Gumbo-laya

My family loves both Gumbo and Jambalaya. Today, we couldn’t decide which dish to make so I combined the two and made a combo that I call Gumbo-laya. 😉

What’s the difference, you ask?

Gumbo is a soup, made with a base of a very dark roux (made from cooking oil and flour until it turns dark brown). Gumbo also has okra, which helps to thicken the soup. The meat in gumbo depends on what you prefer, but it usually has some type of sausage (usually pork Andouille sausage) and seafood (shrimp and lump crab meat).

Jambalaya is a rice dish (not soupy at all) where the rice is cooked with the meat, along with onions, celery, peppers, stock and seasonings. It does not contain a roux since it isn’t soupy. Jambalaya also usually adds tomatoes.

My Gumbo-laya has a combo of the two. It’s soupy, uses a roux (but not a dark one) to thicken it, has okra and tomatoes along with the trinity of onions, celery and peppers, and of course, rice too. I use a wild rice medley in this recipe to up the health factor, but you can use the rice you have on hand.

Speaking of healthy, this recipe is actually pretty nutritious, believe it or not. Aside from the 1/2 cup of flour I used to make the roux, everything else is good for you. Here are the highlights:

  • Organic chicken stock made from free-range chickens
  • Turkey kielbasa instead of traditional high-fat Andouille sausage
  • Heart healthy olive oil (a good fat), and only a couple of tablespoons, not a half CUP like traditional gumbo
  • Organic wild rice

To keep the health benefits high, you can omit the shrimp and use shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast instead.

Give my recipe a try. It’s delicious…and I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Gumbo-laya

Ingredients:

  • 1 package turkey kielbasa
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 cup wild rice medley
  • 3 cups sliced okra (you can use frozen okra)
  • 3 stalks green onions
  • Optional: Tabasco sauce

Directions:

1. Slice the kielbasa into 1/4-inch pieces, then cut each piece half. Place the sausage into a large soup pot.

2. Add the onions, bell peppers and celery to the pot. Cook over medium high heat until the onions are translucent.

3. Make a small well in the middle of the pot by pushing the sausage mixture to the side. Pour the olive oil into the well.

4. Pour the flour (all at once) into the well, on top of the olive oil. Stir the flour and oil together, then stir it into the sausage mixture.

5. Pour the chicken stock into the pot, stirring as you pour.

6. Add the shrimp and chopped garlic to the pot. Place a lid on the pot; continue to cook over medium high heat.

7. In a small bowl (I used the measuring cup I used for the flour–why dirty more dishes?), mix the spices/seasonings together (paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme).

8. Stir the seasonings into the pot.

9. Add the drained tomatoes.

10. Add the rice.

11. Add the okra.

12. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is done. Stir occassionally. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Optional: Add a few shakes of Tabasco sauce.

Sprinkle sliced green onions on top, serve and ENJOY!

 

King Cake

King Cakes are part of a popular tradition that celebrates the 12th day following the birth of Christ, during which the 3 Wise Men or Kings visited the Christ Child.  The celebrations continue sometimes up to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras, in French), the day before Ash Wednesday when the Lenten Season begins.  The custom of baking these “cakes” is in honor of the Three Kings, hence the name, “A King’s Cake.”

The custom includes baking a tiny porcelain or plastic baby inside the cake.  King Cakes are usually served at parties, and the person who finds the baby in their slice of cake is supposed to host the party the next year.  Instead of having a party, you could bake several smaller King Cakes and give them to your neighbors.  The neighbor who receives the King Cake with the baby gets to bake them for the neighbors the following year.

King Cakes aren’t really cakes, but a rich danish (I’ll keep calling them cakes, though).  Some King Cakes are baked without adding a filling, but I like to make mine with a rich and luscious cream cheese and cinnamon filling.  After the cake is baked, the baby is inserted.  Then the top of the cake is covered with a rich glaze and decorated in the traditional colors of purple, green and gold.

These colors have a special meaning as well.  One explanation is that the official Mardi Gras colors were selected in 1872 to honor the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovich Romanoff, whose house colors were purple, green and gold.  Another explanation is that the colors purple, green and gold were used by Catholic Church throughout history, and the colors represent Justice (Purple), Faith (Green), and Power (Gold).

This recipe takes some time to make, but it’s worth it in the end. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

King Cake

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 Dough Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup white, granulated sugar
  • 8 oz. sour cream
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (98-105 degrees)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white, granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

 Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 cup white, granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Cinnamon Filling Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

 Glaze Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 cup orange juice or milk

 Decoration Ingredients:

  • Green sugar sprinkles
  • Purple sugar sprinkles
  • Yellow sugar sprinkles
  • One tiny plastic or porcelain baby (about 2 inches long)

 Directions:

Make the dough:

In a small microwave-safe bowl, place the butter and sugar.  Cook for 1-2 minutes in the microwave until the butter melts.  Transfer to a small mixing bowl.  Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.  Stir in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.

