The Cookbook Experiment: Deep South Sausage and Pintos

Tonight's cookbook experiment is another recipe from Mrs. Doreen Lay. She is an awesome lady and she has quite a few awesome recipes in this book. I have been very curious to try this particular one because it sounds like something my mom and dad would have loved. Pinto beans were an every week kind of meal in our house when I was little. Mom and dad had to feed seven children so beans were a staple.

Deep South Sausage and Pintos by Mrs. Doreen Lay

(1) pound link sausage
(1) large onion, chopped
(1) green pepper, chopped
(1) 16 ounce can pinto beans
(1) 8 ounce can tomato sauce

Fry sausage until brown on all sides.  Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add onion and green pepper; saute until tender.  Add remaining ingredients. Stir to blend, simmer 10 minutes and serve hot with cornbread. Serves 6

My take-a-ways for this recipe:

• This recipe is very easy. It also does not list any spices to add. I found that a little bit odd.
• It has a very plain clean flavor without any spices added.
• Of course, me knowing my Italian husband like I do, no spices added would simply not do.
• I cannot give you exact measurements. I just added until it smelled right to me.
• I added, chipotle chili powder, regular chili powder, steak seasoning blend, Italian seasoning blend and some crushed red pepper.
• I let the dish simmer and bubble for about 30 minutes on very, very low to let the flavors marry up and get happy.

The Cookbook Experiment: Pinto Bean Casserole

Tonight's cookbook experiment is another good one from our now CANCER-FREE Cindy Carrothers. How awesome is that? Congratulations Cindy!

Pinto Bean Casserole by Cindy Carrothers

(1 1/2) cups freshly cooked pinto beans, drained
(1/2) cup diced green pepper
(2) scallions, minced
(1) teaspoon olive oil
(2/3) cup diced tomatoes
(1) teaspoon chili powder
(1/2) teaspoon dried oregano
(1/2) teaspoon ground coriander
(2) eggs, whisked
(1/4) cup cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute green pepper and minced scallions in olive oil for 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the drained pinto beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano and coriander. Cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove heat and stir in the whisked eggs.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the bean mixture and spread evenly. Cover with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until filling is set.

I forgot to take a picture before I served it!!

Here it is on the plate with sauteed zucchini and some garlic bread.

My take-a-ways for this recipe:

• I did not have shallots so I used a regular white onion. I figured it would be okay because I love them with pinto beans anyway.
• I was naughty and instead of regular chili-powder I used Chipotle chili-powder. Why was this naughty? I did not warn my daughter about it! She cannot handle a lot of spice. I was surprised when she ate hers and did not complain. I asked her about it and she said it was "a little spicy" and that is when I confessed. Next time that I make it, I would most likely not add the Chipotle but use regular chili powder. It was too spicy for me; it is a rare thing that she can handle spicy and I can't. 
• Do not neglect to add the ground coriander. The blend of spices with this dish was simply amazing.
• I actually forgot to grab a tomato at the store. I substituted a bit of V-8 juice. I am not really sure how much. I just added until I thought it looked right (no help, huh? Sorry!).
• Don't forget to temper the eggs! I added some of the pinto bean mixture a little at a time to the whisked eggs so they would not accidentally scramble.
• Cindy, thank you for this recipe! It was really good and definitely will be added to our regular menu.

The Cookbook Experiment: Broccoli Quiche

Tonight my lovely daughter was the cook! Paulina is my youngest girl and she is quite amazing. Her baked goods are just to die for! She decided to tackle dinner tonight for me. I got to stay out of the kitchen (and that does not happen very often!).

The recipe that she picked is one from an amazing woman at church who is known far and wide for her cooking. She makes a chicken salad and a homemade pimento cheese that is so amazing. Ms. Stella Smith is a wonder woman. Paulina and I are anxious to try ALL of Ms. Stella's recipes.

Tonight's recipe was Broccoli Quiche. It is a vegetarian dish that once again includes broccoli. We seem to be on a streak of making things with broccoli. It is one of my son's Nick favorite vegetables.

Broccoli Quiche by Stella Smith

(1) box frozen broccoli, thawed (we used a bag, I don't think I have seen frozen vegetables in a box in a long time)
(1/2) cup onion, chopped
(1/2)  cup green pepper, chopped
(1) cup of cheddar cheese, grated (get the good stuff...yes, I am a cheese snob)
(1 1/2) cups of milk (we used whole milk, it is all we keep in the house)
(3/4) cup of Bisquick mix
(3) eggs
(1) teaspoon of salt
(1/4) teaspoon of pepper

Grease 10" pie plate and mix broccoli, green peppers, onion and cheese in the dish. In a separate dish mix the remaining ingredients; beat one minute then pour over ingredients in pie dish. Run a for through the dish to mix everything together slightly, sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top and bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. The right size pan is important. Adjusting the cooking time will be required if a smaller and/or larger pan is used. Make sure to cook it until it is set but don't overdo it.

