Crockpot Jambalaya

Since I eat lunch at my desk everyday and lack of dining options in the area...I am always trying to think of things that I can bring to work that don't include lean cuisines, ham sandwiches or cup o' noodles...We are in full swing vegetable mode and I brought way more than I needed home the other day. I decided to test out my new crock pot, so I threw together some jambalaya and let it cook overnight...I woke up four or five times last night because it smelled SO GOOD! I'm not sure if it is a true jambalaya but it sure tastes good to me.

Crock pot Jambalaya

1 package boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

1 lb andouille sausage

3 cubanelle peppers, diced

4 round tomatoes, diced

1 whole onion, sliced

3 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons hot sauce, I use Louisiana

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

salt/pepper, to taste

3/4 cup white rice, uncooked

 

Place all ingredients, except rice, in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Add the rice and cook an additional hour or until the broth has absorbed into the rice. You want it to be sticky.

 

Printable Recipe!

 

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I was throwing this together at 9:30 last night and wasn't feelin' it!

We are a pretty tight clan here at SMP so I brought it to the office to share...it must have been good because when I went to get some, it was almost gone!

I hope you guys enjoy!

 

 

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One Dish Wonder

I reallllllllllly need to make one dish meals more often...
When I was in South Texas last year I found a one pot meals cookbook at TJ Maxx. I have been eying this particular recipe ever since I opened it and for some reason or another, never got around to actually making it or anything from the cookbook for that matter...I tried to find it online to show you but I can't find it anywhere! I should have taken a picture of it!!!

Here it goes!

Mexican Chicken, Chile & Potato Pot

adapted from : One Pot Meals Cookbook

2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or olive oil

1 package boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

1 whole yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 zucchini, diced

2-4 potatoes, depending on the size, diced

1-2 serranos or jalapenos, diced (serranos are a bit hotter than japs)

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped and separated into two piles

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons tomato knorr**see note

salt & pepper to taste

• In a large pot heat the oil over medium/high heat and cook the chicken until lightly browned.
• Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, zucchini and potatoes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Next add the chicken stock, half of the cilantro, hot pepper, canned tomatoes, cumin, oregano, knorr**, salt and pepper.
• Simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are no longer crisp.
• Serve with warm flour tortillas, fresh avocado slices and garnish with the remaining cilantro and ENJOY!

You can really do a lot with this dish. It would be great with fresh tomatoes instead of canned, green cabbage and the original recipe called for a sweet potato! I just used what I had on hand and it was DELISH!

**You can find tomato knorr in most grocery stores. It will be in the Mexican/Spanish foods section. It is a good staple to have on hand when cooking Mexican cuisine**

Printable Recipe!!!

NOT PICTURED: Oregano, canned tomatoes, knorr, oregano, cumin, salt & pepper
Didn't use the red pepper, but I'm sure it would have been delish!

Just don't make the same mistake I did...opened the wrong end of the oregano shaker!

Mine...

Matt's...he had the right idea by adding the shredded cheese!

I hope you guys like this!!! It is one of my new favorites!!

PS-It's my birthday today and I am spending my afternoon at the dentist...What was I thinking??? 

ADIOS!

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Chicken and Avocado Panini with Jalapeno Mayo

Last night was an easy night...Matt was working late and I was doing stuff around the house...which included putting groceries away, even though I told myself it was clean out the pantry week!?!?! I am sure I'm not the only one who tries this and FAILS...Yesterday's trip to the store cost me $200 and I don't even know what I got!!!! SERIOUSLY, this has to STOP!
My first mistake was going to Family Fare on my way home. I think they jack their prices up just because they know that is the only option, besides Harding's...and let's just say that particular one isn't the cleanest..
Anyways, now I am just rambling and will get to the point. DINNER! Super easy and super delish!!!

Chicken and Avocado Panini

2 chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/2" thick

1 whole avocado, sliced

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

jalapeno mayo, as little or as much as you like, recipe below

4 semi-thick slices ciabatta or bread of your choice

butter for the outside of the bread

panini grill

Heat the panini grill to medium/high heat.

Season the chicken with the seasoning of you choice. I used Adam's Reserve kicked up chicken.

Place chicken on hot grill, close and cook until no longer pink. Approx 8 minutes on medium/high heat.

Remove the chicken from grill and set aside.

Butter the outside of the bread, start with the jalapeno mayo on the bottom next put the chicken, half of the avocado, half of the cheese and finish the with other slice of bread.

Repeat for the second sandwich.

Place on the hot panini grill, cover and cook until toasted to your liking. Approx 5 minutes, I gave it a good press or two to really smash it down.

