Cajun Jambalaya*

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon.......................... vegetable oil
1 pound................................. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 pound................................. andouille sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium ...............................red onion (or sweet white), chopped
1 medium............................... green bell pepper, chopped
1 rib....................................... celery, chopped
1 medium............................... tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons......................... McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cajun Seasoning  (or Old Bay Seasoning)
2 each.....................................McCormick® Gourmet Collection Bay Leaves, Turkish
1 cup...................................... long grain rice
1 3/4 cups............................... Kitchen Basics® Original Chicken Stock


Process

1. Heat oil in large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and sausage; cook and stir 5 minutes. Remove from skillet.

2. Pour off excess oil. Add onion, bell pepper and celery; cook and stir on medium heat until onion is softened. Stir in tomato, Cajun seasoning and bay leaves.

3. Return chicken and sausage to skillet. Add rice and stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 25 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves before serving.

*McCormick Gourmet Collection Recipe modified by Chase Goode

Comments
"The most difficult part of this recipe is learning how to pronounce it...jam...bah...lah...ya."  Chase Goode

Guacamole Dip

Guacamole Dip
This is a great recipe for one of my favorites...guacamole dip.  This is an adaptation of my son-in-law's recipe that is one of the most simple, but one of the best tasting guacamole recipes I have tasted.  The entire family enjoys this recipe with corn chips.

Ingredients
3 each.....................Ripe avocados
1/2 cup...................Pico de Gallo
1/4 teaspoon...........Garlic powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon...........Salt
1/2 teaspoon...........Lime Juice (or 1/4 teaspoon of lime juice concentrate)
1/2 pods.................Hot pepper (optional)
1/2 cup...................Chopped Cilantro (optional)

Preparation

• Remove the skins and seeds of the avocados and place into bowl.
• Chop avocados into small chunks
• Add lime juice and stir into avocado chunks (prevents avocados from turning brown)
• Add garlic powder and salt and gently stir
• Add pico de gallo and gently stir

Comments
It doesn't get any better than this recipe for those who love homemade guacamole dip...Chase Goode

Summer Breeze Chicken

Summer Breeze Chicken
This recipe is named Summer Breeze for the simplicity in creating it.  It is a quick and easy recipe for both the beginner and seasoned cook that offers just a hint of tropical cuisine.  Once you try it, I suspect that it will become one of the most frequently used recipes in your cooking arsenal and for good reason....everyone likes it from children to senior citizens.

Ingredients
1/4 cup      Extra virgin olive oil (to be adjusted based on frying pan size)
2 large       Bay Leaves
1 tbsp        Garlic (minced)
1/4 cup      Chopped Sweet Onion
2 lbs          Chicken Breasts (or Tenders)...Chop into bite size pieces
1/2            Fresh Lime
1 pkg        Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg        Italian Bread Crumbs
1 can         Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 cup     Milk
2 pats       Butter
                Salt & Pepper (to taste)
1 box       Small Spaghetti or Fettucinni Pasta
1 lrg         Frying Pan

Preparation
* Place the large frying pan on top of the stove with a medium to medium-high heat setting
* Pour the extra virgin olive oil into the frying pan
* Place the garlic, onions and bay leaves into the frying and sautee for several minutes
* Place the chicken into the pan and cook until done
* Completely squeeze the lime juice into the frying pan
* Stir the chicken for several minutes and reduce the heat to low-medium to medium heat
* Pour stewed tomatoes into the frying pan
* Remove the bay leaves
* Slowly pour the milk into the frying pan
* Add salt and pepper to taste
* Add the butter
* Place the heat on low for the chicken and other ingredients to simmer until pasta is ready
* Boil pasta until tender and drain water leaving only the pasta
* Toast bread crumbs on a cookie sheet in the oven or in another frying pan on the stove top
* Add pasta to the frying pan containing the chicken and toss all ingredients together
* Place individual portions on to plates (or large soup bowls)
* Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs and parmesan cheese

Comments by Chase Goode
"Do not let the length of the recipe fool you...this is a simple and easy recipe. From start to finish it should take no longer than 30 minutes."

Apple Jacks

Whether you call them Apple Jacks or Apple Turnovers, this fruit filled pastry is a holiday treat enjoyed by all of our family.

Apple Jacks

Ingredients - Apple Filling
6 each....................large apples (almost any apple will do)
2 cups....................granulated sugar (or add sugar to taste)
1/2 stick.................unsalted butter (or add butter to taste)
1/4 tsp...................apple pie spice (or add apple pie spice to taste)

Preparation - Apple Filling
*Peel,core and slice apples
*Place slice apples into a pot filled a small amount of water to allow apples to cook without scorching
*Cook until apples are soft (a filling consistency similar to chunky apple sauce)
*Once apples are cooked, take off heat and allow to cool completely

Ingredients - Pastry Dough
*Prepare biscuit dough (see Mimi's biscuit recipe) or use prepared pastry shells
*Roll out individual apple pastry shells about the size of a grapefruit in diameter
*The the individual pastry shells about 1/8 inch in thickness or thick enough that the shell does not tear when filled with fruit filling


Preparation - Pastry Dough
*Fill each pastry shell with fruit filling  (do not overfill)
*Fold pastry shell over to create a half shell with pastry filling inside
*Crimp pastry shell around the edges to seal pastry filling inside



Cooking
*Always use a cast iron frying pan and crisco shortening
*Use enough crisco to fry the apple jack one side at a time. 
*Let the crisco heat up pretty hot, but not hot enough to allow jacks to brown without burning before time to flip them:) You will have to adjust the temp of the crisco as needed and probably
will need to use two pans as to keep the crisco clean from charred dough and burnt crust.
*After frying the apple jacks, place them on a plate with plenty of paper towels to absorb the crisco as they cool.

