Sausage & Chicken Gumbo

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)
Vegetable oil
2 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
4 garlic cloves, halved
2 bay leaves
4 cup of chicken broth
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 large red onion, chopped
1 bell pepper: cored, seeded, & chopped
1/2 lb. Andouille or other spicy smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices & browned
1/2 teapoon dried thyme
2 cups of okra
1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
+ hot cooked rice for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Brown chicken in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once browned, drain & reserve oil. Then combine chicken, celery, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, and salt (to taste) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat & let simmer (covered) for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Remove chicken from the pot. Remove the bay leaves & garlic as well. Set the pot of broth aside. Once chicken is cool enough to touch, shred the meat. 
3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil (re-use from step 1) and 1/2 stick of butter over medium heat until very hot (but not smoking). Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux turns dark golden brown (the color of peanut butter). Add the onion, bell pepper, okra, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon or more pepper and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
4. Stir the vegetable mixture into the broth and add the thyme. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Season gumbo w/ salt & pepper if needed. Add shredded chicken, sausage, and parsley to the pot and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
6. Serve gumbo w/ rice.

Baked Feta Spread

INGREDIENTS: 1 block of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes (halved), Kalamata olives (chopped), 2 green onions (chopped), flat leaf parsley (chopped), 1 teaspoon Mediterranean spice mix OR oregano, salt & pepper (to taste), 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, lemon zest

We served this on pita chips. This would also taste great over pasta!

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place block of feta in an oven-safe container. Top with tomatoes, olives, green onions, parsley, Mediterranean spice mix, salt, pepper, EVOO, lemon juice, & lemon zest.
2. Place in oven for 20 minutes @ 400 Fahrenheit.

Halloween Cake Pops

INGREDIENTS: cake (from scratch, from a box, or store bought), frosting, lollipop sticks, decorations (sprinkles, coconut flakes, candy eye balls, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Either make your own cake or go buy one from the store.
2. Break your cake up into little pieces. Add frosting. We used 1/2 of our cake and 1/2 of our frosting.
3. Form the cake pops. Aim for golf-ball sized pops. Don't make them too big or they might fall off!
4. Melt either the frosting or chocolate. We melted the other half of our chocolate using a double boiler method -- bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat. Put the bowl full of frosting (and covered in plastic wrap) on top of the pot. The plastic wrap keeps the heat in and helps the frosting to melt without having to bring it to such a high temp.
5. Dip the lollipop stick into the melted frosting and place it about halfway through the cake pop. The melted frosting will act as the glue that holds everything together.
6. Place cake pops into the refrigerator for 45 min-1 hour.
7. Remove from refrigerator. Dip & decorate! (Dip in melted frosting or use a spoon the drizzle the frosting over the cake pop. Let excess drip off & wait 10-15 seconds to decorate with sprinkles or whatever else you want).
8. Enjoy! (We refrigerated ours overnight before eating).

Fish Croquettes

INGREDIENTS: 1 can of mackerel (OR salmon), 2 heaping teaspoons of flour, juice from 1 lemon (or 1 lime), 1/4 cup of finely chopped red pepper, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce (or more, if you like spice), 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of Florida seasoned pepper, 1 tablespoon of thyme, 1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion, canola oil

*Florida Seasoned Pepper: this is just a salt-free mixture of citrus and pepper (contains Tellicherry black pepper, lemon peel, orange peel, citric acid, garlic, & onion)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. De-bone mackerel & mash up.
2. Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion, 1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 1 tablespoon of Florida seasoned pepper, 1 tablespoon of thyme, juice from 1 lemon (or 1 lime), and a few pinches of salt (to taste). Mix.
3. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of flour & 1 egg. Mix thoroughly.
4. Add Canola oil to a skillet on medium-high heat (enough oil to coat the entire bottom of the skillet). Once the skillet is hot, add patties. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side (until each side is browned) and that's it!

Shrimp & Avocado Salad (w/ Lime Vinaigrette)

INGREDIENTS:
IN THE SALAD: 1 lb. of shrimp, 1 avocado (diced), 1/4 cup red bell pepper (diced), 1/4 cup jicama (diced), 1/4 cup red onion, salt, pepper, Old Bay, olive oil
IN THE VINAIGRETTE: 1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove (minced w/ salt), juice from 1 lime, 1 teaspoon of agave nectar, a pinch of thyme, 1/4 cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
THE SALAD
1. Peel & de-vein shrimp.
2. Place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, & Old Bay.
3. Roast at 375 for 12 - 15 minutes (will vary depending on the size of your shrimp).
4. Dice 1/4 cup red onion, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, and 1/4 cup of jicama. Dice 1 avocado. Add these ingredients and the shrimp to a large bowl. You can cut the shrimp in half if you'd like.
THE VINAIGRETTE
1. Mince 1 clove of garlic with salt.
2. Add the juice of 1 lime (we didn't have a juicer today, so we microwaved the lime for 10 seconds to help make juicing easier).
3. Add 1 teaspoon of sherry wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of agave nectar, & a pinch of thyme.
4. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil while whisking. Mix thoroughly and then pour over salad.

Crunchy Baked Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS: bread, parsley, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon zest, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper

*You can use stale bread in this recipe. We used olive oil rosemary bread in the video, but you can use any bread you like. Sourdough would work well. Feel free to add a bit of olive oil to the bread prior to processing.

For those of you who wanted the recipe for the chicken featured in the garlic pasta video, here it is! (The only difference is the addition of bread crumbs)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Add a chunk bread and about 2 tablespoons of parsley to a food processor. Process for a couple minutes (until you have even sized crumbs).
2. Create a mixture of: 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a pinch or two of pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
3. Brush mixture onto each side of chicken. Sprinkle an even layer of bread crumbs on each side.
4. Place on either aluminum foil or Silpat & bake at 400 Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes (may vary by the size/thickness of your chicken).

Patty Melt w/ Caramelized Onions

INGREDIENTS: 1 lb. hamburger meat, 2 small onions (sliced lengthwise), Canola oil, butter, sliced cheese, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, creole mustard, salt, pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS
1. Slice 2 onions lengthwise.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of Canola oil & 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet on medium heat. Add onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of beef broth, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and salt & pepper (to taste). Turn heat down to low & allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

MAKE THE PATTIES
1. Season with 1 tablespoon of Creole mustard, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper (to taste).
2. Form patties & cook them in a skillet. (We like ours well done. Cook yours however you like.)
3. Add cheese & caramelized onions to the patty. Toast for a few minutes on each side. When the bread is nicely toasted & the cheese is melted, you're done.