NOTE: If you don't have a panini grill, you could easily do this in a pan/skillet using something heavy to press it down. For example, another pan or wrap a brick with heavy duty foil and that would work perfectly.

Printable Recipe!!!

Voila!
Served with a leafy green salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette

Jalapeno Mayo

1 1/2 cups mayo

2 whole fresh jalapenos, diced

juice from 1/2 a lime

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

Mix all ingredients together well.

Put on your favorite sandwiches!

Can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Printable Recipe!!!

I am now wishing that I hadn't sent my other half with the husband this morning...because it is sounding pretty dang good right now!!!

I just checked the weather and it is looking promising for the weekend...I am keeping my *fingers crossed* hoping I didn't just jinx it by saying that!

Have a fabuloso day!Pin It

Someone's got a case of the Monday's...

Hello out there! I hope everybody had a great weekend. I can't believe it is already Monday....Why can't the weekend be 5 days long and the work week be 2??? How great would that be??? In all honesty, I should be enjoying my freedom on the weekends because soon enough the 7 day work week will be back...Soooo I now retract my first question.
I spent the weekend getting some stuff done around the house and doing laundry. The two of us suuuuuuuuuuure do go through a lot of clothes during the week...Just when I think the laundry is caught up, another piles appears out of nowhere. Very mysterious...but the fact that my washer keeps giving me an error code and stops working every other load, doesn't the matter either!
Anyways, I'm debating on what to make for dinner tonight but I know it will probably be something simple..because I got lazy side tracked yesterday and need to finish the aforementioned laundry...
I saw this recipe over at Cooking With Libby last week(it may have even been Monday), new I had most of the ingredients at home and made it that night. It was oh so delicious! I made a few alterations because I couldn't remember the recipe exactly off hand but it turned out great. Thanks Libby!
If you haven't checked out her blog, you must do so, she's got great stuff goin on over there.

Chicken Chile Pasta Casserole

Adapted from : Cooking With Libby

1 pack boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 box fusilli noodles, or pasta of your choice

4 tablespoons butter

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 whole yellow onion, chopped

1 red or green bell pepper, chopped

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted or regular diced tomatoes

1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes

2 4.5oz cans diced green chilis

1 lb. processed cheese, cubed, I used velveeta

1 tablespoon hot sauce, optional

1 cup shredded cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium pot, add about 4 cups of water, the bouillon cube and chicken. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Approx 30 minutes on med/high heat. 
• Remove the chicken but reserve the water. Set chicken aside to cool, when cooled, shred or cube.
• Bring the water back up to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• In a large saute pan, melt the butter over med/high heat. Add the onion, pepper and celery, cook until tender. 
• Next add the cheese, cook until almost melted, then add the chicken, green chilis and hot sauce (if you are using it)
• Finally, add the pasta, mix well, pour into a 9x13 pan, top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30-50 minutes.

***Mine took close to 50 minutes because it sat out for a couple of hours before I baked it***

****The original recipe called for 2 cans of sliced mushrooms. I didn't have them on hand but would definitely use them next time****

NOTE : You could use a store bought rotisserie chicken but make sure to cook your noodles with canned chicken broth or bouillon cubes.

Printable Recipe!!!

I guess I forgot to take pictures of the chicken...SORRY!!!!!

It was paper plate night...

I hope ya'll like it!!!!!!!!

Adios for now!

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Two Casserole Tuesday!

I'm sure all of you out there have a favorite "go to" cookbook...mine happens to be La Pinata written by The Junior League of McAllen, Texas. It was first published in 1976 and has been a hit in South Texas ever since. It has so many different recipes...but my favorite part is the Mexican foods section...and if you haven't noticed, we love our Mexican food!!! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it...

A couple of weeks ago, I asked Matt what he was hungry for and his response was King Ranch Casserole...and I happily obliged...I tweaked mine a tad...so here it goes!

King Ranch Casserole

Adapted from : La Pinata

1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and deboned

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can of cream of chicken

1 can of RoTel tomatoes and green chilis

1 small can green chilis

½ can of chicken broth

1 dozen corn tortillas, cut into squares

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cups of grated cheese, Mexican blend

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a blend, mix the soup, chilis, rotel & chicken broth. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
• In a 9x13 baking dish, place a layer of the chicken, 1/2 the tortillas, 1/2 the cheese and 1/2 the sauce.
• Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until cheese is browned and bubbly.
• Serve with saltines or tortilla chips for dipping!

Printable Recipe!

I apologize for my lack of pictures for this dish...I don't know what happened to them!?!

Perfect doneness!

Soooooo delish!!!!!!!!!!