Comment(s) by Aunt Gail:
"Truly this is all there is to it.  Make them to your taste and doneness.  As Mom always said, "The ugliest ones are usually the best ones."

Comment(s) by Chase Goode:
"This is one of my favorite desserts because of its wonderful taste and texture, plus it has linked three generations...my Grandmother to my Mother to my Sister.  All experts at making Apple Jacks."



 



 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Aunt Louise is one of the best cooks that we know.   She ventures outside the box with new recipes that seem to always be loved by the immediate and extended family members.  She loves to entertain and a visit to her home for the holidays is one long remembered for great food and gracious hospitality.  Here is her version for a homemade holiday treat that compliments the traditional holiday meal.

Ingredients
1 bag..............................Fresh Cranberries
2 boxes..........................Cherry Jello
1/2 cup...........................Orange Juice
1/2 cup...........................Crushed Pineapple
1 cup..............................Chopped Pecans
2 cups............................Sugar
3 cups............................Water


*Grind the fresh cranberries in a food processor to a course consistency
*Add sugar to cranberries and mix well.  Let sugar and cranberries stand for at least 1 hour
*Add orange juice to mixture and stir
*Add crushed pineapple to mixture and stir
*Bring water to a boil and add cherry jello
*Pour the cherry jello and chopped pecans into the bowl with other ingredients and mix well
*Pour jello mixture into a mold or pyrex dish to congeal
*Place into the refrigerator at least 3 hours
*Serve cold

Plain Pound Cake

Mimi has done it again!  She has given up her pound cake recipe to the benefit of all the family who have tasted this wonderful treat at past family gatherings.  Nothing and I mean nothing beats the taste of Mimi's pound cake fresh and still warm from the oven.  It is a slice of heaven on earth.

Plain Pound Cake
3 cups           sugar
3 sticks          butter (salted)
5 each            eggs (large)
3 cups            flour plain
1 cup              milk
½ tsp              salt
1 tsp               lemon extract
1 tsp               vanilla extract


*Oil and flour a large Bundt cake pan (remove the excess flour)
*Blend sugar and butter (softened) together with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl
*Add eggs one at a time to the blended sugar and butter while continuing to mix the first two ingredients
*Add flour and milk slowly alternating each until integrated with the other ingredients to form a batter
*Add salt, lemon extract and vanilla extract to batter and mix thoroughly
*Pour batter into the Bundt cake pan
*Place the Bundt cake pan into a cold oven on the middle shelf
*Turn the oven on and set the temperature a 325*F
*Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done


Comments from Mimi:
  "Always start with a cold oven and do not open the oven door for at least an hour as you risk the cake falling."


Comments from Chase Goode:
  "This is a Win-Win dessert.  If it comes out perfect from the oven, I am a happy camper.  And if the cake falls while in the oven, I am still a happy camper.  The fallen cake is a little more dense in its texture, but it is still great."

Chicken Stew

One of the culinary delights of the entire spectrum of food is chicken stew.  It is a concoction that once eaten is never far from one's mind when hungry.  If chicken soup is good for the soul, then chicken stew is better for the soul.  Throw in a few hush-puppies on a cold, fall/winter day and you have one of the great gifts to mankind.  My father-in-law has what I consider to be one of the best chicken stew recipes ever created and now I am sharing it with you.

Chicken Stew
5 each      large chicken breasts with bone-in
5 each      large baking potatoes
3 each      large sweet onions
1 can       tomato soup
2 cans      creamed corn
1 can       cream of mushroom soup
1 can       crushed tomatoes (without bell pepper)
1 stick      salted butter
1 quart     whole milk

*Place chicken in a large soup pot and cover with water
*Boil chicken in a large soup pot until done
*Remove chicken from pot (and retain chicken broth in the pot)
*Chop the chicken breast to a shredded consistency
*Return chopped chicken to the large soup pot retaining the chicken broth
*Peel and cube uncooked potatoes (cubes should be about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch)
*Place cubed potatoes into soup pot with shredded chicken
*Peel and finely chop onions
*Place chopped onions into pot with other ingredients
*Add can of tomato soup to the pot
*Add cans of creamed corn to the pot
*Add can of crushed tomatoes to the pot
*Add stick of butter to the pot
*Add can of cream of mushroom soup to the pot
*Stir all ingredients together and simmer until potatoes are done
*Add salt and pepper to taste
*When potatoes are done slowly add milk and bring to a low boil
*Serve hot with homemade hush-puppies (or cornbread)

Comments by my Father-In-Law:
  "This is quick and easy recipe that the entire family loves."


Comments from Chase Goode:
  "If you placed some of this chicken stew on top of your head, your tongue will beat your brains out trying to taste it.  It is REALLY that good!"