Cajun Jambalaya

Ingredients:

12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
4 ounces chicken, diced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock
5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

This recipe has a lot of flavor. To add more of a bite I add a couple more teaspoons of hot sauce. M and I love this recipe and eat it at least once a month.

Kalua Pig and Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 (6 pound) pork butt roast (or shoulder)
1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 head of cabbage cut up (not thin)

Directions:

Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on Low for 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time. For the last hour of cooking add the cabbage to the pot and stir. Remove meat& cabbage from slow cooker, and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten.

TIP: You will notice that there is a lot of oil in the slow cooker and you want to get rid of it. After pulling out all of the meat and cabbage, pour the juices into a container and pop in the freezer for 30 mins or longer. The fat should rise to the top and harden up enough to skim it off easliy so you can use just the juices.

OH.MY.GOODNESS. I love love Hawaiian food and my favorite meal to buy is the Kaulua pig and cabbage, on the lunch plate you get rice and macaroni salad too. I didn't think it would taste the same, but oh yes it does! I love this recipe and it's so simple. M loved it too, he was a bit puzzled by the cabbage, he isn't big on it.

Easy slow cooker french dip

Ingredients:

4 pounds rump roast
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
6 French rolls
2 tablespoons butter

Dash of onion powder (optional)

Dash of garlic powder (optional)

Provolone or Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

This was a very easy and good dish. I am not big on french dip but M loved it. I didn't use the can of beer because we don't drink any and I didn't want to buy an entire case of it, so I added an extra cup of beef broth. The beef ended up being shredded for me. I suggest popping it in the fridge to cool and it would slice a lot easier.

Snickerdoodle cookies

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Cream shortening; gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt and cream of tartar. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture; stir until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place snickerdoodles 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake snickerdoodles at 400° for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen snickerdoodles.

I do not, repeat, do not like store bought Snickerdoodles. They just don't taste right and I haven't found one that I like, so I just stop trying to taste or find one. This a is quick and easy recipe and you will never go back to store bought ones.

Eggplant Gratin

Ingredients:

Good olive oil, for frying
3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bottled marinara sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

I loved this dish, M wouldn't even try it because it looked weird to him, so more for me! I made this in a square 8 x 8 pan instead of individual dishes. Also, the eggplant soaks up a lot of oil when you fry it, so you may have to add a little more.

Romano mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, cut, boiled and mashed
3/4 stick butter
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whip together the potatoes, butter, Romano cheese, milk, salt, pepper and sour cream.

It tasted pretty good we ate ours with ham. It has a slightly sharp and tangy but still tasted good.

Italian sausage penne bake

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package dry penne pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Place sausage and onion in the skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss with cooked pasta, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with mozzarella.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

It tasted pretty good, next time I would add a little more seasoning. M said it tasted like pizza and that is why he likes it.

Quick Red beans and rice

Ingredients:

1 box of Zatarain's Red beans and rice. (I used reduced sodium.)
2 Bay leaves
2-3 links of sliced smoked sausage (Andouille)
Creole seasoning (See below)

Creole Seasoning(I use this for Jambalaya and Shrimp & Grits):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Directions:

Follow the directions on the back of the box but add the leaves, sausage and seasoning. Let it simmer like it says and Viola red beans and rice. Yummy.

M and I love this for a quick subsitute.

Coconut shrimp with Orange Marmalade

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
2 cups bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Vegetable oil, for frying ( I prefer peanut oil)

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine coconut and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumb mixture into 3 separate bowls. Dredge the shrimp in flour and shake off excess. Next, dip the shrimp thoroughly in the egg and rub against the side of the bowl to lightly remove excess. Finally, coat the shrimp thoroughly with the bread crumb mixture. Lay out the shrimp so they do not touch on a parchment-lined baking sheet or platter until ready to fry. In a large Dutch oven, heat several inches of oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the shrimp in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Be careful not to overcrowd shrimp in the oil while frying. Drain on paper towels.

Dipping Sauce: Heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over low heat. Thin with rum as desired.

M loves eating the shrimp and I love making this recipe. It is so easy and quick to make. If you don't like a sweet dipping sauce, I suggest Peanut Sauce in the Asian aisle. It is a spicy peanut sauce. Even eat it plain, it tastes that good.

Bacon Wrapped Weiners

Ingredients:

1 pound sliced bacon, cut into thirds
1 (14 ounce) package beef cocktail wieners
3/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Refrigerate 2/3 of the bacon until needed. It is easier to wrap the wieners with cold bacon. Wrap each cocktail wiener with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over all.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the sugar is bubbly. To serve, place the wieners in a slow cooker and keep on the low setting.

Once you pop, you can't stop!