The Ranch Kitchen's Jambalaya

In an effort to not just cook the girls usual favorite meal of salmon or goulash when they came in, we opted for something a little out of the ordinary this Easter weekend when they came home.

Jambalaya or anything Cajun has a strong place in our girls hearts.  We love our crawfish season like none other and especially enjoy fried, boiled or it cooked as an etoufee served over rice.  So for Friday nights meal, I cooked a family favorite that we usually don't eat at home but from our favorite Cajun food restaurant Dudley's.  We cooked our own The Ranch Kitchen's Jambalaya.

I used my large nonstick Wok to cook this one pot dish and this recipe could easily have served eight people or a small crowd.  Along with a salad and some crusty French bread to dip up the broth, you have a meal that is worthy of serving company.

Years ago, when my two older daughter's each had their high school senior week activities, we always had a Crawfish Boil at our house with a big Capture the Flag game in the pasture at dark.  To serve along the boiled crawfish, I would make a huge triple batch or two of this recipe for The Ranch Kitchen's Jambalaya and serve it for those kids who didn't really enjoy the main course of 'mud bugs' as some call them in the deep south.  Crawfish are small lobster looking creatures that are harvested in the creeks and man made ditches in Texas, Louisianna and Mississippi. Spiced up with a Creole Seasoning like Tony Chachere's or Zattarain'a Shrimp Boil, you can't find a better meal.  We just boil and serve them out on top of huge tables covered with newspaper for easy cleanup.

I remember those parties well and the fun the parents had cooking for our kids and watching them enjoy each other in their last days before graduation.  It's a tradition we hope to continue for our Audrey when she graduates in a few years and hope they enjoy it as much as her sisters and friends did.

Click here for The Ranch Kitchen's Jambalaya recipe.

For this recipe you will use three different meats like the shrimp, sausage and chicken we used, but sometimes we can opt for just one.  You can add crawfish if you like and even bits of cut up fish like Crappy, white fish, bass, ling, snapper or catfish.  Just use what you have and make it how you like it! Do however be careful with the Creole Seasoning and add enough to make it as 'hot' in taste or mild depending on your own likes.  When you think about it, jambalaya is a very close to a seafood gumbo with most of the broth or liquid cooked out and white rice already added in.

This jambalaya dish also freezes well to serve for a quick nights dinner.  However, left overs were not an issue and what little was still left the oldest daughter gladly took home to her 'home away from home' for dinner!

So try you some mud bugs or crawfish soon while they are in season!  Season is any month that has a letter R in it (September - April) and especially January - April...because the hot summer months are just too hot to harvest them.

Enjoy and get you some crawfish if you have never had any soon and do try The Ranch Kitchen's Jambalaya!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Happy New Year from The Ranch Kitchen! Foods for good luck!

Crazy to think we are about to close off the year 2015!  I remember thinking as young woman how old I would be in 2015...  Well I am a bit older, hopefully a bit wiser and life is speeding by, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

As we look forward to tonight, our New Year's Day celebrations or simple family meals, here are some tried and true recipes that are good luck foods.  We always try eat to these recipes to bring us prosperity and good health in the year ahead.

One of my favorite appetizers to serve on New Year's Eve is this The Ranch Kitchen's Black-eyed Pea Salsa.  It's a fast and easy side to make and is great with corn tortilla chips or as a side vegetable.  I love to serve it in a large over-sized champagne glass or footed crystal bowl for some height with the chips underneath it.  There is seldom any of this left, but if there is and you make a ton it will keep up to one week in your refrigerator.  

Click here for the recipe for The Ranch Kitchen's Black-eyed Pea Salsa

Each New Year's day I also make sure to cook a pot of black-eyed peas from scratch on my stove-top. I'm a little silly about eating it out of the can as I think I have to cook it to have the good luck.  But if I had to I would as we are that superstitious about it!  These are one of my very favorite peas and one thing we always make sure they are full of is some smoked ham.

You can eat the black-eyed peas alone or over white rice and make your own Hoppin' John dish.  I usually make around two pounds of black-eyed peas so that we can take them out with our other evening meals the next few nights.  One note is to buy  your black-eyed peas early on New Year's Eve or before as the stores are always sold out.  And I have been known to cook them in a crock pot beginning at midnight of the new year to have them ready the next a.m. for lunch.  

