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Jambalaya is something I’ve eaten a lot of and I loved since I was kid. I just love the mix of crunchy peppers and veggies. The assortment of meats and of course the kick of the spices. It really brings out my inner Newman. When I was a kid though it used to leave this ring around my lips that would last for days I used to eat it ridiculously spicy. That doesn’t happen anymore but I still sometimes wonder what that was about.

When I started making Jambalaya on my own I was kind of intimidated. It seemed to have so many ingredients but most importantly the rice! The thought of prepping all this stuff plus the expense of the ingredients led me to some concerns . I had to nail the rice. When I was just learning to cook I was so intimidated i’d make boil in bag…

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I tend to over do it when I go to specialty markets. The over excitement of it all always gets me. I’ve even gone so far as to picking up a hand basket from the front instead of a cart to try and keep things at a minimum. The way I shop sometimes you’d think I was either a tourist and ill never see the store again or its like its going about of business and I must buy everything . With that being said I have a lot of seasoning and spices from a lot of specialty places and that keeps things fun. But most importantly it helps me become familiar with ingredients and helps me think about them in different ways.

Recently on my adventures into specialty stores I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone. So even if I cant read the bottle I use some context…

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It takes a lot to get me excited about pork if I’m being honest. Being a steak kinda girl most of the time I’m thinking why not just eat steak. Naturally, I occasionally do crave porkchops so I obviously know that includes its companion gravy and mash potatoes. Sometimes I don’t actually feel compelled to change up pork chops and gravy too too much. But I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while. I wrote it into my food journal a while back when I thought it up and figured next time I have the craving I’ll try it out. I thought the recipe was delicious the original recipe had cinnamon in it and I’m so glad I left it out. It also inspired me for a another future recipe. So stay tuned for that. This is one of the best gravy’s I’ve ever made the red onions absolutely…

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As a kid I only ever had turkey during the holidays or at the renaissance festival. If I had it during non holidays it was in the form of lunch meat for sandwiches and that’s really about it. Basically I saw turkey as a treat and I really still do. Turkey to me kicks off the holiday season. On the downside that means you’re not practicing with turkey regularly so when it comes to the big day of a holiday that can be a lot of pressure. So I avoid whole birds during the rest of the year and if I do make my own turkey its drumsticks or breasts, not a whole 10lb turkey. That way I can experiment trying out new recipes and get more familiar with the bird. So this recipe was kind of a challenge for me in a learning something new, what I would do…

A very good friend of mine is a veritable brownie monster. And for him, only a fudgy brownie is a good brownie! So when his birthday came, I decided to bake him a large tray of the chocolaty sweet. Turned out we all went to an Italian restaurant in the end…

But as the ingredients lay ready, it did not take me long to find the next opportunity. I am usually not much of a friend of chocolate desserts myself, although I love a piece of intensely dark, good chocolate. However, as so many times before in my life, I stand corrected. I fell absolutely in love with this recipe and the wonderfully moist, chewy, and – yes – fudgy little square of wonder that it guides you to let rise in your oven…

So – here’s to share 🙂

Sanni

Ingredients (for a 20×25 cmrectangular cake pan):

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I have always seen those ‘Chili making’ contests in movies or people saying ‘Have you tried my famous chili?” and always wondered what it tasted like, a meal on it’s own in a bowl which everyone went crazy about! Texas is pretty famous for their Chili, but did you know that the authentic Texas chili has no beans? Yeah, I came to know about this recently when I had a traditional Beef Chili in a local place in Austin, Texas. As tasty as it was, I kinda missed the beans in it. After that, I decided to make a chili on my own or at least my version of it with flavors I felt would go well with each other. I used pinto beans and ground pork in my recipe as I felt the ground pork fats would add more flavor to the dish and the pinto beans because, well…

These fish cakes are loaded with fresh herbs and Asian inspired flavors. They are quick and easy to make and are perfect as a light appetizer or as part of brunch buffet.

The following fish and crab cakes are quick and easy to make, and will delight even those who are not that much into fish, as mixing flounder fish with crabmeat, creates a unique texture and flavor.
To keep things simple, and in order not to mask the flavor of fish and crabmeat, I added only parsley and scallions as flavoring ingredients. They added a nice green color and fresh aroma to the mixture.
The cakes hardly absorbed oil while frying, making them light and perfect for a hot summer day lunch, with a green salad on the side. Try them and enjoy.

Notes:
* I used individually frozen fillets of Flounder, which is a flat fish with a firm texture. Any similar fish can can be used instead.

Makes: 12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Frying time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless flounder fillets, about 6.5oz (180 grams) (see notes)

Polenta is made from corn meal that is an ancient peasant food—in Northern Italy it is made with a harder consistency, cut and grilled and topped with a sauce, while in the center and South, it is served creamy, almost like American grits.

I made this recipe as a warm comforting dish with a slow-cooked pork ragú as a hearty sauce to pour over the slightly spicy polenta. I love the contrasts in textures and the delicious flavors that the pork and corn polenta create together. It is a rustic, earthy dish that can be made for an army of people, since both components can be made in large quantities.

Serve it at your next dinner party when it is cold outside, and you want some comforting food. Or make it vegetarian, with a mushroom ragú, that lightens up the dish but remains super flavorful.