Jumbalaya

This is a tried and true favorite at our household. A real New Orleans style jumbalaya would have all kinds of nasty ingredients, many of which would make me sick to think of eating, so maybe I should call this modified jumbalaya. In any case, it is good and my husband wants to eat it several times a month. And he gets mad if I eat the leftovers before he can get to them. Try it for yourself!

Jumbalaya

serves 4-6

1 can chicken broth
1 cup rice
1 TBS chopped garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (I like to use the diced tomatoes with green chiles variety for a good spicy flavor)
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green/yellow bell pepper diced in large pieces
1 smoked rope sausage (like the one pictured below) cut into slices and then in half (so you have lots of half moon shaped pieces)
And season with this:

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onions, and garlic in a little butter or olive oil. When onions are softening, add in peppers and sausage. Add in dry rice and stir until rice begins to turn golden. Add in the broth and tomatoes, cover with a tight lid, and reduce heat to low. Let simmer covered until rice is cooked (around 30-40 minutes). Taste and add more Tony's seasoning if needed. Yum!

Cafe Rio anyone??

(note: some pictures and recipes are my own; others came from favfamilyrecipes.com and 365daysofcrockpot.blogspot.com)

OK, I'll admit it. If an AA group for Cafe Rio lovers existed, I'd be a member. I just can't get enough of it. Thus began my search for the perfect Cafe Rio "copycat" menu items. Some of the following recipes come pretty dang close, while others are a little different but still taste great. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Cafe Rio Pork

3-5 pound pork roast (or boneless ribs)
18 ounces Coke (not diet)
1 cup brown sugar
1 (7 oz.) can chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce (discard chilies, only use sauce)
1 heaping tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. minced garlic

Place pork roast in bottom of crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over the roast. Cook on LOW for 7-9 hours, or until it shreds easily. Shred the pork meat 1 hour before the total cook time is up so it can cook in the sauce for the remaining time. Make sense?


Cafe Rio Chicken
5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. Zesty Italian dressing
1 tblsp. chili powder
1 tblsp. cumin
3 tsp. minced garlic

Place chicken in the bottom of a greased crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour of chicken. (If you like lots of sauce you can double the recipe so it covers the chicken). Cook on LOW for 3-5 hours then shred with a fork. Again, shred the meat before the total cooking time is up so it can cook longer in the sauce!


Use the pork or chicken to make tacos, burritos, salads, tostadas, etc....be sure to use the tortillas you can cook in a pan for just a few minutes, NOT pre-cooked ones)

Also serve with the following recipes:

Cafe Rio Lime Rice
2 tblsp. butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 tsp. minced garlic
6 2/3 cup water
7 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
1 tblsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups long grain rice

Saute butter, onion, and garlic then set aside. Bring all other ingredients, except rice, to a boil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic, then add rice. Cover and simmer until rice is tender.


Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
1 package Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups mayo
2 tomatillos, remove outer husk
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. lime juice (or more!)
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed (keep seeds if you like things spicy)

Mix all ingredients in a blender. If you want the dressing thicker, add a bit more mayo. Refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Cafe Rio Pico de Gallo
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Mix all the above ingredients and ENJOY!

Hand Rolled Sushi

This is certainly something to boost your self esteem in the kitchen. Particularly if you DO like going out for sushi. The price is much better, and there is a huge sense of fulfillment, that doesn't involve your stomach.

This is more about what you want in your sushi roll rather than a recipe. You can choose the filling. But here's what you need before that:

1. Nori: the seaweed wrap

2. Wasabi: what is sushi without wasabi..

3. Soy sauce: we all need a little sodium

4. Rice vinegar: there are different flavors

5. Sushi mats: These are $5 or less

6. RICE

Then you choose your fillings. We went to Aquarius and bought some salmon, bbq eel, and a king crab leg. All the fish was nearly frozen, so it needed to be refrigerated before cutting. As for our vegetables, we had carrots, avocado and asparagus. For topping and flavoring we had a lemon. And of course- sushi rice. If you don't have sushi rice, then make some rice the day before, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight so it gets nice and sticky. Per cup of rice, you need to add 1/8c (or less) of the rice vinegar and a Tablespoon of sugar. Mix gently, fold the sugar into the rice without turning the rice into mush.

Slice your fish items thinly, and lengthly. Wash all surfaces that made contact with the fish before cutting the vegetables. (Note: a SHARP knife comes in VERY handy for all this cutting)

Wrap your mats in plastic wrap so rice doesn't get stuck in it. Place the nori shiny side down on the mat and sprinkle it with a combination of rice vinegar and water so the rice will stick. Lay a thin layer of rice down (I like to make mine a nice layer and pack it down, this helps keep the roll together and makes cutting it easier), then add your fillings. My favorites of the night were crab, cream cheese, avocado and asparagus. Another really good one I've named "The Little Eel" was the bbq eel and cream cheese. Because of the limited fillings, I cut the sheet of nori in HALF and it was a small roll. After filled, roll the end closest to you over, and tighten, Then reposition the mat to finish rolling the roll, and tighten again. Slice your roll.

This was not only quite delicious, but it was a lot of fun.

The kids at yesterday's pizza.

*Special thanks to Lyndsey for the idea, lots of the ingredients, and the sheer wisdom.