Click here for The Ranch Kitchen's Black-eyed Peas

At our house, you also have to make sure you make my Granny's Wilted Cabbage.  Cabbage is a sure fire way they say to have wealth and prosperity in the new year ahead...so we always make sure to eat a ton of it! This is as close as I can remember her recipe and we really do love it.  The surprise is the mustard that you add to the cabbage.  Don't add too much mustard or it will overpower your cabbage.  The mustard really gives it an added kick.  We rarely have much left of this cabbage recipe.  You can also add smoked ham or Kielbasa sausage to it to make a complete meal.  

Click here for Granny's Wilted Cabbage

And last try these Baby Back Ribs because anyone can cook them, you don't have to have a grill and can even get them done on a counter top oven.  The trick is to spray your foil with oil, season liberally with your favorite Cajun Seasoning like Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and cook away.  

 

My husband's mom, Billie Nolan always served up ribs on New Year's Day at her house along with sauerkraut as her cabbage side dish.  It was always a great lunch and welcomed meal after a night out the evening before.  Our tradition the last few years was for Scott to smoke the ribs on his smoker, but in a pinch or when it's up to me to make them this was always my go to recipe.  You can baste these ribs with BBQ sauce ten minutes before taking off the grill, just before serving or eat alone as they are that good.  

 

I like to make huge double or triple batches and use the left over rib meat in pork enchiladas using my King Ranch Chicken recipe.   We will miss her lunch this year as she is now watching down from heaven on us, but will eat these quickly before we head to Houston to take our Bethany for her internship there.  We wish her the best and are going to miss her.  

Click here for The Ranch Kitchen's Baby Back Ribs Recipe

I hope these food help bring you the very best year yet.  To say I am excited about the year ahead is an understatement.  As we all know luck is what you make it.  It's truly  about how hard you work to achieve your goals and to have a little fun in the process.  

So here's to slimming down, blogging more for me, making time for yourselves and loving your families, friends and life.  

Enjoy your evening with family and friends and from our ranch to your home - Happy New Year!  

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen 

Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast Casserole

Here's another easy breakfast casserole that a friend and I made the other day for our campus breakfasts!  Little did Buffy and I know we each had made almost the exact same recipe....she knows our motto! 

Click here for the link to Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast Casserole

I like to call it The Ranch Kitchen's Green Eggs and Ham Casserole because of the green chili's that bring such a great flavor to it.  I literally threw this together in ten minutes the night before.  I cooked it and reheated the next day in our cafeteria for ten mintues in one of their jumbo steamers and was able to serve our staff.  Someday I want commercial size appliances....hint...hint Scott.

Each year our secretaries Anita and her daughter Tori serve an assortment of sweets and their famous pumpkin roll.  It's a tradition we all enjoy.  The rest of our administrators help by pitching in and serving egg casseroles, doughnuts, muffins and croisants. 

Buffy made this casserole with sausage instead of ham and cooked it in her crock pot all night on a medium heat. I think her idea is better and especially for Christmas morning this year!

Hope you enjoy it.  Later this week I'll share my Principals 'Bobby's Egg Ring Casserole' that was a hit as well! 

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Ranch Fried Okra

I've fried okra for years the wrong way!  I guess you have to mature a little to learn how to correctly fry this little veggie.  Or...finally get the patience to let something sit and soak up milk as I did today.  I have no patience....so finally, finally I have perfected okra after 25 years.

Okra can be fixed numerous ways.  You can fry it as in my recipe for Ranch Fried Okra, boil it or steam it.  Each delivers a different texture. I've found after much debate with my friends and family that most enjoy the fried version over okra being boiled.

Boiling your okra gives it a 'slimy' texture that my husband actually loves.  I can eat it, but would really prefer not too.  I only like okra cooked in hot liquid in a good Cajun or Seafood Gumbo recipe!

You can also steam okra on top of you stove seasoning with a little salt (sea salt or regular) and pepper.  Simply steam the okra until it is tender and you can 'fork' through it easily.

For my recipe today I took an already prepared seasoned 'meal' as we call it in the south of Zatarains Fish Fri and added a little more Tony Chachere's to spice it up a bit. 