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In another small bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside to allow the yeast to proof. It should be very bubbly after five minutes; if not, then discard the mixture and start over. NOTE: Water that is too hot will kill the yeast. The water should feel as warm as the temperature of your skin.DSC_0011

Place the egg into the bowl of a large stand mixer (such as a KitchenAid).  Use the paddle attachment to slightly beat the egg.

The photo below shows two eggs–I doubled my recipe when I made this so I had enough cakes to give away to friends.

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Mix in the sour cream mixture and proofed yeast.

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Slowly mix in the flour, one cup at a time. NOTE: If you live in a low humidity environment, you may need less flour, about 2 1/2 cups. If you live in humid area, you may need slightly more than 3 cups of flour.

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After the flour has been roughly mixed with the wet ingredients, switch to the dough hook.

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Turn your mixer to medium-high speed and knead for 5 minutes. NOTE: If you are kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. After kneading, place the dough into a greased bowl (clear works best so you can see if the dough has doubled in size); place in a warm place to rise until doubled.

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While the dough is rising, make the cream cheese and cinnamon fillings.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling:

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the egg, sugar and cream cheese. Mix on high until there are no more lumps and the filling is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

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Cinnamon filling: In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon filling ingredients together. Set aside.

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Make the Glaze:

Mix together the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and just half of the orange juice. Mix until smooth.

You want the glaze to be slightly thin but not runny. Add more orange juice if you need to thin it out more.

Set aside.

Put it all together:

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Place onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, roughly 18×12 inches.

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Roughly mark lines in the dough to separate it into thirds (do NOT cut through the dough). Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the OUTER sections into diagonal strips about 1 inch wide; these strips are what you will use to create a woven or braided look for the top of the King Cake. NOTE: Make sure you do not cut through the middle third of the rectangle.

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Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle of the rectangle. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture.

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Fold the strips of dough over the fillings, alternating sides. Overlap the strips to form a braided or woven look.

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Tuck the ends of the dough underneath the end; use any extra dough to ensure both ends of the King Cake are sealed (to keep the filling in while baking).

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This is how you’d make a round King Cake.

Roll out two pieces of dough about 16 inches in diameter.

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Cut one piece of dough into strips, like you’re cutting a pizza.

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Place the uncut round piece onto a baking sheet.  Place the cut pieces of dough underneath the edge of the uncut piece (pointed part facing out), going all around the side (it will look like a large sun with rays pointing out).  Press along the edges of the cut pieces to the seal them to the uncut circle.

Spread the cream cheese filling around the edge of the uncut circle of dough.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar filling on top of the cream cheese.  Fold each cut piece inward, pressing down at the pointed tip to seal the dough (you will have a small “well” of dough in the middle).

Into the small well, pour more cream cheese filling.  Top with cinnamon filling.

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Carefully lift the shaped dough and place onto a large baking sheet.  Spray the top of the King Cake (dough) lightly with butter flavored cooking spray, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise again until doubled.

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Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

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Glaze the King Cake and Decorate:

While the King Cake is still warm, spread a thin layer of the glaze on top.

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Decorate with the sugar sprinkles, alternating the colors.

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Slice, Serve and ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Do you love to eat raw chocolate chip cookie dough? I must admit that I won’t eat the raw dough–soft, chewy, warm-from-the-oven BAKED cookies, however are another story! If you’re among the many who love eating cookie dough by the spoonful, this recipe is for you.

You can do an internet search for ‘chocolate chip cookie dough dip’ and come up with over 1.7 million hits, with almost all of the ingredients seemingly identical. This one is no different. I don’t know who the original creator of this recipe is, but whomever thought it up…THANK YOU!

In the words of a friend, “This should be illegal, it’s so good!” 🙂

Give this recipe a try. I think you’ll LOVE it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

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 Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)
  • 1 small bag miniature chocolate chips
  • Honey graham crackers

Directions:

 Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.

 Add the brown sugar to the pan.

 Simmer over low heat until the brown sugar melts.

 Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Stir to combine then remove from the heat.

This is what the butter-sugar-vanilla mixture looks like.  It smells divine!

As the butter mixture cools, prepare the cream cheese mixture.

Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl.

 Mix on medium speed until fluffy.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

 Mix until creamy.

Pour the cooled butter mixture into the bowl.  Mix until creamy.

 Add the chocolate chips to the bowl.

Fold the chips into the cream cheese mixture.

Resist the urge to stick your fingers into the bowl and scoop out some of this yumminess!  Okay, you can use a spoon instead of your fingers, but save some for the graham crackers! 🙂

Serve with graham crackers and ENJOY! 😀

Caramel Apple Dip

I love caramel apples, don’t you? What I don’t love is having to bite into it, so I usually end up cutting the apple into slices so I don’t make a huge mess.

