Jambalaya with Chicken and Pecan Smoked Sausage

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Jambalaya WM

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 T butter, unsalted
12 oz pecan or garlic smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb tasso diced
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1 T garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 t paprika
1 1/2 t granulated onion
1 1/2 t granulated garlic
1 1/2 t dried basil
1 t chili powder
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 1 ground black pepper
1/4 t ground white pepper
1/4 t celery seed
1/4 t cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cup rice

Garnish: green onion, sliced Read More

Stephen’s Smothered Pork Chops

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Stephens Smothered Pork ChopsIngredients:

6 (1 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T vegetable or your favorite high heat oil
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 yellow (or orange) bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 large sweet onion, thickly sliced
1 lb cremini or button mushrooms, rinsed, dried, and thickly sliced
2 T soy sauce, low sodium
1/4 cup unsalted vegetable stock or white wine
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/4 t ground rosemary
6 sprigs fresh thyme Read More

The Solitary Muse

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AdrienneLookingMtStHelens

One of the wonderful people joining me on this adventure called Mindful Palate asked me to write about loneliness. I am not a psychologist or even a yogi, but I here’s what I think.

Loneliness is a feeling that one is isolated mentally from others. Directed angrily inward, feelings of loneliness hammer you with critiques about your capabilities and likability, twisting memories and pushing a fragmented view of the future with its insistence that you are not good enough. This emotion run amok drives a wedge between you and your ability to be content.

Loneliness has nothing to do with being by yourself because people are not hanging around with you. It’s all about how you hang around with yourself.

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Working with Active Dry Yeast

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YeastBefore you bake that loaf of bread, let’s stop a moment and discuss the temperature.

I don’t mean how hot it is outside, I mean the right temperature of the liquids used to activate yeast so that your bread and rolls rise high and light.

You can be precise and use a thermometer, but as my Aunt-in-law Mama D always said – “Don’t make a federal case out of using yeast.”

I always listen to her.

The following three words are a great way to remember the non-federal case way to activate yeast. Read More

Leftover Turkey and Tortellini Soup

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Leftover Turkey Tortellini SoupIngredients:

6 cups chicken or turkey stock
1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 t ground garlic
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried basil
1/2 t dried Mediterranean oregano
1/4 t dried rosemary
1/4 t ground black pepper
2 cups leftover turkey, chopped or shredded
9 oz cheese tortellini
2 cups tightly packed fresh spinach, large leaves torn in half Read More