Make sure you allow your prepared okra that you have cut in 1/2 inch rounds to soak up milk for at least ten minutes.  Mine probably stayed in the milk for 20 minutes as I got distracted with the rest of my meal I was cooking.

Drain okra and add to prepared meal, tapping off excess 'meal' mixture while bringing oil to a medium to high heat and then carefully drop in your okra. Continue to fry for 3 - 5 minutes or until fried okra is browned to a golden brown.

Once cooked, drain on paper towels to remove excess oil and enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

Serve okra with ketchup.  However I have seen it eaten with Ranch Dressing as a sauce on the side.  We especially love it with along side fried catfish or chicken fried deer 'venison' steak.

 

Enjoy!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen1

Company Potatoes

Inspiration can come from anywhere, anytime and anyone.  This recipe today came from Good Shepherd Medical Center's cafeteria probably about fifteen years ago.  You'll probably think why post this recipe as it's so simple?  However, I find I get in a rut sometimes and when I see a simple recipe my 'light' turns on. 

Back then I boiled a lot of red potatoes with lots of butter. I don't do that now and their variation I think is healthier than mine and one I serve often for friends who come to dinner. 

I usually use green onions with the tops chopped in this potato dish as I like the color.  But not having any the other night, I improvised and used our garden 1015 Texas A&M sweet onions. 

So here's my recipe to Company Potatoes.  No more boring boiled red potatoes for my family or yours! 

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen
 

The Ranch Kitchens' Honey Mustard Spiced Pretzels

As my friend Buffy told me sometimes the best recipes are the mistakes!  This recipe turned out to be a real hit all because my youngest daughter accidentally picked up the wrong bag of pretzels! 

Me, being in a huge hurry as I usually am, prepared my seasonings on these pretzels AND THEN tasted them!  I realized all too late that she had picked up a bag of ROLD GOLD Honey Mustard flavored pretzels!  I really honestly didn't have to do a thing to them because they are already really great pretzels.  But, I guess it's a good thing I did made this mistake because these pretzels turned out super spicy and our staff liked them the best so far of all I've made most recently!  I get a little tickled as they walk in and fill up a entire bowl to make it through testing breaks or the day!

The Ranch Kitchen's Honey Mustard Spiced Pretzels

2 bags ROLD GOLD® Honey Mustard Flavored Tiny Twists Pretzels

1 cup Canola oil

1 package Hidden Valley^® Original Ranch^® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

1 teaspoon of garlic salt
 
2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

Mix seasoning in oil with a whisk.  Place 1/2 bag of pretzels in a large bowl and pour 1/4 of seasoned oil on top of pretzels.  Mix up the mixture with a spoon and pour another half bag of pretzels and continue to alternate the seasoned oil and stirring pretzels. 

I usually allow this mixture to sit overnight covered with Seran wrap or as in today's case, we served it immediately! 

Enjoy!  It's spicy and not for those watching your salt intake...but it might be worth an occasional treat! 

As with all my pretzel recipes on this site, you can always bag these up and take on trips in individual baggies!

Alise

My Girls Favorite Squash

 

At least once while my girls are in, I MUST make this easy squash side vegetable dish that is always their most requested healthy dish.  Thank goodness they are calorie conscious, and I am getting more so with age.  This recipe can be seasoned with any seasoning really, but we prefer Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, or occasionally lemon pepper and garlic salt.  With 1/4 cup Canola oil and a chopped onion, these zucchini and yellow squash are an excellent side that sometimes gets a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese as an added bonus!

 

 

My Girls Favorite Squash

 

 

4 yellow squash. sliced in 1/4 inch circles

4 zucchini squash, sliced in 1/4 inch circles

1 onion, chopped in large chunks

1/4 cup Canola Oil, vegetable, grapeseed, or olive oil

2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning or you can use 1 teaspoon garlic salt with 1 teaspoon lemon pepper instead.  Truly - season to your liking.

 

 

Prepare squash and onions.  Pour 1/4 cup oil in a Teflon coated pan with stove top turned to medium high heat.  Add squash and onions cooking for five minutes while stirring occasionally.  Add seasoning and continue cooking on medium and then low heat as your vegetables start to cook through. I usually cook this uncovered, but when I am in a hurry covering your pan with it's lid will speed up the process!

