One Fat Tuesday

Before I get to my Fat Tuesday dinner, I have to share this find!!  I found the new lemon Chobani at Harris Teeter today!!

Ok this was pretty tasty. If you love lemon you will like this.

If you don’t, well then more for me

Just kidding.

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I wanted to make something that celebrated Mardi Gras for dinner tonight.   After consulting my amazing friends on Facebook, I had the answer.

Jambalaya!  Or at least my version of jambalaya. I’m not from the South.  I’ve never been to New Orleans.  So I really have absolutely nothing to compare this to other than my palate.

First I sear off a chicken breast that I cubed in some olive oil and cajun seasoning.

Then I removed the chicken and reserved it on the side.

In the same pot I added some andouille sausage that I chunked.  I left it in till it browned on all sides.

Then like the chicken, I took it out of the pan and reserved it on the side.

Next I added some chopped celery, green bell pepper and white onion into the pot.

I added a bit more cajun seasoning and cooked them until they started to get tender.

Once somewhat tender, I added a big dollop of tomato paste and a sprinkling of sugar, stirring it into the vegetables.

I let that caramelize a bit to develop some flavor up in there.

Then I added some diced tomatoes and deglazed the pot with chicken stock.

I made sure I scraped all of the delicious brown goodies off the bottom!

I let the mixture simmer for a little and gave it a quick taste test.

Then I put the seared chicken pieces back into the pot and gave them a stir, letting the heat finish cooking the chicken.

Then I added a few shrimp to the mix and did the same thing.  These babies cook pretty fast!

And just because I have a surplus of frozen peas and corn in my freezer, I added a little bit of each in the pot too. The more the merrier.

Now from what I do know about jambalaya, I know it is traditionally served with rice.

Well I just wasn’t in a rice kind of mood.

So I made a quick batch of grits with plenty of butter and cheese to go around.

Dinner is served!

Like I said before, I’ve never been to New Orleans.  But this tasted awesome!

I really loved how the grits sopped up all of the amazing flavor of the jambalaya.

I now have a huge tub of this in my fridge.  Any one want some?

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I also should mention that I have this dough rising as we speak.

Who starts baking at 9pm ??

Me apparently.

Successful Fat Tuesday indeed.

Game day tomorrow! Expect a late post!

Goodnight!

Vanessa

P.S.  Is it Saturday yet?!