This recipe makes it so much easier to enjoy this delicious treat.

I used toffee bits in this recipe, but you can also use miniature chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or even crushed jolly rancher candies.  The possibilities are endless to how versatile you can make this.

Give this recipe a try.  I know you love it! 🙂

Caramel Apple Dip

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Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup caramel sauce (you can use ice cream topping), plus more for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits
  • Sliced apples (I like Rome apples for this)

Directions:

Place the cream cheese into a small mixing bowl.  Using a hand mixer, mix until creamy.  Add the 1/4 cup of caramel sauce and brown sugar to the bowl; mix until you don’t see any large lumps of brown sugar.  Next, mix in the marshmallow cream.  Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Place the dip into a serving dish.  Sprinkle toffee bits or your favorite caramel apple topping all over the top.  Drizzle with more caramel sauce (as much as you like).

Serve with sliced apples and ENJOY!

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Juicy Cheeseburgers with Baked Smothered Fries

I may be dating myself, but one of my favorite burger places to eat was Cool Spot, a quaint drive-in burger joint in Barrigada owned and operated by Josefina and Francisco Cruz.  The juicy burgers and hot-out-of-the-frier french fries were the perfect lunchtime meal when I was going to high school.

Anyone can make burgers at home, but to me, it’s about the special sauce that set these apart from ordinary.  You don’t have to use my recipe below, but give it a try.  The addition of my special sauce sets these apart from ordinary cheeseburgers.

Juicy burgers are not hard to make, but surprisingly, you’ll find that most homemade burgers use store-bought patties that turn out dry and hard.  Here are some tips to ensure moist, juicy burgers every time.

  1. Use ground beef that has at least 18-20% fat.  Beef that is too lean will make your burgers too dry.
  2. Do not over-handle the meat.  Add your seasonings to the meat then mix as little as possible.
  3. Do not–I repeat, do NOT smash the patties with your spatula!  Doing this squeezes out a lot of the meat’s natural juices that keep the meat moist.
  4. In addition to not pressing on the patties as they cook, another tip is to flip them one time only.  If you like rare burgers, cook them for 2 minutes on each side, 3 minutes on each side if you like them medium-rare, 4 minutes on each side for medium, and 5 minutes for well-done burgers.

Fantastic burgers go hand-in-hand with french fries, but no ordinary fries will do.  Try my version — potato slices (wedges are good too) that are generously seasoned then baked and topped with shredded cheese and bacon.  Yum!!

Give my recipes a try.  I think you’ll like them. 🙂

Juicy Burgers with Baked Smothered Fries

Ingredients for the Smothered Fries:

  • 2 large potatoes (russets are great for this)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (I use garlic-infused olive oil for more flavor)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (you can add more after baking if you’d like it more salty)
  • 1 cup shredded cheese blend (I like a blend of cheddar, mozzarella, asadero and queso quesadilla)
  • 5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced

Ingredients for the Special Sauce:

  • 4 tablespoons Best Foods real mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons mustard
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

Ingredients for the Burgers:

  • 3 pounds ground beef, 80-82% lean
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 slices of your favorite cheese (I used American cheese in these photos)
  • 12 sesame topped burger buns
  • Optional toppings:  romaine lettuce leaves, sliced tomates, pickles, bacon strips

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fries.

Peel the potatoes then cut them into 1/4-inch sticks.  Place them onto a large baking sheet.

Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes.  Use your impeccably clean hands to toss the potatoes to evenly distribute the oil.

Sprinkle the garlic powder, chili powder, paprika and salt over the oiled potatoes.  Toss to evenly coat the potatoes.

Bake the potatoes at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

After the fries are done, taste one and add more salt if you’d like.

Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and green onions on top of the fries.

Add the shredded cheese.

Bake for 5-10 more minutes, or just until the cheese melts.

Serve alongside the juicy burgers and ENJOY!

2.  Prepare the Special Sauce while the fries are baking.

In a small mixing bowl, place the mayo, mustard and ketchup.

Add the onion powder.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and relish.  Stir, mixing well.  Set aside.

3.  Make the burgers while the fries are baking.

In a large mixing bowl, place the ground beef, garlic, salt and black pepper.  You can also add some chopped onions (optional).  Mix together (do not over-mix) then separate into 12 balls.  Flatten each ball into patties, about 1/4-inch thick (they will shrink as they cook, so don’t make them too thick or you’ll have burgers that are much smaller than the buns).

Cook over a hot grill or skillet (see my tips above for how long to cook them).

Top each burger patty with a slice of cheese.

4.  Assemble the burgers.

Spread some of the Special Sauce onto each sesame bun half.  Top the bottom bun with a juicy burger patty, pickles, tomato slices, bacon strips and romaine lettuce.  Place the top bun on the assembled burger, serve with a side of Smothered Fries and ENJOY!

 

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