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Knorr Homestyle Stock Chicken, Andouille & Tasso Ham Gumbo

Amanda — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:04:57 +0000

So good it'll make you wanna slap yo' mama!

We’re eating hearty chicken, andouille sausage & tasso ham gumbo thickened with dark roux and okra, served over white rice with a garnish of sliced green onions and a healthy dose of hot sauce.

Hellooooo football season! Every January once the bowl games have ended and the NFL season is wrapping up, I start counting down the days until the first game I really care about. (LSU, duh.) As September gets closer I’ve even been known to count the hours or seconds even until kickoff. It should come as no surprise then, that since I learned to love football while taking the long road through my undergrad at LSU, cajun tailgating food is near and dear to my heart! This month the recipes I’m developing using Knorr Homestyle Stock are tailgating themed. There was no way that I was gonna pass up the opportunity to make a pot of gumbo just in time for LSU’s opening game against Oregon!!! GEAUX TIGERS! The tigers pulled off a big victory over the #3 ranked team in the nation and I pulled off a hella good pot of gumbo. Pretty sure this was the best gumbo I’ve ever made. Ever. And this biatch has made some gumbo. As always, with soups or stews (or anything braised) it’s better if you make it at least a day in advance… which is perfect for tailgating. All you have to do on game day is heat up the pot, crack a beer and you’re GTG!

*Side note: As I mention in the footer of the recipe below – don’t stress out if you can’t find tasso ham or andouille sausage. You can simply substitute any smoked ham steak or any smoked sausage of your choice. It’ll still be delicious. I swear.

*I am a professional recipe developer being paid by Knorr as part of the Knorr 4 promotion. While Knorr is footing the bill, all content and opinions comes directly from my (sometimes offbeat and slightly cheesy) brain.

Recipes in this post:

Knorr Homestyle Stock Chicken, Andouille Sausage & Tasso Ham Gumbo

Virginia-Style Brunswick Stew

Amanda — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:24:53 +0000

Warm, hearty and comforting. Perfect for a chilly winter day!

We’re eating sweet and peppery Brunswick stew filled with shredded chicken, smoked ham, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, and butter beans.

There are Brunswick counties in Georgia, North Carolina AND Virginia. Apparently all three of these states like to claim this traditional hunter’s stew as their own. While I have no idea of its actual origin, I would guess that the version I grew up eating was likely the Virginian since I was raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains and my dad’s family comes from the Tidewater region of Virginia – a little over an hour away from Brunswick County.

Here is pretty much all I remember from eating the Brunswick stew that my dad made when I was a wee little child: it had a sweet tomato-y base with shredded meat, corn and butter beans… and it was heavy on the the black pepper. In addition to my memory of the basic ingredients, I recall how much I thoroughly loved the dish. Maybe it was the sweetness and the heartiness or the fact that it was most often served on a cold wintery day, but something about this stew appealed to me as a child and still appeals to me as an adult. My tastebuds may have prefered to use dark meat chicken (or rabbit, really) rather than boneless skinless chicken breasts, and bacon to season rather than lean smoked pork, but my desire to make this a healthy soup won out. The recipe below is not a traditional brunswick stew, but a relatively healthy version whose flavors are remniscent of the stew I remember eating from my childhood. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. (Ooooo and if you can, make it a day in advance because, like all stews, it tastes way better on the second and third day!)

Recipes in this post:

Brunswick Stew

Hearty Red Wine Braised Short-Rib Beef Stew

Amanda — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:38:39 +0000

So hearty. Perfect for a cool, crisp day!

We’re eating braised short rib beef stew filled with new potatoes, young carrots, cipollini onions and celery in a sauce made from red wine, balsamic vinegar, coffee and demi glace.

Good things come to those whose who wait. Yeah yeah yeah, I know. It’s so cliche of me to say, but seriously dudes. You just can’t get the same flavors when you braise something or make a stew or gumbo and then eat it immediately. Some dishes need a little time to rest; a little time for the different flavors to mingle & marry as they sit in the fridge overnight. In my opinion, pretty much anything that is stewed or braised is going to taste 10 times better the second day. That makes this dish perfect for taking to potlucks or serving at dinner parties. You HAVE to make it the day before the event so there’s no stress at all the day of. We hope you guys love this one as much as we did. We’d love to hear any feedback from you in the comment section!

Recipes in this post:

Red Wine Braised Short Rib Beef Stew

And The Winner Is… Gumbo!

Us — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 05:00:43 +0000

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

For the past several days we’ve been feasting on spicy gumbo made with shredded chicken, smoked sausage, and fresh chicken stock. The gumbo was served with jasmine rice and garnished with file powder.

Drum roll please….. (imagine a drumroll… i don’t know how to type one!)….GUMBO! That’s right! For the past few weeks we’ve been letting the people tell us what they want to see me cook in our interactive side poll. and finally i’ve done it. Without any further interruptions, I give you…. Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo!

Recipes in this post:

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo