Cooking together...a contact sport!

Gary and I LOVE to cook together.  We enjoy our time in the kitchen.  And our meals made together almost always turn out amazing!  But to the casual observer...you'd think it was World War III going down when we start our prep work.  We bicker. We fight.  We argue over everything.  And then we eat.  It's a special dance we have.  And oddly enough, we end up hashing out things that we never intended to discuss.  Our own brand of couples therapy.  But it's not for the weak!

My sweet husband took a day off this past Monday.  And we decided to make his fabulous "spicy rice" dish.  It's really close to a jambalaya, but not totally Cajun.  My family loves this dish, spice and all!  Even the baby cleans his plate.

I am normally very careful to create meals that my diabetic family members can handle.  Low-carb pasta, potatoes...that sort of thing.  But this is not in that genre.  Not even close.  Rice tends to be much more difficult for them to process, so be prepared if that's an issue.  You could probably use brown rice if you just wanted to be healthy.  But we like to live on the edge occasionally.

For this dish we use both chicken breasts and sausage.  Two good sized chicken breasts, chopped should equal about 2 cups.  I prefer to use Eckrich "skinless" sausage.  Because we add so many spices to the mix, you don't need your sausage to be spicy.  And the skinless just makes it easier to eat.  We use both links, sliced thick and then quartered.

The rest of our ingredients are fairly simple.  And I'll include amounts.  But I suggest you experiment and get the flavor right for you and your family.  The heat can get pretty intense.
You'll need 1/4 sweet, yellow onion; 1 red bell pepper; 1 green bell pepper; 2 cans of tomato sauce; Sriracha sauce; 1 tablespoon of minced garlic;  1/2 teaspoon of salt for the meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt for the rice; 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon of Louisiana brand Cajun Seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash "Extra Spicy";  Cayenne pepper; chili powder; 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce;  2 cups of rice.  And that's it!

Now, if you can't find these brands of spices...here's what's in them so you can match it up:

Louisiana brand Cajun Seasoning - Salt, spices, red pepper, garlic, and paprika.  (yes...a little vague on the "spices" but look for Cajun and you'll be alright!)

Mrs. Dash "Extra Spicy" - Black pepper, sweet chili pepper, cayenne pepper, celery seed, oregano, cumin, basil, bay, marjoram, savory, thyme, coriander, mustard, rosemary, onion, garlic, tomato, paprika color, citric acid, orange peel, oil of lemon.

Let's start cooking...get your boxing gloves on!

You'll want to start your rice cooking first.  I cheat...I use the fabulous rice cooker that my husband bought me a few years ago. Best gift ever!  A good pot of rice can take about 30 minutes to cook so get it started first.  Rule of thumb for rice...1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.  And don't forget to salt it before it cooks!  Just a half teaspoon of salt is all the flavor it needs!

Now that your rice is on, get started on the prep work.  Because every kitchen has limited counter space, and I'm sure that no one has a separate cutting board for every item, I recommend starting with the veggies.  Finely chop your onion, and both bell peppers.  Well...at least that's what my husband does!  When I'm doing the chopping, it's a little bigger...so I can pick these out while I'm eating!  I love the flavor of cooking with the peppers, I just don't care to eat them.  These should come to about  cup of each, however you choose to chop them.

Rinse your board, then chop up the sausage.  If you use both links, it should yield about 3 cups of meat.  Then rinse one more time and chop up the chicken breasts.  If they aren't fully defrosted...don't worry.  It's actually a little easier to chop chicken when it's still a little stiff.

Once you've got everything chopped, add about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to your skillet and turn the fire to high heat.  Next add one tablespoon of minced garlic to the pan and stir it around for just a minute, infusing the oil with your garlic flavor.  Toss your chicken and onions both into your hot skillet.  Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and stir.

NOW...you're gonna light the REAL fire!

Stir in 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce.  1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce goes in next. Time to add the dried spices - 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash "Extra Spicy," 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and stir!

Add in you 1 cup of green bell peppers and your red bell peppers and stir again.  Now...play with your spices.  Sprinkle a little of each in again and after adding the sausage, cook this mixture until the liquid is all gone.  Feel free to keep spicing it up...if you dare!

As soon as you've cooked off all of the liquid in the pan, you'll add the two cans of tomato sauce.  Now, adding the sauce will take some of your heat out...so zap in whichever of the flavors is your favorite.  Just a dash...or it'll be overwhelming!  Turn your fire down to low and let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Get those flavors good and married.

Something to keep in mind about "spicy cooking:" The longer it sits...the spicier it gets!  Don't forget this rule while you're adding those spices in.

At this point, your rice should already be done and ready to add to the skillet.  Make sure you mix very well once it's in the pan so that all of your rice is coated with the sauce.  Keep the fire on low and let it cook for just a few minutes more.  You want to serve this sticky, not juicy.

Your dish is officially ready now...put it into a pretty serving dish and set it on the table.  I like to serve mine with a side of buttered corn.  This keeps the fire in my mouth down while I enjoy much more of the rice than I should be eating!

Before you start cooking this with your spouse...check two things first...take your Prilosec!  And maybe make a list of topics that are off limits ;).

Go Spicy!

Once Upon A Time..Lasagna!

Once upon a time, there was a girl.  Well, not really a girl.  She was actually kinda old to be called a girl.  More like a "30-something." She found herself going on a dream trip.  A trans-Atlantic crossing, on the Queen Mary 2.  This was a dream trip because it was number 2 on her "bucket list."  Everyone has one of those don't they?

The ship was scheduled to sail from New York Harbour, past the Statue of Liberty, on October 24, 2006.  As she made her preparations to go on this trip, she imagined all sorts of romantic things.  And she laughed to her friends, "I'm going to have a ship-board romance!"  Knowing full well that she was much too shy to actually have one.  But it was fun to dream.

The "girl" and her travel companion, her adventure loving mother, left for New York City early that fall morning.  They boarded the QM2 with starry eyes and full of excitement.  That very night at a cocktail party for her and the other travel agents on board, she met her shipboard romance!  When she and her mother walked into the lounge, her mother's whispered "Look at that cute Chinese guy over there," sealed her fate.

Six days later, after disembarking in Southampton England, she was totally smitten and looking forward to meeting up with him again in London.  After having dinner with him, her mother, and her sister in London, they all headed home.  The "girl" and her family to Houston.  He back to Vancouver.  And the long-distance romance began in earnest.

He made arrangements to visit Houston almost as soon as he arrived home.  And on his first trip down...she cooked him lasagna!

My husband swears, to this day, that my lasagna is the reason he proposed.  Or maybe it was my apple pie...but most likely...it was the lasagna!

My Mammaw always made her lasagna from scratch.  And while it's not the fastest meal to cook, it's not anywhere near as complicated as most people think.  And it can actually be made a day or two ahead if that would be simpler.

I recently had a house full of unexpected company coming for dinner.  I had about 2 1/2 hours before they'd arrive and I needed to feed about 15 people.  Amazingly enough, I had most of the ingredients required to make my lasagna.  I jumped in the car and ran to HEB to grab a little more cheese...and I started to work.

The recipe is very simple.  And it's very similar to my spaghetti sauce, which I'll share at a later time.  For this many people, I used 2 pounds of ground beef.  3 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of dried Italian seasonings, one whole sweet yellow onion, 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 - 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings, 2 - 6 ounce cans of tomato paste with basil/garlic/and oregano, 54 ounces of tomato sauce, 18 lasagna noodles (yes...I actually count them out!), 2 - 8 ounce packages of shredded Italian Five Cheese from Kraft, 24 ounces of shredded mozzerella, approximately 32 ounces of cottage cheese, and one egg.

To start (and be prepared...your kitchen will begin to smell like an Italian restaurant very quickly!) pour the 3 tablespoons of olive oil into your pot and turn the heat on low.  Then add in the 3 tablespoons of dried Italian seasonings.  You can use fresh if you'd prefer.  But I don't typically have the time or energy to keep up with fresh herbs.  And while feeling a little guilty over it, I watched an episode of The Barefoot Contessa.  She had a professional chef on.  He said the key to using dried herbs is making sure to fully re-hydrate them.  Thank you Ina and friend!  You just made my life so much easier, and completely eliminated my guilt!

So now I use this technique every time.  I add the dried herbs to the olive oil before I even begin to sautee the onions.  Which is the very next step.  I find that the time it takes me to chop the onion is all the extra time the herbs need to soak up the oil.  So now I add the onions to the pot and let them cook until translucent.  The last thing I do, just before adding the meat to the pot, is add the 3 tablespoons of minced garlic.  You can use fresh garlic, but  in the interest of expediency, I use jar.  I honestly can't tell the difference in a dish like this.

After I put the ground beef into the pot(adding 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper), I turn the heat up to high and pour in the two cans of diced tomatoes.  I use the kind already seasoned, it just can't hurt to have more seasoning! Cook this until the meat is good and brown and make sure you get the consistency very fine.  For me...I don't like to have big chunks in my sauce!

As soon as the meat is browned we're going to make the rest of the sauce.  Turn the heat down to low again and add the two cans of tomato paste (also pre-seasoned...I love my Italian seasonings!) And stir it in. Then pour in the 54 ounces of tomato sauce.  If these happen to include some additional seasoning...go for it!

54 ounces seems like alot.  I know.  But when you're making a layered dish like this, you need to have plenty of sauce.

Leave your sauce simmering, you can cover it if you'd like, until you have everything else ready to assemble.

You should at some point in the process above (I'm not going to tell you when...You're a big girl...work that time management) start a pot of water to boil (with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt) and add the lasagna noodles.  I use Dreamfield brand, because they're low-carb...and I feed alot of diabetics.  For this recipe you'll need about 18 noodles, but to be safe you might cook 20.  This way...if the others break...you've got a couple of spare.

In a bowl pour your 32 ounces of cottage cheese, straining out as much of the extra liquid as possible.  On occassion, I use ricotta cheese instead.  But I far prefer the flavor of the cottage cheese.  Crack one egg into the bowl, and stir vigorously to lightly beat the egg.  The egg is nothing more than a binding agent.  It'll help make this layer stay together.

Once everything is cooked, the sauce and the noodles, turn your oven on to 350 degrees.  I used 2 - 9 by 13 baking pans.  Not too deep.

Now lets assemble the masterpiece!

Using a ladel, pour a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Then place three of your cooked noodles length-wise on top of the sauce. Now, ladel another layer of sauce on top of these noodles.  Then put a layer of the cottage cheese/egg mixture on that layer of sauce.  At this point, you can either go with your next layer of noodles, OR sprinkle some of the mozzerella cheese.  I'm a cheese lover...so I usually put the cheese next!

Now you'll put three more noodles, length-wise, on top of the cheese and ladel out more sauce.  Don't make the sauce layers too thick, or you'll run out...but don't be too stingy either.  You want a nice full lasagna.

Your next layer is just mozzerella.  Then you'll put three more noodles on top of this layer.  You're almost done!  Pour out one last layer of sauce then use an entire 8 ounce package of Kraft Italian Five Cheese shredded mix.  I love the combination of all of these cheeses, and it makes an excellent topper to our amazing lasagna!

Now repeat this entire process for your second baking pan.  Didn't need those extra two noodles?  Good!  Take them and dip them in any left-over sauce...and enjoy!  It's what I do!

If you'll be eating your lasagna today, go ahead an pop them in the oven for approximately 1 hour, or until the cheese on top starts to turn golden.  If you're preparing ahead, cover them with foil and put them in the fridge.  I don't recommend preparing them more than a day or two ahead.

Once your lasagna has baked, I suggest that you let them set for about 20 to 30 minutes (longer if you can).  They will actually serve better and be more firm if they aren't piping hot from the oven.

Remember, if your noodles tear while you're putting them in the pan...no worries.  You'll be cutting into them anyway.  So just piece them together as best you can and move on.

For a smaller gathering, or just your family, cut this exactly in half.  I promise...it'll still be perfect!

If your mouth isn't watering yet...check this picture out...it should be!

My Mammaw would be proud, I think, and I managed to catch me  husband too!

Quick and Easy Tonight!

Months and months ago my cousin, Rachel, suggested that I create a cooking blog.  I laughed it off and said "sure!"  But I was extremely flattered nontheless.  Because you see, we both grew up in this food-filled-family.  And Rachel is, in her own right an extremely talented lady.  In addition to being a caring, loving mother of two rambunctious, blonde, scamps, she's a wonderful teacher who's working on her master's degree. BUT...that's not all!  She's also one of the best make-up artists you'll ever have the privilege to watch at work, with a blog of her own.  I have photographic proof!

So when I say I was flattered, you'll now understand what a compliment I found it.  It took me a while to get up the nerve and decide that I really could do this thing.  I've written before...and I love to write...so I just needed to get motivated.  Well now I am!  And today's menu is dedicated to Rachel's little boy Noah, because he does this happy little dance whenever he hears about "Sloppy Joe's."  And it's the cutest little dance I ever did see!  Here's to Noah...

Some nights, you just don't want a big sit-down dinner with good plates and multiple courses.  But you still want to serve a home-cooked meal.  This is a GREAT option!  It's simple and inexpensive.  And as with a good portion of my menu choices, it includes just one pound of ground beef.  My other ingredients are 1/4 of a large, sweet onion,1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce, 1 can of tomato sauce, and 4 packets of Splenda (or a tablespoon of sugar if you'd rather).

Start by sauteing your finely chopped onion in either a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil on low heat.  Once the onions are translucent, add the ground beef to the pan and turn up the heat!  Now, sprinkle in your 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and open those 4 packets of Splenda into the mix. Start stirring that around a bit, then add the Worcestershire Sauce.  Cook this until the meat is nice and brown.

As soon as the meat has browned, add the remaining ingredients.  Your "Joe's" should be thick and tomato-y.  Yes...that's my word for today!  Now, I prefer mine to be a little on the "tart" side.  But this is where you'll want to taste and increase any ingredient you feel it needs.  Sometimes...I add a bit more mustard.  And sometimes...I add a bit more barbeque sauce.  But sometimes...it's already just right!

To serve these, I just put the cooked meat in a bowl and put it on the table.  Everyone makes their own sandwich with whatever fixin's they prefer.  I like mine with just a bit of mayo and some sliced American cheese on wheat bread.  My mother likes to add pickles, and leaves off the cheese.  My husband will only eat these on hamburger buns.  To each his own!

Not only is this an easy weeknight meal, it's a great large gathering plan.  You cook the meat, and set out all of the different sides.  Just increase each ingredient exactly for each pound of ground beef.

Eat up!  And don't be too sloppy!