Jambalaya

Jared and I "cheated" tonight out of convenience. Our Jambalaya was Zatarains, straight from a box. We added turkey kielbasa, which tasted great! We made a quick salad to compliment the meal.

Ingredients:
Zatarain's Jambalaya mix
1 pound of chicken, turkey, etc. (we used Turkey Kielbasa)

Directions:
1) Follow the recipe on the box. :)

Husband Rating: A
He really enjoyed the Jambalaya flavor -- it definitely had a kick!

Wife Rating: A
I like spicy food, and this had just enough flavor and spice! The salad was an excellent add-on.

Dinner was a quick and easy one because we picked up our wedding video tonight (which included 3 final copies, 2 raw footage cd's, and a bottle of champagne)!!!!

Hot Dog Casserole

You might think that we were hosting children tonight at our house with hot dog casserole, but you would be wrong. Jared has been wanting hot dogs for a while and with our grill neatly tucked away until next year, the casserole was a great option. If you are looking to bring the taste of the amusement park to your house, definitely try this dinner.

Ingredients:
1 (28 ounce) can baked beans
2 (16 ounce) packages hot dogs, sliced
1 (7.5 ounce) package corn bread mix

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2) Pour the can of beans into a 9x13 inch baking dish so they cover the bottom. Arrange hot dog slices so they cover the beans as completely as possible. If too much juice seeps through to the cornbread, it will take longer to cook. Prepare cornbread mix according to package directions. Spread the batter evenly over the hot dog layer.
3) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cornbread is cooked through. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Husband Rating: A
Another great meal, or as Jared said, "another hearty meal." Jared went back for seconds!

Wife Rating: A
This meal was so easy and fun to prepare and eat! The recipe makes a lot of food -- and could be used a party appetizer.

Oh (fake) Christmas Tree!

Christmas is a time for sharing, and like many of my blogging friends, I decided to post a picture of our 6' fake Christmas tree, tree #1 of 3, sharing our home with yours. We decided this year to put the tree in our bedroom. Our real tree will be placed in the window of our living room. Each year, the hardest part is deciding which ornaments to put on the real and fake tree. As you can tell, we have a great start on our Christmas shopping too!

I will post a picture of our real tree after we pick one out and decorate it with our ornaments!

Menu: December 3-9

Last week's menu did not produce much for leftovers, so hopefully this week's will be different.

Monday: Hot Dog Casserole

Tuesday: Jambalaya

Wednesday: Caesar Salad

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan

Friday: NYC to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular!!!!

Saturday: Cajun Bean Soup

Sunday: General Tso Chicken & Fried Rice

Potato Soup

Today was a perfect day to make potato soup in the crock pot. The weather reached a high of 20 degrees today and it snowed on and off all day. I borrowed this recipe from another Jknottie, Kristi, who posted the recipe on the JKnottie Cookbook blog -- http://jknottiecookbook.blogspot.com/ We started cooking the soup at 11am so it was ready for dinner.

Ingredients:
8 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp garlic
4 cubes chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons dried parsley
6 cups water
2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour


Directions:
1) Place the potatoes, onion, butter, chicken bouillon cubes, parsley and water into a slow cooker. Set on low and let cook for 6 to 8 hours.
2) At least half an hour before serving, stir together the milk and flour until no lumps remain, and mix into the soup.
3) Cook for 30 minutes or until the soup is thickened. Add real bacon bits and shredded cheese on top.

Husband Rating: A-
Jared thought this was a hearty soup for a cold day like today. He finished my bowl for me!

Wife Rating: A-
The soup was good, although I think it needed less flour (it was too thick for me) and some salt and pepper.

Baked Haddock

Jared and I decided to add another fish dish to our menu this week. However, when we went shopping last Sunday, the grocery store did not have Haddock, so we substituted the Haddock with Flounder. The recipe calls for a white fish, so we were set. Unfortunately, this dish did not turn out as planned.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground dried thyme
4 haddock fillets (we used flounder)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2) In a small bowl, combine the milk and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and thyme. Dip the haddock fillets in the milk, then press into the crumb mixture to coat. Place haddock fillets in a glass baking dish, and drizzle with melted butter.
3) Bake on the top rack of the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband & Wife Rating: C
The fish turned out too salty, so we did not eat more than 2 bites.

Suggestions for a future attempt:
* Use panko bread crumbs instead of regular or flavored bread crumbs
* Use less salt than the recipe states.

As a result of the wasted lunch, our meal replacement was last night's leftovers from Sukhothai Restaurant in Albany (Cashew Nut with Chicken)

Husband and Wife Rating: A
Definitely much better than the fish!!!

JKnottie November Baked Goods Exchange

I have participated in another great Jknottie Baked Goods Exchange in November, and my Secret Baker for this exchange was Kat!!!! Jared and I enjoyed a cookie last night for dessert, and they are delicious!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine shortening, brown sugar, and egg.
3) Stir in 1/2 cup applesauce.
4) Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ground cloves, and add to shortening mixture.
5) Mix in raisins and nuts.
6) Bake 10 minutes.

Husband Rating: A+
Jared really enjoyed the cookie! The applesauce keeps the cookie nice and moist.

Wife Rating: A+
Yummy!

Thanks Kat!!!! We will definitely be making these cookies for friends and family.