Louisville Stoneware

Okay, so this is not a food post... but it almost is.  We have lots of Louisville Stoneware dishes for sale and I thought the picture was nice, so I'm posting it.  There are several older pieces here that are more valuable than the rest.  Let me know if you're interested.

(Cat not for sale as of yet.)

Cajun Shrimp Marinade

I used this Cajun Shrimp Marinade from Nancyskitchen.com on my shrimp in my jambalaya for Fat Tuesday today.  Yum!

Jambalaya for the Crock Pot

Happy Fat Tuesday!

We are celebrating Mardi Gras this year with homemade Jambalaya slow-cooked all day in the crock-pot. Recipezaar readers gave it two thumbs up and it looked simple enough, so I tried it.  We gave it six thumbs up between me, my husband and my brother. Lots of leftovers too!

I bought raw fresh shrimp for the first time and I'm glad I did.  They were de-veined too (I didn't have to do it! Ick!) and I thought they were shelled, but after cooking them, I noticed they were not.  Oh well.  We just shelled them as we ate.  I marinated the shrimp using a Cajun Shrimp Marinade that is very good as well.  In fact, I'll have to try it again sometime when I'm not adding the shrimp to a different recipe.

I served the jambalaya over Baked Brown Rice (Alton Brown's version).

Maybe the best part of this jambalaya is that it's a healthy meal, especially when served with brown rice.


You can find the recipe by clicking below:
Jambalaya for the Crock Pot - 41705 - Recipezaar

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 7: Chicken Roll-Ups

I've always wanted to try my hand at a "fancy" chicken recipe and this one fits the bill.  It's very easy and makes for some yummy leftovers.  We really liked the spices added to the angel hair.  I think I'll use a different cheese inside the chicken next time because smoked mozzarella tastes like a smoked turkey leg.  haha

As you'll notice at the bottom of this post, this is not exactly a figure-friendly meal.  After making it as written, I can see that cutting the amount of butter in half would work to my benefit and it would only make the pasta a little less slippery.

On a side note:  I almost always use whole wheat pastas in my cooking so that should count for something!

Thanks, Family Circle.

Chicken Roll-Ups
Serves 6

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 4oz. smoked mozzarella, cut into 6 pieces about 2 inches long
• 6 boneless, skinless, thin-sliced chicken breasts (about 4oz. each), pounded out to 1/4-inch thickness
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 lb. dried angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 6: Swiss & Gouda Fondue

I just had my first costly mistake in the kitchen!

Having spent $26 of my weekly "allowance" on cheese, I had very high expectations of Family Circle's Swiss & Gouda Fondue.  It was meant to make our Valentine's meal special and to simulate dining at The Melting Pot.  It turned out barely edible because I substituted dry white cooking wine for dry white wine, causing the saltiness to be through the roof!  Lesson learned.  This seems worth trying again, so I'll go ahead and post the recipe.  Maybe next Valentine's Day...

Swiss & Gouda Fondue

Makes 3 1/2 cups

• 1 1/2 cups DRY WHITE WINE
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 lb. Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
• 1/2 lb. Gouda cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• Cored and sliced apples
• Crackers or bread toasts

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 5: Walnut-Romaine Salad

Aren't you tired of the everyday lettuce with ranch?  Maybe a carrot or two?  This twist on salad is so simple and good that I've made it twice in one week.  Adapted from Family Circle Magazine:

Walnut-Romaine Salad

Makes 8 servings

• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 hearts of Romaine lettuce heads (12 cups chopped)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds, raisins or other dried fruit
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 4: Pear Galette

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I made a dessert!  That's highly unusual for me because my only defense against not over indulging in sweets is simply not making them.  This Pear Galette from Family Circle magazine was fun to make and we are still enjoying it today warmed in the microwave and with some honey flavored Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries on the side.

Pear Galette
Serves 8

Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 tsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 7 to 9 tbsp. ice water
• Flour, for dusting

Pear Filling:

• 4 medium-size ripe Bartlett pears (about 2 lbs.)  (I substituted D'anjou.)
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. apricot preserves

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 3: Vegetable Beef Soup

I just made up this recipe and it worked pretty well.  I froze about half of it for a later date. 


Vegetable Beef Soup  (Serves 6-8)

• 1 to 2 lb. beef stew meat
• 1 bag frozen veggie soup veggies
• 1 15oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 32oz. can tomato sauce
• parsley, salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

1.  In a large saucepan cover beef with water.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer gentle for a couple hours to ensure tenderness.
2.  Add remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil.  Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 2: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Both the most involved and most rewarding dish I've ever made!  Roasting the vegetables gives a sweet flavor and finely chopping the mushrooms relieves any issues I have with their texture.  I think I'll double the sauce next time to make the dish more moist.  And, although Fontina is delicious, I will try a less expensive cheese next time.  We can't wait for leftovers tomorrow of Family Circle Magazine's:

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

 Makes 8 Servings

• 2 medium-size zucchini (8oz each), trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch coins
• 2 medium-size summer squash (6oz. each), trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch coins
• 2 large sweet red peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 large red onion, trimmed and cut into 1-inch wedges
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 8 oz. white mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh basil
• 12 dried lasagna noodles
• 6 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 1: Rocky Road Shortbread Cookies

I wanted to do something special to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Who knew I could cook for an entire day?  It was so much fun and the best part may have been that I didn’t even mind doing so many dishes. 

Here’s a list of what I made today:  Vegetable Beef Soup, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Pear Galette, Walnut-Romaine Salad, Swiss and Gouda Fondue and Chicken Roll-Ups.  And let’s not forget the Rocky Road Shortbread cookies I made yesterday.  (I had a half day off of work!)

Let’s get right to the recipes:

These were a hit!  I think I’ll make just the cookies next time and skip the toppings.  I’m a fool for shortbread.




Rocky Road Shortbread Cookies (Courtesy of Family Circle Magazine)
Makes 16 cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

New Food Alert: Leeks

If you've never cooked with leeks, you are missing out on a flavor like none other.  Recently, I found a recipe from Philadelphia Cream Cheese that uses these delicious veggies with asparagus to make the best soup I have ever made.  It was good enough to make two days in a row!

When cooking with leeks, first cut off the root end and then cut off the green leaves.  Cut the remaining stalk in half length-wise and rinse any grit from between the layers under cool running water.  

Thank you, Philly, for the recipe below!