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Every few months, my farmer and I like to have this discussion where I try to convince him that living in Missouri = living in the South and then he tries to tell me that living in Missouri = living in the Midwest.
Then I point out that people here have accents and drink sweet tea and it's basically case closed.
In my mind anyway.
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It seemed fitting then that the last time we visited a used second-hand bookstore, I came home with a Paula Deen cookbook and immediately started stocking up on butter.
I mean, we're dairy farmers, after all.
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My goal this summer has been to use up food in our pantry and our freezer, and with smoked sausage patiently waiting to be thawed, Paula's jambalaya just had to be.
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I will confess that I didn't add the shrimp the recipe called for, namely because (1) we didn't have it and (2) ewww. Chicken would be a perfectly lovely substitute, but I didn't take the time to cook one and shred it because I'm a bum like that.
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Speaking of shredding chicken: You know the trick about cooking chicken breasts in your crock pot and then putting them in the mixer and letting the mixer shred them, right? Works like a dream. Better, even.
So between some spicy jambalaya and some non-existent chicken, while I'm out of town this week, my farmer will be eating his fair share of Paula's classic dish, some lemon-garlic tilapia with asparagus risotto and . . .
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salads. Because sometimes when you've worked outside all day in abnormally warm September weather, a big class of lemonade and a taco salad hit the spot.
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And you know why?
Because WE LIVE IN THE SOUTH.
Of course.
I'm glad we can agree.
What are you chowing down on this week?
Paula Deen's Jambalaya
1 cup long-grain white rice
3 T dried minced onion
1 T dried parsley flakes
1 T beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 pound fully cookie smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1. In a medium bowl, combine the rice, onion, parsley flakes, bouillon, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt and bay leaf.
2. IN a Dutch oven, combine the rice mixture, 2 1/2 cups water, tomatoes, tomato sauce and sausage. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Add the shrimp (or chicken) and cook until just opaque, 5-7 minutes; discard the bay leaf. Dish it up while it's hot!
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How did I miss this post!? That jambalaya looks good.
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