 

***We love, love this simple, low calorie squash dish probably once a week in the summer when it's in overabundance in our garden!  It is great to make in large batches and have for leftovers for the next days meals.  I usually cook this in my large Teflon coated wok.

 

Alise  

 

 

 

 

 

 ***This was lunch today for my girls that consisted of my Stuffed Jalapeno and Cheese Chicken and pasta.  I used nacho jalapeno's for this chicken dish as I was out of my usual favorite of pickled jalapenos, carrots, and onions.  When you live in the country...you don't just run to town!

Enjoy!

Ultimate Taco Pie

 

 

The Ranch Kitchen's Ultimate Taco Pie

 

 

Taco pie is a dish I haven't fixed in years.  Years ago as I'm known to do, I made a recipe I found and tried it out on the first try for a party.  It was a huge hit and  sadly I've long since lost the recipe.  Tonight as I drove home I questioned just what we would have for dinner?  With two pounds of prepared frozen taco meat left over from the week before, I knew that meat would either turn in to taco soup or a really spicy spaghetti with meat sauce! 

 

Thank God for the defrost button on my microwave because in under 10 minutes the meat was thawed and I started to piece together my newest 'creation' or recipe for my Ultimate Taco Pie. From a recipe for a tomato pie and separate taco pie I found on the Internet, this recipe was born. My husband, daughter and her sweet friend ate it up and I have one extra pie to have for leftovers tomorrow night! 

 

When possible I always cook times two for the next nights meal.  I've found over the years to freeze what meat I can to reinvent in recipes at a later time.  It saves me huge amounts of time and money in the long run, and most importantly helps me get a healthy meal on the table for my family.

 

 

Ultimate Taco Pie

 

 

2 lbs. prepared taco meat

1 - 6 ounce can of chopped green chili's

1 small onion, chopped fine

2 prepared pie shells, uncooked

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

1 can,  7 ounce Herdez Salsa Verde

2 tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick

garlic salt to taste

2 cups REAL Mayonnaise

2 cups Fiesta Blend Cheese (Monterrey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asdero Cheeses

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

 

 

Cook hamburger meat until browned. Drain excess from meat , add water, taco seasoning packet according to package directions.  Add chopped onion and can of chopped green chili's to taco meat and set aside. 

 

In a separate bowl mix 2 cups Real mayonnaise, 2 cups grated cheese with  Creole Seasoning and set aside. 

 

 

Place crushed tortilla chips in the two uncooked pie shells.  On top of the crushed tortilla chips pour Herdez Salsa Verde evenly as possible on top. 

 

Next pour meat mixture on top crushed tortilla chips.  Layer sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. 

 

Spoon mayonnaise and cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes as evenly as possible.  Place in a 375 degree oven, uncovered and bake for 45 minutes or until cheese topping and crust are browned. 

 

Slice my Ultimate Taco Pie and serve along side refried beans, salsa or taco sauce, salad and a dollop of sour cream!

 

Enjoy as we sure did!

 

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen!

 

 

 

 

Green Chili Sausage and Egg Casserole

 

 

 

 

Green Chili Sausage and Egg Casserole

 

At our school we enjoy eating.  Our visiting staff members, those that travel from campus to campus in our little small district say we eat better than the others and I agree! Our breakfast are probably one of my favorite meals we do.   Today I want to share with you a quick and easy egg dish that I prepared in a hurry at the break of dawn so that it would be piping hot and ready as soon as I got to school. 

 

This is my Green Chili Sausage and Egg Casserole and you probably have most ingredients in your pantry right now.  If you don't have the green chili's, you can omit them, but I do think it makes this casserole better than one without it.  If I have fresh (garden grown) green chili's or peppers that are sweet, I chop them in my mini food processor and use those instead of the canned variety.  With a good Greek Seasoning or my Tony Chachere's Creole Spice this egg dish turns out perfect every time.  It's great served as left overs for up to three days and you could even freeze individual servings in freezer bags and reheat later for up to 3 months.

