Jambalaura

Day 81

10-31-10

Today, decide what skill to pass onto your relatives

Cooking!  I’m not a chef, but I certainly can whip up something yummy.  I intend to pass down a collection of Laura-ized recipes and meals.  As you can see, I’ve already included some recipes in my blog.  :0)  Here is my version of jambalaya that I made on Halloween.

Jambalaura

1 package smoked polish turkey sausage - 1/2” chunks

1/2 white onion - 1/2” chunks

1/2 red bell pepper - 1/2” chunks

1/2 yellow bell pepper - 1/2” chunks

1/2 orange bell pepper - 1/2” chunks

1/2 package sliced mushrooms

1/2 jar tomato sauce - not too sweet

1 cup white wine - not too sweet

4 green onions - chopped

1 cup cilantro - coarsely chopped

6 garlic cloves - crushed

8-ish overripe vine tomatoes - quartered

Worchester sauce - 1 tea spoon

Extra virgin olive oil - 1 table spoon

Salted Butter - 2 table spoons

Yellow mustard - 2 table spoon

Sriracha - 1 table spoon

Montreal steak seasoning - Several shakes

Mrs. Dash - Several shakes

2 cups white rice w/ 2 & 1/2 cups water - Cook separately in rice cooker

Add all the above to a large pot and simmer until flavor is to your liking.  This is a taste as you go dish, so you’ll need to keep tasting the sauce until you like the flavor.  Add a little more of whatever you think is missing until you get the desired taste.  Also, as long as it is hot and tastes good, then it is ready to serve (as the sausage is precooked).  If you’d like, this is a meal that can sit in a slow cooker/crock pot and left on low all day.  When you’re ready to eat, just mix in the rice that you cooked separately, and voila!  Dinner is served.

Meatballs and Hard Working Women

Day  75

10-25-2010

Today, Work Hard Instead of Hardly Working

I worked my rear off at the office on Monday.  Normally, I bide my time until the afternoon rolls around and then do the 20 bills that come in.  But not this time.  This time I did three mailers, stocked/inventoried supplies, and did a ton of bills.  Way to earn my paycheck!

Day  76

10-26-2010

Today, Celebrate your Womanhood

After a long day at work, I went grocery shopping.  I, of course, remembered to bring and use my coupons.  This is a very female thing to do.  I bought a bottle of white wine, because my feminine predilections called for something fun a fruity, and headed home to cook dinner for my loving husband (I mean roommate).  I made homemade meatballs from scratch!  SO good!  And, to go with them, I made a tomato cream sauce that I served over tri-color rotini and sautéed up some veggies on the side.  Nancy and I gossiped over dinner and then flipped channels until bedtime...  Where I laid in bed with a good book, my two kitties, and a glass of wine.  You can’t get much more girlie than that.  :0)

Meatballs a la Lowe

1 lb Ground Spicy Italian Sausage

1 lb Ground Lean Chicken/Pork/Turkey/Beef (whatever you feel like using)

1/3 Package of Stove Top Savory Herbs & Spices Stuffing

2 Eggs (or Egg Beaters)

1/3 lb Fresh Diced Mushrooms

1/2 cup Fresh Chopped Celery

1/4 cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro

1/4 cup Fresh Chopped Basil

1/4 cup Fresh Chopped Garlic

1/2 cup Fresh Chopped Green Onions

3 oz Tomato Paste (1/2 of those little cans)

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup White Wine

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.  If the mixture is not holding together enough because it is too dry, then try adding another egg.  Or, if it is too wet, add some more stuffing mix.  Form into golf ball sized meatballs and place on a foil-lined cooking sheet.  Make sure that your pan/sheet has a lip.  OR, for best results, place the meatballs separately onto a non-stick mini-muffin tin – This makes turning them and clean-up so much easier!  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees until then begin to brown.  Then turn them over and place them under the broiler.  Crisp them up and rotate them until the outsides are nice and well-done.  Take them out and serve them with your favorite dish or sauce!  Enjoy!!!

Spork It All!

Found this and thought it was hilarious.

In other news, I chatted with a nice lady I've seen in the building but never spoken to.  We were in the elevator and talking about how much we hate it when people either don't hold the elevator at all, or when they try to hold an already quite full elevator for you...  It's like a no win.  Technically, chatting with a stranger was Day 11, but Nancy and I agreed to swap Day 8 and 11 around.  I need coffee on week days.

Dinner went okay last night.  Dessert was a bit of a dud, but the artichoke came out amazing!  So, here's my recipe:

What ingredients and supplies you will need:
1 artichoke
1 lemon
1 garlic bulb
3 bay leaves
thyme
yellow mustard
mayonnaise
ranch dressing
salt
pepper
1 large pot
2 bowls
tongs
garlic press
spoon
fork
plate
kitchen sheers

Artichoke:
In a large pot, add enough water to mostly cover the artichoke, 4 whole garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves, and half a lemon - Set to a boil.
Rinse your artichoke and take a knife to cut off the top inch of the head and the bottom half inch of the stem.
Next, use sheers to cut all the points off the exterior leaves.
Now add your prepared artichoke to your pot and let it boil for about 45 minutes turning it over occasionally with tongs, or until you can easy stick a fork in the tougher leaves.

Dip:
Mix all of the following together in a small bowl and chill.
1/3 cup mayonnaise (or Vegannaise)
1/2 tablespoon ranch dressing
1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lemon
4 fresh crushed garlic cloves
1 solid pinch of thyme (dried is just fine)
salt & pepper to taste

When the artichoke is done, place on a plate with the sauce on the side and remember an empty bowl for the discarded leaves.  Trust me, this is both simple and awesomely tasty!


~ Laura