Happy Mardi Gras, Y'all!

So in the spirit of Mardi Gras, I thought it would be fun to share with y'all my favorite recipe for jambalaya. This recipe had been given to me a few years back by my friend's mother who was born and raised in Louisiana - and let me tell you it is nothing short of a little piece of Cajun heaven!

Gabby's Jambalaya

Ingredients

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts work too)

2 lbs. smoked sausage, sliced

2 lbs. (about 4 cups) onions

1/4 bunch celery

1/2 yellow bell pepper

8 cups water from boiled chicken

1/2 bunch fresh parsley

2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet

1 can Rotel

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper (might want to start with a little less if you do not like spicy)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups (dry) Uncle Ben's Rice

Directions

1. Boil chicken till cooked through. Set aside, keeping the water.
2. Brown sliced sausage
3. Add onions, celery and bell pepper, saute about 30 minutes.
4. Add water from the boiled chicken (if you do not have 8 cups left can use chicken both or regular water), bring to a boil.
5. Add parsley, Kitchen Bouquet, Rotel, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, red and black pepper and boil 10 more minutes. 
6. Cube up chicken and add to the pot. Bring to a boil again.
7. Add rice, boil 5 minutes.
8. Cover and lower heat to a simmer. 
9. Leave simmer for 30 minutes, only stirring every 10 minutes or so. 
10. Turn heat off and let rest for 10 minute before serving. 
11. Enjoy!

 

"Laisse bon temp roullez--let the good times roll." 

 

Adventure Shopping

So I am so excited to share a new found addiction of mine with y'all...THRIFT SHOPPING! If some of you are turning up your noses to even the mere idea of thrift shopping, I totally understand--I used to be one of you. But then I became a broke-ass college student and had to resort to Goodwill for interview clothes. Funny thing is now that I am no-longer a college student and could afford to give up my thrift shopping, I do not want to. I absolutely love the treasures I can find while thrift shopping, plus who does not love a bargain?! I like to think of it as a mini adventure to see what awesome deals I can find.

The mind blowing new fact that I have recently discovered is that even thrift stores have SALES! Yes, that is right. Crazy to think stuff could get even cheaper, isn't it.

I found out about thrift store sales last week, when I went to my local Goodwill to kill some time on my lunch break and look for some new work clothes. I was shocked when I got to the register and the lady said, "Your total today is $5." I had just purchased, one dress, 2 blouses, and a really cute scarf for $5--no way! Actually, feeling a little guilty, I had to ask the cashier if she rang everything up correctly. The cashier just laughed and told me that they were running a 50% off all blue tags sale that day, causing my total to be shocking low. With that being said I happily gathered up my purchases and headed out the door.

When I got back to work I was curious about the 50% off sale and decided to Google Goodwill and see how often sales like that run. Again, I was shocked to discover that almost every week Goodwill has a 50% off sale of some sort or another.


So today, I could not help stopping down to Goodwill again, since they were having another 50% off all green tags sale. But today, I was on a mission--I was trying to find blankets and stuffies for our new puppy that will are getting in the next few weeks. As luck would have it, I found exactly what I was looking for. I got two fleece blankets for in the puppy's kennel, both for under $2. I also found some cute little stuffies that would be great puppy toys (if you buy stuffed animals from Goodwill for pet toys, be sure they do not have any little beans in them as they are a choking hazard for pets), all of them were $.99 and 50% off. What a steal, especially if any of you have ever experienced puppy training. The blankets are bound to get piddled on and the stuffies, just might get ripped apart. However, I spent a whole $6 on all of it so they are the perfect items to get ruined by a growing puppy.

So, if you are going to try your hand at thrift shopping or if you have been at it for awhile, I highly recommend taking advantage of the Goodwill sales. Here is a link to their homepage where you can find your local store and checkout what sales they have coming up: Goodwill Deals. 

Happy thrifting y'all!


"One man's junk is another man's treasure." -Proverb