Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a southern comfort food dish with lots of peppers and rice and what ever protein you want to put in it. Here is my version of jambalaya and it's always a hit in my house

1/2 small bag brown rice prepared according to directions ( I don't suggest instant or minute rice because it will get mushy and pasty)
1 package turkey smoked sausage
1/2 each red, yellow and orange bell pepper diced
1 medium yellow onion diced
4 whole white mushrooms diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon Old Bay
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 small red tomato diced
1 can diced tomatoes in sauce
1 pound raw shrimp pealed and deveined
2-3 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 dry bay leaves crumbled

While rice is cooking warm a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Add the vegetables and sausage to the pan and simmer for a few minutes until vegetables start to become tender hen add the spices and bay leaf. Let this reduce by almost half then add the parsley and thyme and shrimp. Cook until shrimp curl up and turn pink. Stir in the rice and serve. This will be a winning dish in your house guaranteed!

Buffalo chicken pizza

Do you ever wonder what you are going to do with your left over chicken wings? Today is the day for ideas.

Cut up the left over buffalo chunks from last night, a handful of leafy greens, I used kale, some mushrooms and what ever else you may have in the fridge that needs to be used. Make the pizza dough from previous recipes only add some ranch powder to this one. Make a pizza sauce with 1/4 cup ranch dressing and 2 tablespoons leftover buffalo sauce. Add some ranch powder to the grated cheese before you put it on the pizza and bake it in the oven until golden brown and bubbly! This was an amazing way to use the leftovers and vegetable stragglers in the fridge. I also took the left over potato wedges and drizzled them with olive oil and added some fresh rosemary and roasted them until crispy. For more on this recipe or any others please feel few to email me at alesia.leach@gmIl.com

Boneless buffalo wings and potato wedges

Boneless wings are a guilty pleasure of many but they need not be as guilty anymore if you use this recipe. It still has the bitter but a little now and again won't hurt, just don't eat like this everyday.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into chunks
2 beaten eggs
3-4 cups croutons flavor of your choice
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne and black pepper
1 tablespoon chili
1/2 stick of butter (salted is better for savory dishes)
1-2 cups Frank's Red Hot (or hot sauce of your choice)
1 bad frozen potato wedges


Take the croutons and spices for a spin in the food processor until they become like bread crumbs and place in a dish. Dip the chunks of chicken in the egg and then coat them in the crumbs. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. While. Hickey is cooking melt the butter in a 2 quart sauce pan. Once melted add the hot sauce and whisk until combined. This will take a minute or two because butter is fat and hot sauce is vinegar and they don't like to mix so you have to force them to. Once sauce is combined well ladle out a little and place it in a mixing bowl and add the cooked chicken. Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve. For the potato wedges follow the directions on the package or you can use my French fry recipe from the other day. This meal is cheaper than the wing restaurant and they are baked and not fried so that has be a little less guilty. For question on this recipe or any other please feel few to email me at alesia.leach@gmail.com

Smoked sausage hash

Kids love smoked sausage and fried potatoes and my kids are no exception to that "rule"

2 potatoes peeled and diced really small
1 yellow onion
The other 1/4 of the red, yellow and orange from yesterday diced
4 whole white mushrooms diced
1 package Hillshire Farm's turkey smoked sausage
Salt and pepper to tase
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cumin

Sauté everything together until potatoes are cooked through and sausage is heated through. We served ours with foule madummas and Msemn but you make some sort or vegetable like rotates broccoli or corn and Pillsbury crescent rolls could also be a tasty addition.

Tuna Melts

Do you ever want to make your tuna fish sandwich more than than that gloppy mayonnaise sandwich? I know in my house we always look for ways to take out that extra fat and still bring in the flavor.

1/4 each
Red, yellow and orange bell pepper minced
1/2 yellow onion minced
2 cloves of garlic minced and pasted (put some salt on the minced garlic and rub it with the side of your knife back and forth until it becomes a paste)
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of dry dill or to taste
1/2 teaspoon old bay (optional)
3 cans of tuna
Zest of a lemon, lime or even an orange and the juice of half of that fruit (if you use an orange use 1-2 tablespoons juice.)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
Whole wheat wraps, tortillas or whatever vessel you prefer bib lettuce could make a nice wrapper
Shredded cheese of your choice
Serve warm or cold you know we put ours on the counter top grill.

Mix all the ingredients together except the cheese and wrapper. Place the cheese on the wrapper and put about 2 tablespoons of tuna salad on the wrapper fold and either eat as is or heat and enjoy! For more details or ideas please email me at alesia.leach@gmail.com

Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie

Creamy pot pie is one of the ultimate comfort foods and mine is no different. This is how it starts

1/2 acorn squash seeded
1/2 butternut squash seeded
1 medium zucchini
1. Medium yellow (summer squash)
2 potatoes
1 large sweet potato
1/2 medium yellow onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
I also like to add a little cumin and cayenne pepper just for a nice warm background flavor to my cream sauce
3 cups skim milk (or while milk if you like the extra fat)
2 refrigerated pie crusts and a pie plate

Peel and dice all the vegetables except the zucchini, acorn squash and yellow squash the skin is edible and has great vitamins in it. Coat them with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and this time I used some each powder all of this is to taste. Put these on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until fork tender. While the vegetables are roasting put the butter and olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat add diced onion and salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne let onions sweat until translucent then add flour and mix well. Let this cook for a minute or two to cook the raw flour out then add the milk whisk while you add the milk or you will get lumps, bring to a bubble until desired thickness is reached. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon without dripping. Remove the vegetables from the oven and fold them into the sauce as to not mash them. Place the mixture in your pie crust then top with another price of crust and fold under to seal edges. Poke holes in the top for steam to escape. I like to make a funny face in mine because the kids like it. Then put the pie in the same 425 degree oven and bake until golden brown.

Lamb Stew

Sometimes being a home cook you have to know to improvise when things don't work out the way they were planned. I put this stew in the slow cooker first thing this morning and came home to find that it tripped the breaker and was not cooking all day like I had thought so now what?? I threw it in a pot and started to boil it. Yes dinner is going to be a little later than planned but it will get done. Here is what you will need to make this dish

2-3 pounds good quality lamb or beef stew meat
3 large potatoes
4-5 medium carrots
1 medium yellow onion
All spices to taste

Cumin
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Moroccan 7 spice
Coriander powder
Chili powder
Turmeric
Moroccan saffron
I also used a soup base cube bullion will work or if you use chicken or beef stock then you can dial down the spices
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon marjoram
6 cups water or tick of choice
1 tablespoon corn starch
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
3 stocks celery
1 can chick peas

6 prices rye bread
12 slices mozzarella cheese

I put the everything but the frozen vegetables and cornstarch in the slow cooker and turn it on low to cook for 8 hours or high to cook for 4 then one the stew is almost done I add the frozen veggies and take some of the soup liquid and put it in a bowl with the corn starch and make a slurry then add it all back to the stew this will thicken it a little then serve with bread and crackers or whatever you want. Even a mistake can turn into a family favorite.. I toasted the rye bread in the oven then put the cheese slices on them and broiled them until golden brown and crispy