Virgin Pina Colada

I just love coconut and pineapple so this is the perfect drink for me.  Thanks to High Heels and Grills for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup coconut milk {I use full fat}
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 cups cubed ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Enjoy!

Jambalaya

For my birthday I wanted jambalaya that would not take all day to cook.  I found this one form Gimme Some Oven.  It was easy, tasty and did not take all day.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (*more/less to taste, see note below)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb. andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white or brown rice
• 2 Tbsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning (**more/less to taste, see note below)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. thyme, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• (optional) 1 cup thinly-sliced okra
• salt and pepper
• (optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce)

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons. olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and mostly cooked. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken and sausage, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for an additional 5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and mostly cooked.

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, rice, Cajun spice, bay leaf, thyme, and cayenne, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. (Don't forget to stir, or the rice may burn on the bottom of the pan.)

Once the rice is tender, add in the shrimp and okra and stir to combine. Let the mixture continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked and no longer pink. Remove bay leaf and season the jambalaya with salt and pepper and hot sauce and additional Cajun/Creole seasoning if needed. Remove from heat and serve with optional garnishes if desired.

*If you like spicy jambalaya, I recommend adding 2 jalapenos with their seeds in. If you like it mild, I'd go with just 1 seeded jalapeno. Or you can go somewhere in between, and always add extra hot sauce at the end if it's too mild.

**I also like heavily seasoned jambalaya, so I go with a full 2 Tbsp. If you think that might be too much, I recommend adding just 1 Tbsp and then taste-testing the rice before adding the shrimp. If you want to add more at that point, just stir some extra seasoning in when you add the shrimp.

Ranch Dressing

This is a very good and light tasting ranch dressing.  It is good as a dressing or a dip.  Thank you A Teaspoon of Happiness for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small bunch of fresh chives or 1 Tbls of dried chives
• 1 small bunch of fresh parsley or 1 Tbls of dried parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ - ½ cup milk or buttermilk (depending on desired thickness)

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients.
2. Allow flavors to combine in the refrigerator before serving.

Creole Seasoning Mix

I was fixing a recipe and realized that I did not have a creole or cajun seasoning.  So I searched and found this one.  It is so good, I will never buy a prepared one again.  Thank you Allrecipes!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 5 tablespoons paprika
• 3 tablespoons salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and store in container or small mason jar.

Homemade Whipped Cream

This is so easy and is a great topping for pies, cakes, ice cream, whatever you can think.  This recipe can easily be doubled.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup of Heavy Cream (cold)

2 Tbls of powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the mixer bowl.  Start on low speed to incorporate the ingredients, then turn to high.  Mix until stiff peaks form.

French Toast

This is such an easy and tasty recipe.  They are so good, don't just eat them for breakfast!  This recipe was inspired by KitchMe.

Ingredients:

4 egg

2⁄3 cup whole milk

1⁄3 cup flour

1⁄3 cup sugar

1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

1⁄4 tsp salt

1⁄8 tsp cinnamon

8 - 10 slice Texas toast or other thick bread

3 tbsp butter Directions: Combine all of the dry ingredients, then add milk, vanilla and eggs.   Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Working in batches, dip each slice of bread in the batter for 30 seconds on each side. Let some of the batter drip off, then place in the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add more butter to the skillet or griddle, if necessary, and repeat with remaining bread. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

Creamy Tomato Soup

One rainy day I wanted tomato soup but I didn't want the yucky stuff from a can.  So I went searching for a recipe with the ingredients that I had on hand.  I came across this one from Taste of Home.  It was simple, easy and delicious.  This is a good recipe to double and try to do one of my favorite things: cook once, eat twice.  This soup freezes very well and is easily warmed back up in the microwave.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, half and half or milk

• 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

• Directions:
• In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through (do not boil). Garnish with croutons, cheese, tomatoes and/or onions.

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