Tomatoey Jambalaya

Taking stock of pantry supplies it has been decided this week is clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry week. Meals are going to have to be creative and require little supplies from the grocery store. First recipe up to bat was Vegetarian Jambalaya where the picture did not match the ingredients list. Like did not match at all! Knowing then there were going to be issues with this recipe, pantry dinner #1 was already interesting and it was not even tasted yet.

Modifications Made:

Not basing the picture to the ingredients list, this meal was cooked based upon experience and gut feeling. With exception to the tomato paste, all ingredients seemed a likely combination in proportional measurements. Therefore only method of cooking was modified, not quantities. However, vegetarian meat substitute was replaced with four links of Eckrich smoked sausage because that's what was in the freezer.

Onion, celery, and bell peppers were cooked until al dente. Canned tomato, tomato paste, and chicken broth were added and stirred until bubbly. Frozen zucchini, frozen okra, two tablespoons of sweet paprika, one teaspoon of basil/oregano/thyme, two tablespoons of diced garlic (the kind from the jar), and sausage were added and stirred until mixture bubbly. Rice was added and well stirred to incorporate. Mixture was cooked until desired consistency of rice was reached, adding water if needed.

Scaled for Likeness: Good

Gumbo vs Jambalaya vs Etouffee. Depending upon where you are when making it, eating it, discussing it, the three will vary drastically or be all the same. Where I am from none of these include tomato paste as a base but when making the recipe I decided to give it a whirl as that is kinda the point of this whole year long experiment. Right? Tomato paste was not bad in the jambalaya it was just too much. Instead of 6 ounces, the recipe should have had around 2-3 ounces instead. All counterparts of the table agreed more okra and more rice was needed on the next go around.

All in all, I would make this recipe again as it was super simple and made a mountain of food.

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes for flavored tomatoes, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one can tomato sauce, two low sodium chicken and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots, juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almost tender. Green beans and corn tossed in, heat t

Way Too Rich, Extra Heavy Cheesecake

Pictures are deceptive. What this picture of this recipe does not show is how old and faded the print out paper is, how many stains are smudged across various spots, and the numerous notes written in the top right corner with the first one dating back to college days in 2001. Yikes, twenty years ago makes this paper print out old, no wait, that makes me old. Eek. Sadly, my current living quarters do not allow for cooking of this cheesecake. In fact the last time this recipe has been made have been close to six or seven years. That is just too long. Too long. Luckily, we are spending Spring Break at family with a real oven. A family who will help eat this oh so rich, very decadent, supremely yummy cheesecake. Modifications Made: There are four keys to a successful cheesecake. ONE: all ingredients must be room temperature. If your house is ice chest cold, then warm the ingredients on the stovetop. TWO: do not over mix. Excessive mixing creates air pockets resulting in split mi

Layered Lemon Curd Loaf

Good grief us heat loving Texans have made it. What a week it has been. Winter is over and Texas winter is back. Last night to celebrate the end of The Great Freeze 2021 with heating pads, electric blankets, and space heaters we indulgently ate ice cream. Yes, it was 32 degrees outside but directly in front of the space heater it was bliss.. Tonight it was back to everything lemon with The Best Lemon Curd Loaf Cake using this Lemon Curd recipe. Modifications Made: For the bread, sugar was reduced by a quarter cup, greek yogurt was used instead of sour cream, lemon extract instead of lemon zest, and glaze was omitted. Scaled for Likability: Good Love this lemon curd. Have made several versions and this is by far the easiest. Bread was not excessively sweet, had a moist, crumby inside, and a crunchy top layer. Layers of bread to curd was good but the addition of a sweetened cream cheese would have been better. Bread was served cold and would have been great with a drizzle of lemon

Eating Waffles

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