This was DELICIOUS!!! The only take-aways from preparing this recipe for me is that I would have chopped the broccoli up smaller than it was in the package. Be sure to use the exact amount of green pepper as it adds a strong flavor. I think I would have liked more onion in it.

We are very happy to have tried this recipe and I am sure we will make it again. Thanks Ms. Stella!

The Cookbook Experiment: Dinner - Hamburger Rice Skillet

My daughter and I are cooking every recipe from this cookbook over time:

This is the cookbook from 2006 that our church, Princess Anne Plaza Baptist put together.

Tonight's recipe is from the most incredible Sharon Giambrone.  It is called Hamburger Rice Skillet.  My favorite part about this recipe is that I have all the ingredients in my fridge/cupboard.  Talk about making it easy on me as I don't like to leave the house very much anymore!! Thanks Sharon!! I love you!

Hamburger Rice Skillet
(1) pound ground beef
(1) med. onion in rings
(1) med. green pepper, chopped
(1) clove garlic, minced
(1) cup of medium grain rice
(1)16 ounce tomatoes, diced
(1) 8 ounce tomato sauce
(1) tsp. Worcestershire sauce
(1/2) teaspoon of basil

In skillet, cook beef, onion, pepper and garlic until brown, drain.
Add rice, cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, basil, 1 1/2 cup of water, 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer 25-30 minutes until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

I have to tell you, this is on the stove bubbling away right now and it smells like a little piece of heaven! Always trust an Italian cook!

I can't wait to put this plate in front of my Breezy!

Desperation Soup!!!

I had (and still have) no plans on attending family game night with the church youth group tonight. AND I thought none of my kids were attending either.  WRONG.  One decided to go, so I had to come up with soup REALLY fast for them to take with them.  I will not send my kid empty-handed!

So now, I go into the kitchen and do what I do best....make something wonderful out of whatever is in my cupboards. I should be named Little Miss Hubboard.  I ended up making Vegetable Beef Noodle:

This is what is in it:

1 pound of ground beef, cooked
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
Carrots
Green peas
Corn
Broccolli florets
Egg noodles
Salt & Pepper
Dry brown gravy mix (yes, I went there....)

While I thawed the hamburger out in the microwave, I sauteed the onion and bell pepper in a scant bit of olive oil. I added the smashed garlic in as well.  After the ground chuck (poor chuck) was thawed I added it to my pot as well. I guess I should explain I went ahead and started with my soup pot, no need to get TWO pans dirty.

Of course, the whole two pans thing did not, well, PAN out! I used a second pot to heat about 4 cups or so of water and added a generous dumping of the dry brown gravy mix.  I did not measure, sorry! I whisked this together until it began to boil then removed from the heat.

I drained the first pot of ground chuck (poor chuck), onions and peppers of the grease from the hamburger.  I then tossed in the vegetables I had from my freezer (the carrots, peas, corn, broccolli). Next came several cups of water and I turned the heat up to high to get a boil going. 

I then added the brown gravy mix I had set aside.  I stirred it well and then washed the pot so that I could use it again (I was determined not to get a THIRD pot dirty!) so I could boil the egg noodles.  I only used 2/3 of the bag of egg noodles.  When they were almost al-dente, I added them to the soup.

It actually tastes pretty good for a desperation move!! Now to go wash all those pots!!

There is actually a very good reason why I was not going to Family Game night. I am in the midst of preparing for something VERY big that I cannot as yet reveal on this website! But when I can, I will let you in on the secret!!!!

Wild and Crazy Dinner!

It started out normal.....but it did not end that way.  I decided to make Giada's Lasagna Rolls for dinner.  I just needed to go to the grocery store for the lasagna noodles and the ricotta cheese.  I started at our brand new G-Mart that opened around the corner from my house.  This is an amazing International foods store.  They have every kind of vegetable and fruit you can think of and even more you have never heard of or seen.
As I strolled through the fresh fruit and veggies I came across some real Mandarin oranges.  I have NEVER seen these except in a can! Of course I had to pick up a few.  I also got some some pomegranates, lemons and limes.  I kept walking and finally found the pasta.  The selection of Italian type pastas was very, very small.  The only pasta they had was the kind that did not require boiling.  This would not be the type of lasagna noodles I need.  I decided to go ahead and check out and head to one more store.

