Monday, February 24, 2020

Easy Gumbo

This quick week night meal comes together in a jiff. Precooked sausage (Hillshire farm), rotisserie or left over chicken - it comes together in less than 15 minutes - but can also cook on low on the stove top until you are ready. 

It's great for those nights that half of us are ready to eat before practices/games and the other half of us want to eat afterwards.

Easy Gumbo
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (fat doesn't count as an ingredient!)
6 small or 4 large New Orleans-style or andouille sausage links, sliced into 3/4-inch ovals (rounds on the bias)
1 cup frozen chopped fire-roasted peppers and onion blend, thawed
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning blend
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
4 to 6 cups prepared white rice, for serving
Your favorite hot sauce, for serving

In a large pot on medium heat, add the butter and sausage. Cook, stirring, until color and a light crust forms on most sides of the sausage, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper and onion blend and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the bright red of the paste becomes a muted reddish brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning blend and cook it the same way as the tomato paste, ensuring the spices bloom and become fragrant. Add the stock, bring to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Pour over prepared rice and hit with a shake of your favorite hot sauce.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Life SKILLZ - The kids take over

I'm going to post this in one big blob - blog.

I am staring down the barrel of my oldest going off to college in less than a year and a half and I'll tell you what - I. Just. Don't. Wan't. That. To. Happen.

But - of course I do - for him to have a happy, normal life - but SERIOUSLY?!?

I'm big into research - like BIG. I've been listening to podcasts and reading articles on parenting teenagers and bucket lists about what to do with your teenagers before they sprout their wings and fly away and a bunch of GARBAGE! Only slightly kidding - what is this business about raising your kids just so they can leave you in order to function as normal adults anyway?

RANT OVER.

I've always encouraged my kids to help me cook - or cook themselves (even if that means dumping a bunch of canned goods into a crock pot).

After being inconsistent for the last 15+ years - I've reintroduced our kids making dinner for the family.

This is no easy feat. We have allergy restrictions and we also live with the pickiest eater on the galaxy. No lie.

Why am I doing this? Because I want my kids to be self sufficient (stab me in the heart!) and I want them to be independent (did I actually just say that?)

MAISIE'S (15) MEAL:
Teriyaki meatballs
Sweet Rice
Salad
She used the crock pot for the meatballs (Costco), added Teriyaki sauce and let them heat up in there. She used the pressure cooker for the sweet rice and whatever we had on hand for the salad. She was VERY CLEAR about how to assemble the bowl and very proud of what she had accomplished.

JACK'S (16) MEAL:
Sloppy Joes
http://breakingthereciperut.blogspot.com/2020/02/sloppy-joes.html
He raved about how delicious his dinner was and said that when he goes to college - he is going to make sloppy Joe's every night!

IZZIE'S (12) MEAL:
Enchiladas
http://breakingthereciperut.blogspot.com/2012/10/best-green-chili-enchiladas-ever.html
Her favorite thing to eat EVER. I forgot that my recipe makes 2 9x13 pans - and we didn't have freezer space - so we took a casserole over to a friend that was having a stressful week. The next day at school - one of the boys in that family came up and told Izzie that her enchiladas were the best he's ever had.

PIPER (8) MEAL:
White Bean Chicken Chili
http://breakingthereciperut.blogspot.com/2010/02/white-bean-chicken-chili.html
This meal is just opening cans, dumping them in a crock pot and letting it do all the work. Easy peasy.



Cucumber Dip

I saw this on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a go...

Cucumber Dip
1 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
2 tsp dried dill
1/4th tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 cup whole fat sour cream
1/8th tsp ground pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley

Combine all ingredients well. Refrigerate overnight.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Sloppy Joes

My son asked me to write down my sloppy joe recipe - so he can make it when I'm not home.

Sloppy Joe's
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, diced
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 1/2 c ketchup
2 squirts yellow mustard
couple dashes of Worcestershire
2 or 3 T brown sugar

This is the easiest thing ever - but my kids go absolutely CRAZY for it! The last time I made it - I had just finished browning 7 lbs of ground beef to freeze. I asked my kids what we should have for dinner that had ground beef - 2 of my girls yelled - MEATLOAF!!! But since I had already cooked the beef - this was the next best thing!

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