 

Green Chili Sausage and Egg Casserole

 

12 eggs, beaten

1 large can of chopped green chili's, 6 ounce or larger

1 onion, chopped; white or yellow or even red is great (optional)

2 lbs. ground sausage, browned and drained
1 cup evaporated milk, or whole milk

2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese ( reserve one cup for the top of your casserole or mix it in to your casserole - either way is good)

 

Brown sausage and drain all grease off. Cook sausage to just pink in color (medium well done).  Beat eggs and set aside.  Add evaporated milk or whole milk and blend.  Chop onion.  In a large bowl mix together eggs, seasoning, then green chili's and onions.  Add cheddar cheese to egg mixture.  Last add sausage mixing well.   Pour egg mixture into a prepared 9 x 13 inch Pyrex dish or baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam cooking spray/oil.  You may also just grease your dish with cooking oil so that it does not stick when you are cooking it.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until mixture is done when you place a toothpick or fork in the middle and eggs are set and not runny.  Sprinkle additional cheese on top and allow to melt.  Cut into squares and eat! 

 

These are great as leftovers and this is a dish I cook at night when we have breakfast for dinner. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen



Virginia's Mexican Cornbread & Slap Your Momma Pinto Beans

My mom might be surprised that one of my favorite recipes she made while I was growing up was her version of Mexican Cornbread.  She probably hasn't made it in years, but when she did it could certainly feed a crowd.  Her house was always filled with a half a dozen boys made up of my brother's friends and our boy cousins.  Dinner was always a big deal and no one ever walked away hungry. 

Her version of Mexican Cornbread has ground hamburger meat and some of you might liken it to 'Taco Pie'.  This was one of the very first recipes I made when Scott and I got married and when we want comfort food this is my go to recipe.  It's a good potluck dish to take to anywhere and although I haven't tried it in a jumbo version in my roaster for a huge crowd of 50 or more, I can't see why it wouldn't be a huge hit.  Along with my spiced up version of beans from a can.....yes...I cook from a can occasionally and make people believe I cooked them from scratch - they are that darn good.  With my Cheesy Baked Tomatoes that I have posted on my blog before, it's a great meal.  Left overs are even better the next day!  Sometimes I'll serve it with my Nolana's Family Hot sauce and some tortilla chips.

Virginia's Mexican Cornbread

2 lbs of ground hamburger meat, browned and drained with
1 onion, chopped fine
1 large can green chili's
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
2 packages of cornbread, prepared according to directions uncooked (not baked yet)0 or homemade cornbread uncooked
1/2 cup milk (for cornbread)
2 eggs, beaten (for cornbread)
1 can cream of corn (for cornbread)
2 - 4 cups Mexican Blend grated cheese or mild or sharp cheddar cheese

On your stove, brown hamburger meat and chopped onion until it is no longer pink and browned. Drain excess fat and add 1 can green chili's and 1 can of Rotel Tomatoes (I prefer the can with lime and cilantro).  In a separate bowl prepare cornbread to package directions, reducing milk to 1 cup milk for both packages and add creamed corn to mixture. Set cornbread mixture aside.  Do not cook cornbread yet. 

In a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex or casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam cooking oil or greased, add hamburger mixture.  Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese on top of hamburger mixture.  Pour cornbread mixture on top of meat.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the top of your cornbread is slightly browned.  The last five minutes add 2 cups of grated cheese on top of cornbread.  Allow to cool for ten minutes and cut in to squares.  Serve with my Slap Your Momma Pinto Beans below and Cheesy Baked Tomatoes from my blog!  Along with sweet iced tea or your favorite margarita, dinner is served!

 

                                              Slap Your Momma Pinto Beans

1 - 16 ounce can of Pinto Beans (I prefer Bush's Pinto Beans)
3 - 4 cups water
1 large onion chopped
1 stick margarine or butter
1 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning (like an All Spice Seasoning)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine (optional)

Open can and place in a large dutch oven or pot.  Add 3 - 4 cups water as you do not want the beans with too much water.  Add onion, margarine/butter and spices.  Stir well.  Bring heat slowly up to a boil on the beans and turn down to a low simmer (low fire).  Cook for 20 - 30 minutes.  Add cilantro the last 5 minutes.  Spoon into bowls with the juice from the beans.  The bean broth is what will make you want to 'slap your momma' as we say in the south!  You can also drain the juice and serve on the side of you main dish.  These beans are absolutely amazing the next day.   Also, if you are a tomato lover, you can add canned tomatoes to the beans as well for an added flavor combination!  Enjoy!

Alise