Fat Tuesday 2012

Early this morning, I finished making gumbo for our Fat Tuesday celebration at Huber.

My Favorite Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp

• 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• ½ cup all purpose flour
  
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
  
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  
• 1 green pepper, chopped
  
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
  
• 2 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
  
• 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
  
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
  
• 1 lb. boneless,skinless chicken thighs
  
• ½ lb. chorizo sausage, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  
• ½ cup loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped
  
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme
  
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
  
• ¾ teaspoon salt
  
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  
• 1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled & deveined
  
• 1 cup long grain rice, cooked as directed on the package

Instructions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over med-low heat. Gradually stir in flour, and cook, stirring, until mixture is dark brown ~ about 15 minutes.
   
2. Mix the broth in slowly and blend until smooth.
   
3. At the same time you start the roux start to cook the vegetables: In a non-stick skillet, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat until hot.
   
4. Add celery, garlic, green pepper, and onion and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
   
5. To the roux-thickened broth add the stewed tomatoes, chicken, chorizo, herbs, salt, black pepper and the vegetables.
   
6. Add 4 cups of dark beer or water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off any fat that comes to the surface.
   
7. Add the shrimp and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the shrimp turn opaque.

It wasn't the recipe I wanted to make (which was Alton Brown's from the Food Network), but the flavor was good.

Bacon Humor

A co-worker showed me this picture not too long ago, and I thought it was hilarious.

Then, in my search for bacon roses, I found this little bit of heaven.

How true...

Herbed Popovers

After discovering a newfound love of Popovers (I've made them twice now), I decided to try out a different recipe for them, Herb Popovers.

Herb Popovers

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup(s) milk
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
  
• ½ teaspoon(s) salt
  
• 3 tablespoon(s) minced parsley
  
• 1 medium scallion, minced
  
• ½ teaspoon(s) each dried thyme and sage leaves

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly coat 12 regular-size (2 ½-inch) muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
   
2. Put flour, milk, eggs, oil and salt in a blender. Pulse until well blended, scraping down sides 2 or 3 times.
   
3. Stir in parsley, scallion, thyme and sage. Pour batter into muffin cups.
   
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and well browned. Unmold on wire rack. Pierce each popover with a small knife to release steam. Serve immediately.Make Ahead: Measure ingredients (don't mix). Mince parsley and scallion up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate in plastic wrap.

I was a little disappointed, they just weren't as good as the other recipe. They didn't rise as high, and the flavor wasn't what I expected. I guess they can't all be winners.

Happy Valentine's Day

To my family and loved ones, Happy Valentine's Day!

Reading Program 2012

I finally turned in my reading list for this year's adult reading program at our local library. The theme was "O Say Can You Read a Good Book," in honor of the Star Spangled Banner's birthday. For completing reading (or in my case, listening to) five books, participants received this cool mug.

We got the pen just for signing up for the program. Last year, I forgot to turn my list in, so I missed out on the crab themed mug. I was bummed.

Popovers

Ever since seeing popovers in the Food Network magazine several months ago, I’ve wanted to try them out. Wanda sent me an article from the Real Simple magazine, which put trying them out into motion.

Popovers

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
  
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  
• 1½ cups whole milk
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Brush the cups of a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with butter.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, butter, and salt until only a few lumps remain (do not overmix).
   
3. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and bake until puffed and a deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. (Do not open the oven door before 30 minutes or the popovers will collapse. Remove 1 popover to check that the underside is browned.) Serve immediately.

I’m surprised that they turned out as well as they did, since I used 2% milk, and added an extra tablespoon of butter to make up for it. They were not as light as they looked – I ate three in quick succession and made myself sick! They were good, though, and I think I’ll look for another recipe that might incorporate some extra flavor; more butter, cheese, herbs, fruit. Or maybe eat them with an herb butter or a jam.

Southern Fried Cabbage

As an accompaniment to the Easy Pork Shoulder, I made Southern Fried Cabbage.

Southern Fried Cabbage

Ingredients

• 7 slices bacon
  
• 1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate.
   
2. In the same skillet, stir cabbage in the bacon drippings until coated. Place lid on skillet and cook over medium heat until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly until cabbage is crisp and brown on the edges. Serve cabbage with bacon crumbled on top.

The version that Wanda wanted me to make had onions in it, but because of Tom’s intolerance of the vegetable, I found a slightly different recipe and made that. I think it turned out pretty well, and surprisingly, Tom enjoyed it, too. The pork was also a big hit.