Off The Menu's Famous Jambalaya: A Meal With Southern Charm That Cooks Itself

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Sometimes I get a craving for something that is stew like that I can just throw together easily in that great invention known as a slow cooker. What better way to satisfy that stew craving by making Jambalaya, a meal that is both meaty and delicious to the last drop. To accomplish this feat, I broke out an old southern family recipe and got to work.

To try this for yourself and you won't regret it, you'll need:

2 frozen chicken breasts (slice it the way you will)

1 lb smoked sausage or sausage of your choice

28 ounces of canned diced tomatoes with juice

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound frozen cooked shrimp without tails
DIRECTIONS:

1. In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, canned diced tomatoes, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, and thyme.

2. Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

3. Serve over rice if you so desire or without if that is your style.

A very early morning preparation goes into this meal if you have to go to work early and are wanting it to cook while you're at work thinking about it! A very useful tip for you working folks is to mix the ingredients in plastic containers the night before and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Then, when you wake up and dinner is furthest from your mind, you can throw all prepared ingredients into the old crock pot while still in your PJ's! The above is what you'll see before you walk out the door. This also works if you don't have to work in the morning, and just want to enjoy the morning smelling it, instead of preparing it! Remember, this recipe literally cooks itself!

It might sound crazy but why not put your leftover Jambalaya on a sandwich to have for lunch. I did just that on my sandwich blog at: Sandwich Everything It also might sound kind of crazy but it was actually mighty tasty.

Manicotti For Any Occasion

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Manicotti is almost too good. My Italian mother made it the best when I was growing up and now I must treat myself to it on occasion. Speaking of occasions, this dish goes over very well with having guests over. You almost can't go wrong at least in my family when people eat it because you don't hear a single complaint just the occasional, "oh this is so good" or "this hits the spot". Another plus about this Italian meal is that it's not too hard to make! My mother on the other hand would tell you otherwise but take it from me, it's not a whole lot of work because stuffing the shells can be done pretty quickly and by the time you know it, it's in the oven cooking! If you're looking for something Italian to make besides making spaghetti all the time, please by all means give this meal a go and treat yourself to something different for any occasion!


Ingredients:

1. Manicotti shells

2. Ricotta cheese (I suggest at least low fat to regular to make this dish taste as good as you can)

3. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

4. Parmesan Cheese

5. Parsley, salt, and black pepper to season

6. Don't forget your favorite spaghetti sauce in a jar or you can always be a true Italian chef and make your own! Steps to a wonderful Manicotti occasion are as follows:




1. Throw all the Ricotta, Permesan, Mozzarella cheese in a bowl and add your fresh parsley, black pepper and salt to season like above.



A lovely cheese blend!





2. After you've boiled the shells like you would do spaghetti then it's time to stuff them. Don't be afraid to get your hands in the cheese mix to do the stuffing, it's easier than you might think to stuff the shells. This is what the result should look like.




3. Just before putting them into the oven, put the sauce on top and spread it over the stuffed shells.....be generous with the sauce because it doesn't hurt. Put these in the oven for about 40 minutes on 350 and Enjoy! By the way, while you're at it, celebrate with a little wine on the side for whatever occasion you're celebrating..... hey any occasion is a good excuse to eat delicious Manicotti!

Chicken Flautas Tex Mex Party

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Chicken Flautas are a Tex Mex favorite of mine but usually I only get them at restaurants because they can be a little challenging to make....not because they are complicated but because it involves using hot oil. Yes, watch out because you could get burned! You know, sometimes...not usually but sometimes I'm up for a little risk so I decided to try them out at home. Was it challenging? You betcha, and kind of messy but that first bite told me it was all worth it...even if I got slightly burned....no...hardly I'm exaggerating, got the tip of my finger but barely....yes honestly I yelped but only a bit!!! Check these out for yourself and don't be afraid to make them but please take your time and DON'T turn the pan with oil up too much. Slow and low wins the race!

Ingredients:

1. Corn Tortillas
2. Frozen Chicken Breasts
3. Canola Oil, Minced Garlic in jar, Sea Salt, Pepper, and Taco Seasoning for chicken marinade
4. Shredded Mexican Style Cheese

Tips for making the chicken taste right:

1. Defrost chicken breasts.

2. Poke holes in the chicken with a fork to allow marinade to get inside.

3. Slice up that chicken into little strips.

4. Marinade strips with canola oil, minced garlic from a jar, sea salt, pepper, and taco seasoning.

5. Throw chicken strips in a already hot pan until nice, tender, and done.

Picture by picture steps for doing flautas are as follows but first thing, warm up your corn tortillas in the microwave for under a minute because if you don't your tortilla will break when you try and wrap the chicken...I know because I learned the hard way....now follow these steps and ENJOY a Tex Mex favorite......



1. Just before my flauta found its way into the pan! Gotta get plenty of shredded cheese in with the chicken, almost covering it up because it's like glue and holds the flauta together when you put it in the pan (after you wrap it like a burrito)....very important! Also, use corn tortillas to do these...trust me..it's easier to fry right!



2. Notice a lot of gooey cheese inside and the flauta staying together! Turn them over when brown on one side to do the other. I would recommend using canola oil to fry these. Remember, fry using low heat! Be safe!

More than enough tasty flautas to go around. You know you want some! Bring the Margaritas and it's a party! It's summer and it's time to have fun with cooking!

Bon Appetit!
                      Chef Matt