What a whirlwind week it's been. I honestly can't even remember everything I've done, outside of making and decorating dozens of gingerbread ornaments! Strings of dinners, shopping ... all of the usual things that accompany the holiday season, including exhaustion, which for me always spells baggy eyes, getting sick (not yet -- knock on wood!) and strange dreams. Last night, for instance, I apparently was hitting Matthew in my sleep -- I was literally lying next to him and pounding on his chest. He woke up, naturally, and asked me what I was doing, and in my sleep I apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I thought you were Betty Crocker," before turning abruptly over and continuing to sleep sans violence. I don't remember any of this, or for that matter how Betty Crocker made an appearance in my dream. Or why on earth I was beating her. Maybe in frustration over her sub par products that have infiltrated the baking world for decades? Just a stab in the dark.
Last night I went to a photo auction for Friends Without Borders (which I slipped and called Friends With Benefits at one point during the evening), a nonprofit group working to improve the lives of many poor and starving children in places like India, Pakistan and Cambodia. Instead of bidding on a photo, of which there weren't that many that were interesting, we ended up sponsoring a child in Cambodia for 500 bucks.... you can too!
We also, and I realize I'm just spitting out random things as I'm writing along (but this one's leading to something...), went to Matthew's old trainer, who used to live basically next door to us and was our best source for prime new restaurant recommendations. We were so sad when he moved to his new place on the upper east side. Strange that a trainer, of all people, was the go-to guy for good eating recs, but whatever works and he rarely let us down, save for a Mexican joint he pointed us to once where a rat was literally jumping from table to table and, when we complained, the staff shrugged and said matter of factly, "Whadda ya want? We're located next to a subway entrance!"
So anyway, Matthew's trainer (also a Matthew) and his wife (Amanda) are both from Texas and are completely obsessed with southern and southwestern cuisine, and she makes the most amazing jambalaya we've ever had. For months she promised to show us how to make it in an afternoon demonstration followed by a huge southern gorge fest, but with moving and all of the things that life throws at you, it just never happened ...until the other night when we finally visited their new place and she showed us how to make her famous jambalaya from scratch as we helped chop and feverishly took notes. And without further yacking and adieu, here it is:
AMANDA'S FAMOUS JAMBALAYA
INGREDIENTS
3 bay leaves
1-1/2 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 generous teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 generous grinds of black pepper
3 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning + more for seasoning the chicken
4 cups Uncle Ben's Original Long Grain Rice
8 cups water
1-1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 pounds andouille sausage, sliced thinly
2 large red onions, finely chopped
2 large green bell peppers, finely chopped
4-1/2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
PREPARATION
Place chicken breast in a large spaghetti pot that has a lid and the sausage in a large skillet and set to medium heat. Brown both meats thoroughly, sprinkling the chicken with the Creole seasoning, and then transfer the sausage into the chicken pot. Brown the chopped onions and peppers together in the skillet where the sausage was with the leftover sausage juices and then merge veggies with the chicken and sausage. Simmer on medium - medium high and add the Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce to the mix, continuing to stir frequently so that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and keep the lid on it between stirs. Keep it on the heat until the mixture shrinks down by about half, roughly 20 minutes. Add the parsley, bay leaves, garlic powder, salt, ground pepper and Creole seasoning, stir and let it simmer for a minute or two more. Taste the mixture and add more salt, pepper, etc. until it is where you want it to be. Add rice and 8 cups water. Bring everything to a boil, stir and then immediately put on low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Do not open!
Serve hot with a good red wine, hot sauce and enjoy!
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