seeds this year - and I'll be saving back seeds from this years crop for next year - I did follow Jaipi's advice about the egg.

I've done some digging around and found out there are a few other great uses for eggs and another kitchen scrap in the garden. To read more about what I've learned regarding kitchen scraps and the good that can be done for my garden, read "Sustainable Home Farming: Kitchen Scraps Improve the Soil"

With four black thumbs, why would we try to grow a garden?

We tried to make a go of The Wright Taste this year, but Harry's work schedule is more important. I can't possibly ask him to roll out those cinnamon rolls after he's been inside that hot factory all day. That doesn't mean we still won't support our local farmers markets. After all, there's a much larger variety than what we could ever hope to produce.

I guess we aren't complete black thumbs. We have managed to grow a few tomatoes and last year's cucumbers were a huge success. We can easily search the net and ask more experienced gardeners for advice. But, there are several reasons we want this garden to be successful.

In our advanced years, we've been embracing more sustainable food sources. We've also become rather snobby when it comes to the produce to be found in the middle of winter. After my success with processing tomatoes for the freezer last year, we were reminded in the middle of winter how good a spaghetti sauce can taste when it's made from home-grown tomatoes.

Freezing takes some time, but I can do it without adding salt. If our tomatoes grow properly, I won't have to buy a single can of tomatoes ever again. The cost savings will add up, and it's one more thing that we will do to reduce our carbon footprint.

And the beginning of the challenge: Avocado!

Guacamole! Ole! Avocado!

I don't eat this yumtabulous treat very often. My hips don't need it and Harry doesn't really care for it - he says it tastes green.

I didn't take enough pictures the last time I made it. I was just so excited to make it I forgot the step by step pictures. I tend to plan this one a few days in advance so I can buy a rather firm avocado and let it ripen on my kitchen counter.

When I used to go to Scottsdale for the annual Sewing Circle parties, salsa and guacamole were always my contributions. I could pick up the ingredients at Fry's and throw it together. It was also a lot cheaper than trying to pack my KitchenAid in the suitcase. Do you know how heavy that thing is?

In the winter, the only fresh tomatoes I'll buy are cherry or grape tomatoes. Those rock-hard things they call tomatoes in central Ohio in January taste like paper and I won't subject my sensitive tongue to them.

Years ago, when I worked at Barley's Smokehouse and Brewpub, Thursday's lunch special was enchiladas. The kitchen guys who grew up south of the border made the guac and an amazing verde sauce. The verde was for staff consumption only and the guacamole was to die for.

I can't count the number of times I asked Adolfo for the recipe. All he would do is tell me what was in it. I had to kind of learn to wing it from there. But, at the rate it always disappeared in Scottsdale, I think this Midwestern gal got the hang of it.

I like my guacamole to be chunky, so I just kind of mash the avocado a bit with a fork and use a very gentle hand when mixing everything together. There's tomato, sweet onion, fresh garlic, fresh lime juice, minced jalepeno, cilantro and just a pinch of Kosher salt.

How much of everything? Remember what Adolfo said to me? Nah...follow the link to my recipe for Fast & Easy Guacamole

Tomatoes Coming Out of Your Ears???

Harry scored a great deal on tomatoes in Pataskala a couple of weeks ago. I now have jars of Bloody Mary Mix that hopefully won't kill us mid-football season. I have 3 quarts of tomato sauce in the freezer and 3 quarts of peeled, seeded tomatoes in the freezer - those will make yummy cream of tomato soup in the winter.

I hope we can come across another deal before the tomatoes disappear for the season. Of course, our own tomatoes won't be ripe until October, but that's another story.

If you are overwhelmed with tomatoes and the thought of pressure canning gives you the heebie-jeebies my Bloody Mary mix is a water bath process. I've also written a simple tutorial explaining how to get those red beauties prepped for canning or freezing.

Don't let your tomatoes go to waste! 

How to Prepare Tomatoes for Canning and Freezing

Summer's Tomato Bounty www.sxc.hu/edmondo

 Oh - the Bloody Mary Mix? Perfect for Ohio State Football Saturdays!

Bloody Mary Mix for a Water Bath Canner

Copyright Debbie Henthorn