Jambalaya Recipe

   I had a request for my Jambalaya recipe.  Please note, I am an Okie and do it the way we like it here.  If my way of doing it is an insult to any Cajuns, forgive me.  :-)

 

Mel's Jambalaya

      2 T. butter                                             smoked sausage

      3 T. paprika                                          1 T. cumin

      1/2 tsp. dehydrated onion                     1/2 tsp. pepper

      1/2 tsp. garlic powder                           2 T. seasoning salt                         1 tsp. oregano                                      1 tsp. thyme                                   1/2 c. diced tomatoes                           5 c. chicken broth                        1/4 c. oil                                               2 c. rice

     Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Add oil and let it get hot.  For the smoked sausage, either use a one pound package and slice up or use the smoked sausage links (we used 8 of them).  Cook the sausage in the oil/butter for 5 minutes.  Add in the spices and cook for one minute.  Stir in tomatoes then the chicken broth and finally the rice.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Stir more and bring back to a boil.  Turn to simmer and simmer covered for 5 minutes.  

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Reserved for company? Not at my house (not anymore)

    I often hear friends and family talking about their "good china" or "good towels".  Things that they reserve only for company.  Why is this so?  Why not give your family the best you have to offer and offer the guests the ordinary things?
     I caught myself the other day when I was making my family Tater Tot casserole that I made it with the best ingredients but I just threw the tater tots on top.  When I am making it for a pot luck or for guests, I carefully place the tots all uniform on top so it looks pretty.  My reasoning is because my family truly doesn't care what it looks like as long as it tastes good.  They know I love them but it got me to thinking, why shouldn't they get the best.  They are the ones I love the most.
    So, in honor of my family, I made them this chocolate cake.  The cake I usually only make for fancy dinner parties.  It not only looks pretty it is very decadent.

    Why not do something special for your loved ones tonight?  Serve grilled cheese off your fine china perhaps!

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Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

    Tater tot casserole.  I don't know about you but just the words make me drool!  This is a favorite in our house.  Yes, I know it is not the healthiest recipe but by golly, it sure is delicious.  Everyone in our family absolutely loves it and is often requested.  We serve this on Saturday night for supper and we look forward to Saturday's because of it!

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb. hamburger meat

2 T.  chopped onion

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 can peas

2 cans cream of chicken soup

32 oz.  pkg. tater tots

1 c. shredded cheese

    A lot of people use "real" onion but I found out that if you fry up the dried chopped onion (that comes in spice sized containers, like cinnamon) with the hamburger meat, it fries up wonderfully.  It cooks up (and smells just like) you used fresh onion.   Besides, then you do not have to peel an onion or cut it up.  I like things easy!

 

     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

 

     Add a small amount of cooking oil to a skillet.  Add in the hamburger meat and the chopped onions.  Fry them together until the hamburger is brown. 

 

The hamburger meat and chopped onions being fried together.

 Pour into a cake pan (do not drain).  Add the onion soup mix and spices and mix it up and then open up the can of peas and pour on top.  

    Now, pour on your cream of chicken soups and gently stir it into the meat/pea mixture.  Top with tater tots.  If I am having company over for supper, I lay the tater tots on the casserole real pretty like.  Nice uniform rows and all the tater tots lined up neatly but if it is just for the family, I just basically dump the bag of tater tots on top.  My family does not care if it looks pretty as long as it tastes good. 

 

    Place in the oven for 35 minutes then top with the shredded cheese and bake another 10 minutes.  

 

The finished dish!

    Most recipes you find online are to be made in a 8"x8" square pan but we like to eat at my house so we always make it in a normal sized cake pan (13 x 8, or whatever the dimensions are).  :-)  Also, the recipes you find elsewhere usually call for twice as much meat as mine does.  I use 1 lb. for the big cake pan full and it is more than enough for us, and we are BIG meat eaters in our house.  

    Well, there you have it.  It is great comfort food!!!

      Other varieties of a tater tot casserole I make include a Mexican Tater Tot Casserole.  Check it out!

 

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Homemade Rice-a-roni Recipe

Homemade Rice-A-Roni Recipe

¾ c. rice

½ c. angel hair, vermicelli, or spaghetti

2 T. margarine

1 can chicken broth

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 ½ tsp. onion powder
 ½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning (or use same amount of thyme)

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1/ tsp. pepper

     First, break your spaghetti or other pasta up into small pieces.

 In a medium skillet sauté broken pasta pieces in the margarine.  

Once it is beginning to brown, stir in the rice and cook 2 minutes more. 

Dissolve the bouillon in the broth and then pour it in with the rice.  Stir in the spices.  Bring to a boil and then turn to low and cover and simmer 15 minutes.

       This homemade rice-a-roni would go great with my Soy & Garlic Chicken!

 

 

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Chocolate Covered Bacon Recipe

       One of my favorite party recipes is CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON.  When I first heard of this, I almost gagged but it is surprisingly delicious.  We love it.  Salty and sweet never tasted so good together.   They make great gifts and they are great to sell at bazaars and bake sales.

 

 

Chocolate covered bacon

   This recipe was a winner in a contest by Oklahoma New's Channel 6 and the Oklahoma Pork Council.  Check it out: Recipe Madness Contest.

      They are also super easy to make.  All you need is thick sliced bacon (the thicker the better), semi-sweet chocolate chips and shortening.     To begin:  place the bacon on a cookie sheet and place it in a preheated 400 degree oven.  Bake for 20 min.  You can cook it for a shorter amount of time for softer bacon but I think the crisp bacon works so much better.  Once the bacon is cooked, blot it with a paper towel to absorb the oil and remove from pan to cool.  As it cools, place the chocolate chips (1 bagful/2 c.) into a microwave safe bowl.  Add in 2 T. shortening and "nuke" for 30 seconds at a time, stirring often, until completely melted.

     Once the mixture is melted, use a pastry brush or the back side of a teaspoon to coat one side of the bacon completely.  Once that side is completely dry, turn over and coat the back side.   Package them up prettily or eat them.

    Here is how mine turned out!

Chocolate covered bacon

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This recipe was shared on the following blogs:

Carole's Chatter
Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom