Memories of a Meal We Use to Eat

We ate a freezer meal from the freezer swap for dinner last night and since Cooking W. made a family favorite I am able to share the recipe. (Growing up we always enjoyed this meal and now we both make it for our families who enjoy it too.)

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Creole Franks
from Sparky
Print Recipe

5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp chili powder
12 franks or 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (optional)

To serve fresh: Cook bacon, add onion, stir in remaining ingredients—except green pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Add green pepper and simmer 8 – 10 minutes. Serve over rice*.

To freeze: Cook bacon**, add onion, stir in remaining ingredients, place in freezer bag. Freeze. To serve, defrost overnight, pour into a pan with lid, simmer over medium heat until heated through. Serve over rice.

*We always use a rice cooker similar to this when cooking our rice and it comes out great every time. (I actually use a rice cooker that use to be my grandmother's.) One helpful tip if you own one or purchase one in the future is to spray the inside with cooking spray and clean up is easier.

**An option for cooking bacon is to cook it in the oven. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a broiler pan (some may call it a roasting pan) with cooking spray. Arrange bacon in a single layer on broiler pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes to desired crispness. Drain on paper towel. Put in zip top bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

++Leftover rice is great to use in fried rice--many recipes call for refrigerated cooked rice. Another way to serve it is with milk, cinnamon, and sugar--Moo LOVES this--or serve it with butter (PE's favorite).

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The past week I have spent a decent amount of time working on the recipe cards for the recipe swaps in which I am participating. Since I HAVE to work on the cards and I know I cannot cook/bake I think that has been helping spark my motivation to cook/bake. (Sort of like when you are eating healthier and you place restrictions on chocolate/soda/etc. What is the one thing you crave the most? The thing you have restricted of course.) I do get to have a fun day baking/cooking tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it. After tomorrow though, I will be working on cards and only cards (most of the time).

It shouldn't be too bad because I have the design for all 18 cards sketched out. Ten of the eighteen swaps go together and are due first so I am now concentrating on those. I have all 140 bases cut, most of the layers cut, and the recipes formatted and ready to print. Now I have the fun task of assembling all of them. I do have to add the month and some embellishments to ALL of them. 140 cards due October 10. 108 cards due October 17. 54 cards due November 10. That isn't too bad. Besides, I am hostessing the swap that is due October 17 so I have a few days leeway as I have 10 days from the due date to get them in the mail. Again, I ramble. The point of this explanation is to share the sketch files with anyone who might be interested. You can view and print them here. While they are designed for 6"x6" recipe cards, you could easily modify the size of the elements to fit a smaller square card or use a similar layout for making a regular 4 1/4"x5 1/2" card.

Let me know if you have any questions and make sure you go make the Creole Franks.

Mmmm Shrimp Jambalaya

Now as you read the first part of the title make sure you picture Homer Simpson when he says, "Mmmm . . ."

PE and I are sans children this evening so we decided to make this Shrimp Jambalaya that we knew those stinks wouldn't enjoy. Bob would look at it then possibly smell it and say, "Ew, I don't like that." Granted he doesn't know but if he did decide to eat some sausage or chicken he would most likely spit it out because it "made his lips hurt" because it was spicy. Then Moo would turn her nose up at it because it has shrimp and it is spicy. Bug might have eaten it but he isn't here this week anyway so that is a moot point.

I must preface my opinion of the jambalaya with this - I have never had authentic jambalaya and PE doesn't remember what it tasted like because his Louisiana trip was so long ago. That said, this was AMAZING!! The list of ingredients is lengthy but it all came together pretty quickly.

Shrimp Jambalaya
from Lion House International Recipes
Print Recipe

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped green or red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 cup water
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1 can (16 oz) tomatoes with liquid
1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 small bay leaf
1/2 pound fresh or frozen raw Shrimp, shelled, deveined and rinsed
hot pepper sauce

Melt butter or margarine in a 3 quart saucepan; add celery bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until vegetables are tender (4-6 minutes). Stir in rice, chicken, water, tomatoes with liquid, sausage, bouillon granules, paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and bay leaf. Over high heat, cook until mixture comes to a full boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender (20 -25 minutes). Add shrimp; continue cooking until shrimp is pink (4-5 minutes). Remove bay leaf. Serve with hot pepper sauce. Serves 6.

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Mmm, mmm, good. Mmm, mmm, good. Shrimp jambalaya is mmm, mmm, good. (Sing to the Campbell's chicken soup song.