Shrimp Gumbo

Olive Oil
3Tbsp all purpose flour
10tbsp chicken broth
4oz smoke ham, chopped
1C chopped onion
1C chopped green bell pepper
2/3C cup diced celery
one small bag frozen corn
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 lbs fresh okra pods, sliced
1/4C water
1/2tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 (28oz)can diced tomatoes, Drained(I don't drain bc we like the juice from it)
1lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf(Italian) parsley

Heat some oil(I eyeball around a tbsp) in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook one minute til lightly browned. Stirring constantly whisk in chicken broth. Stir til thick. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel.
Heat more oil(again eyeball a tbsp or so) in pan over med. heat. Add onion and ham; cook 10min, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper,celery,corn,okra,dried thyme and garlic. Cook 5min til veggies are almost tender. Add broth mixture and water. Stir together. Add ground peppers,paprika,salt,allspice,and tomatoes. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 min til veggies are tender. Stir in shrimp. Cook til shrimp is pink, or til done. Sprinkle w/parsley and serve over Rice.

I serve this over Saffron Rice, but traditionally it's served over Grits. We do not like Grits. So use whatever you like.

Chicken Spaghetti

This recipe came from a friend a long time ago. It's really good. Smells like heaven as it cooks :)

4 chicken breast(or whole chicken) boiled and chopped
1 can of Ro*tel or diced tomatoes for those that can't handle the spice ;)
2 med. onion(I use one large onion)
16oz spaghetti noodles(boiled in chicken broth from boiling chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth(I just use 14oz of the chicken broth from boiling chicken)
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Boil your chicken, then chop it up. I like to use a whole chicken bc I think it's juicier and the broth is better. Either way is ok. If you are going to use some chicken broth from the chicken that you boiled, take that out of the pan now, and set aside. Then add noodles to the pan of broth and boil til done. Spray a 9x13 dish. Mix Rotel(or diced tomatoes w/juice),soup, broth together. Layer Spaghetti, chicken,onions,cheese, and pour 2/3 broth/soup mixture over top. Repeat layers except do not add the rest of cheese. Bake 350 for 1 hour uncovered. Last 10 minutes add cheese and bake for remaining time.

Love to serve this with crusty rolls but you serve with whatever you like. Really good and simple to make.

Homemade BBQ sauce

1 1/2C ketchup
1/2C cola or beer
1/2C honey
1TBSP butter
1/2tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2tsp chili powder
1/2+ TBSP minced garlic

Heat in pot for 10 min. That's it :)

Really good, I am pouring it over ribs.

Tandoori Chicken

I found this recipe in a magazine, Cooking Light. So, I wanted to try it out. I have to say it made the house smell heavenly. It had a really good flavor as well. It's an Indian dish that is usually cooked in a Tandoor oven but since I just have a regular oven, that's what I used LOL.

1 (6oz)container plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp garam masala
2tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon over 6 skinless chicken thighs (I used skinless,boneless chicken thighs)and under. Cover and marinate for 4 hrs. Bake chicken, uncovered at 400 for 40 minutes or til chicken is done(juice run clean internal temp of 160).

Next time, I am trying it w/Chicken breast. Recipe states that this is great on steaks :) so that may be on my list to try too. Grilling them of course ;)


The sauce:

Cookie Pizza

This is so fun to make and yummy. Very easy. I wouldn't put the fruit on til you're ready to eat it or take this where ever you are going. The juice from some of the fruits can water down the pizza.

One package of Sugar Cookie mix

Mix cookie together according to package directions. Then spread into a 9x13 baking dish. You can use a pizza pan, however, using the 9x13 dish will make it very easy to transport and store in fridge. Bake til the cookie is done, a light golden brown color. Cool.

1 (8oz)pk cream cheese
1Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and add on top of cooled cookie.

Then add assorted fruit. Try strawberries, kiwi, oranges,apples, grapes and you can even use things like raisins,dried cranberries or chocolate chips. If you add bananas, you may want to roll the slices in some lemon juice to keep them from browning so fast.

Make this one w/the kids!!!