Mrs. Thomas Jambalaya

This recipe was given to me by Anna Reese, her Mom Laura Thomas makes the best Jambalaya! This is one of my go to recipes for a yummy easy dinner!

Momma Laura's Jambalaya

1 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped (if you don't like bell peppers you can leave this out)
4 celery stalks chopped
1 small can of diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1/2# shrimp
1/2# sausage (Louisiana hot links or similar)
2 chicken breast (boneless,skinless)
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken stock or broth

1. Boil the chicken in enough water to cover the chicken, when cooked through pull out and let cool a bit. After chicken is completely cooked cut into chunks or shredd.
2. In a 3-5 qt pot with a lid, Sauté the chopped veggies in olive oil, adding the chopped garlic toward the end.
3. Add sausage to veggies pot
4. Add rice and tomatoes with juice to veggies pot
5. Add 2 cups chicken broth and chicken to veggie pot and bring to a boil
6. Turn down heat, put the lid on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Stir the mixture every once in a while so that the rice doesn't stick or burn to the hottest part of the pot.
7. If using short grain rice, only use 1 1/2 cups chicken stock.
NOTE: if you use shrimp add it to the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time. You don't want to over cook the shrimp.
If you don't use shrimp just add a little more sausage.
The dish will be kinda wet, not dry like when you normally make rice.
Enjoy!

Chicken with Mustard, Mascarpone, Marsala Sauce

I wanted to try making a chicken Marsala dish for dinner and found this recipe from Giada on the Food Network. It's Chicken Marsala with a twist and is delicious! Tim said I could add it to the recipe rotation. I made a few alterations from the original and will give you my version of it =D

Chicken Marsala, with Mascarpone and Mustard
Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup of flour
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 Tablespoons Butter, divided
1 Shallot, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups Marsala wine
1 cup (8ounces) mascarpone cheese (comes in a little tub)
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 bag (about 6 ounces) fettuccine or whatever pasta shape you feel like

Mix the 1/2 cup of flour with salt and pepper. Cut the chicken breast in half, lengthwise(butterflied), so you end up with 4 thinner breast pieces. Coat the chicken breast with the flour. Heat the oil and 1Tablespoon of butter in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown on both side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Once the chicken is removed from the pan, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are about half-way done add the shallots. Saute until the mushrooms are tenders and the juices evaporate, then add the garlic and saute for another minute more. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced to about half. Stir in the Mascarpone and mustard. Now you can either put the chicken breast in whole or slice each breast crosswise and then add them to the sauce. I put mine in whole. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the past and cook, stirring occasionally. Drain. Toss the pasta with remaining butter(I forgot to do this part and it was fine, if you want to cut down on the butter). Swirl the fettuccine or place the pasta onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken and sauce mixture over the top. Voila!

Thunder Cake

Thunder Cake!
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together one at a time:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated
( blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)

1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
Sift together:
21/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup dry cocoa
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8
1/2 inch pans at 350 degree for 35 to 40 minutes. I do recommend checking at the 15 mark, if over cook it does become dry.

Quick Chocolate ButterCream Frosting From William Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

ENJOY!!! It is a Russia cake recipe.