Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lemon Glazed Carrots

  I love carrots.  I have since I was a little tyke; so much so, Mom had to take me to the hospital as a baby.  She panicked when she woke up to an orange kid.  Turns out, when you eat a lot of your favorite carrot and squash baby food, you end up with carotenosis.

  I've branched out since then, but I still love carrots.  Recently, I found a recipe for glazed carrots that has one of my other favorite flavors - lemon.  Just in time for lighter spring meals!

Lemon Glazed Carrots
Serves 6

9 medium carrots
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

  Start by peeling the carrots, and slicing them in half lengthwise.  Boil the carrot slices in salted water, just until tender, and drain well.

  In a heavy skillet, melt the butter.  Add the lemon juice and brown sugar.  Stir the mixture until it thickens.  Add in the carrots and cook until they are well glazed and heated through.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Captain Russell's Jambalaya

  Laissez les bons temps rouler, mes amis!  Down in N'awlins, the parades are rolling down the streets, and folks are living it up before Lent.  Tonight, we dug into this recipe - Captain Russell's Jambalaya, in the March 2011 issue of Taste of Home magazine.  Definitely a keeper.

Captain Russell's Jambalaya
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed French onion soup, undiluted
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound andouille sausage, fully cooked, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
2 cups uncooked long grain rice

  Preheat your oven to 375°F.  Spray a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

  In a large saucepan, add in the French onion soup, beef broth, tomato sauce, butter, bell pepper, onion, Creole seasoning, and hot sauce.  Stir and bring it to a boil.  Take it off the heat and add in the shrimp, sausage, and rice.  Stir it up and pour it into the baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake it in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake it for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked all the way through.