Another great recipe from La Pinata is Chili Rellenos Casserole. In the cookbook it calls for canned whole green chilis but I prefer using fresh roasted poblanos and this time I added ground chorizo. So I decided to rename it to Roasted Poblano Casserole. It is ANOTHER favorite of my husbands...I swear sometimes he is just saying he loves my food...hmmm...

I serve it with warm flour tortillas and canned ranch style beans. Last night, I even made a taco out of it...there I go with the tacos again...!!! This would also make a great breakfast...just use ground sausage in place of the ground beef...yum!

Roasted Poblano Casserole

adapted from : La Pinata

4-6 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded

1lb ground beef

1/2 lb chorizo sausage, optional. It gives it a little extra kick

1/2 yellow onion, diced

4 eggs

2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

hot sauce, to taste. I used about 1 tablespoon

salt & pepper, to taste

To roast the peppers...

Preheat broiler to 550. Place peppers on a baking sheet and put under the broiler and for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Let cool, remove what you can of the skin, stems and seeds. 

For the casserole...

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown the ground beef and onions, drain grease and set aside. 

Cook the chorizo, drain and mix with the beef and onion mixture.

Arrange half of the peppers in the bottom of a square baking dish.

Top with the meat mixture, cheese and the remaining peppers.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt & pepper. 

Slowly add the flour to the egg mixture and beat well with the whisk.

Pour the mixture evenly over the casserole.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. 

Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Printable Recipe!

Delish!!!!

Leftovers for lunch!!!

I hope you have a great Tuesday and enjoy these two recipes!!! Super easy and perfect for a mid week dinner!

As some of you know, I am heading to Australia on Thursday for 17 days...I will not be posting any recipes for that time but please follow me at Sometimes Eccentric Steph for updates from Down Under! 

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This one's for the guys!

Matt LOVES to BBQ...rain, shine or snow and around here we have all three! Two Christmas' ago, my Dad received a La Caja China from a friend...at first we were all like "What the heck??" but once it was put together it became an instant hit!!! Needless to say Matt had to have his own, so for his birthday last June, my parents got him one, except they got him the bigger version. Score!!!
What is it you say? La Caja China, also known as a Chinese roasting box, is designed to BBQ a whole pig but will cook practically any other meat as well. The initial market for these was geared toward the vast Cuban-American population in Miami but quickly sparked the interest of BBQ enthusiasts everywhere. Last Fourth of July Matt roasted a 70lb pig in less than 4 hours!!!! Yes! and it was OUTSTANDING!!! I just searched high and low for a pic on my laptop and can't find one...but don't worry, we will be doing that again this Fourth of July without a doubt...along with the huge party that comes with it!

Matt has been pretty busy at the Greenhouse these past few weeks, so he hasn't had a chance to BBQ as much as he likes...so a couple of weekends he made a slab of ribs, a whole chicken and even made his own sauce!!! I gotta tell ya...when he was making the sauce it was hard for me not to try and jump in and give my two cents...not that I knew what I was doing but I'm just so used to being the one standing where he was :) But I assure you, he knows what he's doing.

Anyways...here it goes!

La Caja China Ribs -n- Chicken

recipe by : Matt

1 slab of baby back ribs

1 whole chicken, cut in half

your favorite poultry/rib rub

24 lbs charcoal, kingsford is Matt's preferred brand

lighter fluid

Season the meat generously with the seasoning on both sides.

Place the meat on the grill rack, bone side up, place the cover over the box and add approx 16lbs of charcoal in two separate piles and light. 

After 20 minutes, spread the coals evenly across the top. Your actual cooking time starts now.

After 45 minutes, lift up the top, flip the ribs and chicken. Replace cover. Add approx 8 more lbs of charcoal evenly across the top and continue cooking until internal temp of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

If you want to sauce your  meat while still in the box, approx 10 minutes before the meat is done, sauce it. Otherwise, you can sauce it once you bring it inside.

Printable Recipe!

So guys...go out there and buy yourself a Caja China...you will not regret it! 

Matt's Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Recipe by: Matt

3/4 cup bourbon, preferably Maker's Mark

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 cups ketchup

1/8 cup yellow mustard

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons worcesteshire sauce

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 tablespoons molasasses

1/4 cups brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

hot sauce, to taste

In a medium sauce pan ad the bourbon, onion and garlic. Cook down for approx 10 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better.

If you prefer a smooth sauce, run through a strainer and discard onion and garlic.

Printable Recipe!

INSERT PICTURES HERE...

I SADLY...deleted the pictures of the sauce...oopsie....I was clearing out the photos on my iPhone yesterday and thought I had already transfered them...but turns out I didn't. FAIL!!!! But I promise you...this sauce is the way to go...

ENJOY!!!

*Caja China information courtesy of  www.lacajachina.com and  www.squidoo.com*

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