I left the G-Mart and went to my local Target.  It has quite a nice addition of grocery items.  Looking around here, I expected to find the type of lasagna noodles I required.  There was a larger selection, even Giada's own brand of pasta. Alas, the only noodles they had were the kind that you do not boil.  Have we gotten so lazy we don't have regular lasagna noodles? <sigh> This required a change of plans. I bought two boxes of bow-tie pasta.  They were on sale for $1.00 and I decided it would make the dish more interesting in lieu of elbows or spaghetti.

Here is what went into my dinner dish:

(1) pound Ground chuck (poor chuck)
(1) large chopped yellow onion
(1) large Green pepper, chopped
Garlic powder (Okay...stop right there! I usually ALWAYS have fresh garlic but the last bulb I had went bad and I did not realize it!! The HORROR!!)

I cooked the ground chuck (poor chuck), onion, pepper and garlic powder until the hamburger was done.
I drained the hamburger and added one can of Hunt's Roasted Onion and Garlic tomato sauce.

The two boxes of bow-ties were set to boiling with a dash of salt.

I steamed one bag of Edamame, then peeled them out of their shells. I added the edamame to the sauce.

Next I added one large container of fresh chopped white button mushrooms.
Next I added chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces just torn by hand)
I prefer fresh mozzarella in lieu of aged.
I decided I needed more sauce so I added one more can of the Hunt's Roasted Onion and garlic tomato sauce.

I drained the bow-ties and added them to my sauce (obviously I had already switched the hamburger and sauce to a larger pan!).

After the bow-ties were stirred in I added three large handfuls of fresh baby spinach.  I stirred it up well and served my family.  It went over pretty well.  The mushrooms were hidden pretty well but the soy beans stuck out!  It was really good and with all the extra mushrooms, soy beans and spinach, it did not need very much meat. It was not a favorite with my girls, but my hubby and son and I really enjoyed it!

Jumbled-laya otherwise known as OOPS!

I set out tonight to make another batch of jambalaya.  I ended up committing "cook's homicide" when I did not check and make sure I actually had ALL the mandatory ingredients.  UGH.  I know better than that.  What follows below is an account of my maniacal recipe mangling, otherwise known as tonight's dinner.

It started out all good.  Here are my boneless, skinless chicken thighs frying in my large pan.  I sprinkled them liberally with Soul Seasoning and let them cook until done.  While they were cooking I chopped four small to medium yellow onions and two green peppers.  I did a large rough chop, not small dice.  It is important (I don't know, it sounded good!).

After the chicken was done (I forgot to tell you I fryed them in a little bit of vegetable oil) I put it aside on a plate with paper towels on it.  I drained away most of the left over oil but left a smidge to saute my veggies.

I only sauted them until just tender, I wanted them to retain some of their texture.  Next I sliced my package of Andouille sausage and microwaved it for 30 seconds.  After the nuke cycle I added the sausage to the peppers and onions.  I added the six cups of chicken stock and the bay leaf. 

And here my friends, is where my recipe ran OFF THE RAILS!!!!  As I started to slice my mushrooms I suddenly realized my rice was MISSING.  Good gravy! I thought I had an entire package and it was gone!

I did what an self respecting cook would do....I PANICKED!  I called my daughters into the kitchen because they are taller than me.  I wanted them to check up in the cabinets where Miss Shorty could not see.  No luck.  Next I called my son (who was not home, I called his friend's cell phone to find him).  He was like...NO. I don't know.

Of course, next, I pouted.  Fumed.  Paced.  Then my husband said, "just use pasta".  WHAT? Pasta in my jambalaya??? PFFTT....

Since the recipe was already wrong I decided to just add other stuff.  I added a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans.  I added some chopped green onion.  Then I paced some more.  What on earth could I add?  I did not have any rice.  I started looking at my pasta but I only had angel hair and I just knew it would turn to mush.  That is when I saw it.  I had two bags of Lipton Creamy Chicken Noodles.  They are flat noodles and are rather sturdy.  So I dumped both bags with their seasoning in. 

Well....it actually turned out pretty well.  I like the rough chopped mushrooms and onions.  I like the addition of the pintos.  Even the noodles work.  So, I have some new weird creation.  And the family is fed.  Mission accomplished.

Secret Jambalaya

A friend gave me his family's secret recipe for jambalaya.  I cannot break his confidence so I will not post the actual recipe, but I will share with you some of what I made.  I followed the recipe exactly, as I usually do when trying something for the first time. 

This is pretty much all of the ingredients that I used (plus rice, of course).  I resisted the urge to add things! I even managed to curtail my inside Italian and did not add too much garlic! 

This is what the finished product looked like:

It was quite tasty.  When I make it for a second time, I will probably add some of my favorite Soul Seasoning and more diced green onion.  I get why they said to use the chicken thighs as the meat is more flavorful but I think I will prefer the breast meat.

Do you guys have any favorite recipes for cajun food you can share? I would love to try more!