New Orleans is the my go to guy’s trip vacation city and many a weekends I have spent down there.  The details of my visits are sketchy and usually require all individuals were on the trip to piece together what really happened.  Also, all photographic evidence is burned damn near the second we are off the plane.  No freaking way those pictures are ever coming back to haunt us.

Jambalaya is one of my favorite dishes to get while in New Orleans along with crawfish etouffee, gumbo, red beans and rice, and who am I kidding I love everything creole/cajun cuisine can throw at me.  Heck I could not survive that town without an  every morning stop for jet fuel coffee and beniets from Cafe Du Mond.

Hats off and congratulations to New Orleans you guys definitely were the best team and proved it last Sunday.

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 lb andouille sausage
• 1.5 lb chicken cut into cubes (insert Homer Simpson drool over the thought of thighs)
• 1 lb of raw shrimp (deveined and peeled).
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can of tomatoes (15 ounce size)
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 onion medium dice
• 1 celery stalk medium dice
• 1 green pepper medium dice
• 3 cloves of garlic finely diced
• 3 bay leaves
• Leaves from 4 stems of thyme
• Cayenne pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon I find is dead on for good heat)
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Bacon grease (lots and lots of bacon grease)

Steps to success:

• In a cast iron dutch oven over medium-high heat melt the bacon grease and brown the andouille sausage.  Remove and set aside.
• Add in the chicken and brown all over (remember do not crowd the pan or else you end up with steamed chicken).  Remove and set aside.
• Add in the onion, green pepper, and celery and cook until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).
• Add in the chicken stock, tomatoes, rice, bay leaves, pinch of cayenne, thyme, andouille, and chicken into the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook till the rice is done (usually about 30 minutes).  Make sure you stir the pot occasionally.
• Check the pot occasionally to make sure all the liquid did not evaporate.  If it seems dry add in a splash of stock or water.
• Once the rice is done dump in the shrimp, cover, and wait 10 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!

The worst part about the day I took off sick was I had no video games to play or anything on the DVR to watch.  I was stuck the entire day watching old repeats of shows I have seen with *gasp* commercials!  Oh DVR I will never take you for granted ever again.

However, I am feeling 1000 times better well except for bloody soreness from the stupid gym.

Oh well enough for today kiddos because work is calling…..

The first part of this soup is going to be making the broth.  For the broth you will need:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1/4 cup of chopped ginger
• 4 whole cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
• 1 onion diced
• Couple sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Water lots of water

The broth is really easy to make once you have all your ingredients.  Throw everything in a large stockpot and cover with water (bonus points awarded if you cackle like an evil witch).  This mixture should come to a simmer and then continue for another hour and a half.  Remove the chicken from the stockpot, set aside, and when cool shred the meat.  Take a colander and line it with cheesecloth and strain the mixture discarding the whole pieces but keeping the precious broth.

For the rest of the soup you will need:

• Meat from the chicken that was used to make the broth
• Broth (duh)
• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 ounce of dried shiitake mushrooms that have been hydrated (refresher course take boiling water, pour over mushroom, cover, and wait 30 minutes).  If you have fresh mushrooms fear not because they are acceptable too.
• 1 cup of uncooked rice
• 1 TB of butter (insert homer simpson drool)

Steps to soup success and the road to recovery:

1. In a large stock pot melt the butter and add in the onion.  Cook the onion until it is translucent (about 5 minutes).  If you are using fresh shiitake mushrooms you will want to add them with the onions and cook until the mushrooms are softened (about 10 minutes).
2. Add in the broth, shredded chicken, rice, and hydrated mushrooms.  Bring this mixture to a boil and cook until the rice is done (say 15 minutes).
3. Serve with cilantro, green onions, crushed red peppers, toasted sesame oil, or whatever the freak you have available.

I work In Chicago. but I live life in Indiana. I find that when I am holed up in my mini mansion the last thing I want to do is anything that requires more then 5 sq inches of counter space because – hello – my kitchen is only 4 feet! And it is a mighty small 4 feet… Serious I made cookies over the holidays in it and almost died from flour inhalation.

It isn’t really conducive for much more then frying up eggs for breakfast or pouring a cocktail, but a girl still has to eat even when she leaves her most favorite cook all alone in the wilds of Indiana…

One of my favorite cuisines in which to eat is Asian. Sushi, Hot Pot, Fried Rice, Tom Yum, etc… it’s light (Perfect for that 10 in 10 I signed up for while swilling wine and eating cheese… um hello!?!), it is spicy… which keeps me warm when my radiator goes all ADD and forgets what he is supposed to be doing… (sounds like someone I am dating…) and mostly. Freaking easy AND so yummmmmy!

It should be made with thinly sliced rib eye. Get a rib eye, par-freeze it and then take it out and slice very thinly while the meat is frozen enough to stay firm but still pliable enough to get that dull blade thru that you have been meaning to sharpen but still haven’t, you know who you are… This is the absolute best way to make this… However. Rib eye can be pricey and we are supposed to be talking easy here. So. What I did for this exciting (insert cricket sounds here) presentation was get simple stir fry beef, and beat the crap out of it.

Actually, tenderized it so it could soak up all this marinade of awesomeness…

Whatcha need:

1 # of good beef. (chicken or pork, yes honey I said pork, also work wonderfully here) sliced thin
4 T soy sauce
1 T sugar
1 T rice wine
1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 t sesame oil
1 t sambal
white pepper

The Hard Part

Now after you have sliced up and/or beaten your meat… oh geez all the censer-sensors just went off… place it in a large zipper bag. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over the meat. Squish it up good, suck out the air, seal that baggie and toss it in the fridge overnight. Yes, I said over night. Can you do this without the overnight bath? Sure, for a minimum of 2 hours, but it wont be as goooood.

Next day, pull out the baggie o’ meat and the gather ye following:

More of Whatcha Need:

1-2 scallions, sliced haphazardly
sesame seeds
lettuce (for wrapping)
prepared white rice or rice noodles
more sambal, because you can never have too much…

The Tricky Part

Heat 1 T of oil in your pan over medium heat. Cook the meat until desired doneness.

Top with sesame seeds and scallions and serve with rice and lettuce for wrapping. Yes I know the photo doesn’t show any lettuce… wow you guys are so smart. I took this after I ate and well, it took a lot just to make sure I had enough meat and rice for photos. The lettuce, poor lettuce, sacrificed itself.

If Jeff was here I would have had to beat him off with a frying pan just to have meat left over so thank that lettuce… aaaannnd the censor sensors are buzzing again… damn.