Gumbo

I have made this several times and it is definitely a favorite around here. I'm not going to lie, this is a lot of prep work and has an extensive cooking time. It's not something that can really be converted to a slow cooker recipe because you must make the roux. There is just something about the cooking process on the stove that's essential to the flavor. You will not be disappointed in this recipe!

Gumbo

adapted from Southern Living

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Makes: 2.5 quarts (8-10 servings)

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I have used breasts with good results)

1 lb smoked turkey sausage

1 lb smoked ham

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup flour

2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 large green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 large celery rib, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 - 32oz boxes Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Hot cooked rice

Directions

Cut the chicken, sausage and ham into bite sized pieces. Cook over medium heat in a large dutch oven until browned. Put into a separate bowl and wipe out the dutch oven.

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour. Continue whisking constantly until the roux is a deep mahogany color. 

Stir in onions, celery and green peppers. Cook about 5 minutes and add in garlic. Cook another 5 minutes or until tender. Gradually add the chicken stock. Add the meats, thyme, red and black pepper. 

Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 3 hours. Serve over hot cooked rice. 

**You can omit the chicken and add 2 lbs medium raw shrimp (peeled and deveined) in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - October 31 - November 5

Another month down. I can't believe it's already November! The holidays are right around the corner which hopefully means some yummy new recipes that will be posted. I can never resist doing some holiday baking. 

Here is this coming week's menu:

Gumbo

Buffalo Chicken Fries 

Mac & Cheese Soup

Sticky Chicken

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

Black Beans & Rice

Chili Mac

I probably should have checked the weather before making this. Today it was 80 degrees! At the end of October! Too hot for me at this time of year. Regardless, this dish was yummy and would be perfect on a cool fall night. I like to top mine with a little shredded sharp cheddar!

Chili Mac

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1 1/2 TBS chili powder

1 1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Kosher salt

14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, undrained

15 oz can of kidney beans, undrained

8 oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 of a 6 oz can of tomato paste

Directions

In a separate saucepan, boil the macaroni until almost done, about 7-8 minutes.

Cook turkey over medium-high heat and drain. Add back to pan. Put in garlic, chili powder, onion powder and cumin. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients except the macaroni. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Toss in the macaroni and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

This was pretty good. I personally thought it was a little sweet and had too much clove. I was eating it right out of the jar and not putting on toast or a biscuit so that might have made a difference. My sister-in-law thought it was delicious. I would probably take the sugar down to 3 cups and reduce the clove to 1/2 tsp. I would even consider eliminating the clove all together and adding another 1/2 tsp of allspice.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

from Mommy's Kitchen

Prep Time: 1 hour 

Cook Time: 12-16 hours

Makes: 11  1/2 pints

Ingredients

50 oz jar unsweetened apple sauce

3 lbs apples (I used Granny Smith)

4 cups sugar

1 cup apple juice or cider (I used juice, but I might try cider next time)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp allspice

Directions

Peel, core and cut apples into chips. Put all the ingredients into the crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (best if done overnight). Remove cover and cook on high heat for 4-5 more hours. 

2 tests:

1. If you can stand a wooden spoon upright in the apple butter, then it's probably ready.

2. Spoon a small amount onto a plate. Look for a small rim of liquid around the edge of the butter. If it's there, cook for a little while longer. If not, it's ready!

Now you can just pop it in the fridge if you think you are going to eat all of it within a week. Otherwise, you are ready for canning. If you are unfamiliar with this process, check out Home Canning 101.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This was hearty, warming and delicious. I seriously don't think I can eat canned soup again! One tip, make sure that you start sauteing the onion and celery before the carrots. The carrots don't need as much encouragement to become soft as the celery and onion. Next time, I think I am going to cook the chicken in some stock and shred it for the soup. I'm just a big fan of shredded chicken in soup for some reason.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

2 TBS butter

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup sliced carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 32 oz carton Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock

16 oz carton chicken broth

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (approx. 3 breasts)

3 cups egg noodles

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the celery and onion. Cook until soft and translucent. Add in the carrots and garlic. Cook about 3-4 more minutes. 

Pour in the chicken stock and broth. Toss in the chicken, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Throw in the uncooked egg noodles and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, uncovered. You want the noodles to be soft, but not mushy. Add salt and pepper according to your tastes. I think I added about an 1/8 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp Kosher salt. I didn't really measure the salt, just sprinkled it in!

Enjoy!

How To... Do Home Canning

Honestly, y'all if you had told me that home canning is super simple I probably would have grimaced and laughed in your face. It seems like such a complex process. I was for sure that my cans wouldn't seal and I'd be stuck with 12 half-pints of apple butter. They "popped" within 2-3 minutes of coming out of their water bath. Amazing. I could actually hear the sound of my success. Cheesy, I know, but it made me feel pretty cool. So here is a little picture log and step-by-step so you can do your own canning.

What you need:

Pints or Half-pints

Stockpot (mine is 10 qts and fit 5-6 half-pints comfortably)

Dish towels

Jar lifter

Tongs

Ladle

Funnel

And of course, something to can!

I will say that I read several blogs and articles about this and some said to use tongs to get the jars out of the water. It scared me a little bit. Plus being who I am and always needing the "right tools" I bought a little utenstil kit. It really was worth the $6 I paid for it. Just a recommendation.

1. Place a dish cloth in the bottom of your stock pot, put your jars on top of the cloth and fill it with water. This keeps the jars from touching the bottom of the pan, but also keeps you from having to buy a canning rack!
   
   
2. Bring the water to a boil and turn the heat off. Remove the jars from the hot water and place on a dish towel. Don't set them directly on the counter as they are hot and might crack.
   
   
3. In another saucepan, put your rings and lids with water. I put these in two separate saucepans, but you can do them in the same one. Don't boil them. Just get the water warm. I set mine on medium and then when it started to simmer a little, I turned it down to medium-low.
   
   
4. Start filling your jars! I used a funnel and ladled what I was canning into the jars. I filled mine to the bottom line where the grooves start for the lid, maybe slightly above. Wipe the lid of the jars with a damp paper towel.
   
   
5. Remove the lids from the water and blot them. Place them on each jar and press down gently. Remove the rings from the water and screw them on. Don't over tighten, just make them snug.
   
   
6. Take your jar lifter and put the jars back in the stockpot on top of the towel. Make sure that at least 1 inch of water covers the top of the jars.
   
   
7. Bring the pot to a rolling boil. Cover with a lid. Your processing time starts when the water comes to a boil. It's 5 minutes for half pints and 10 minutes for pints.
   
   
8. Remove jars and place on dish towels on the counter. Let them sit overnight. You will probably hear them beginning to "pop" or seal within 2-3 minutes of taking them from the water bath. In the morning, press down on the middle of the lid. If it flexes or pops, then you will need to reprocess the jar or just stick it in the fridge. If you put it in the fridge, use the contents within a week.
   
   
9. If you were successful, your jars can go on the shelf for one year. 
   

 Filled and awaiting their water bath

Waiting for the water to boil

All done!

Chicken Tortellini Bake

Let's just say that my 3 year old niece threw down on this and said "Mommy I really like this!" It's so yummy and cheesy and delicious. Hubby went back for seconds and we almost ate an entire 9x13 pan of this! I had made this recipe once before, but wanted it to be a little saucier than the original. So this version was born.

Chicken Tortellini Bake

adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

19 oz package frozen cheese tortellini

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup

8 oz container of reduced fat sour cream

1 cup chicken stock

3 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

3 green onions finely chopped, white and green parts

2 TBS flour

1 TBS canola oil

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toss in the chicken and green onions. Saute until chicken is almost done, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle on flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, garlic powder, black pepper and 1 cup of cheese. Put the chicken mixture in the bowl and stir to combine. Add the tortellini, toss until well coated. Pour into the prepped 9x13. Top with the remaining cup of cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese beings to get golden brown. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!