Calico Beans

Today I am sharing a dish that my husband made for a cook-out we went to last weekend. I really have the most amazing husband: he's a great provider, hard-working and ambitious, great with the kids, helps with the housework, and he can cook! Did I get a good guy or what?

This dish is called Calico Beans and the recipe came from Jared's mom Kelly, who, by the way, is undoubtedly one of the major reasons Jared turned out so well. I believe Kelly originally got this recipe from her Grandma Louise. Aren't family recipes fun?

Calico Beans
serves a crowd
printable recipe

3 cans of Pork and Beans
1 can garbanzo beans 
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can kidney beans (rinsed)
(you can play around with the kinds of beans, just use 6 cans total)
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage

Brown the sausage over medium-high heat in a large heavy pot. Once sausage is cooked, dump all the other ingredients in and simmer over medium to medium-low heat until the onion is tender, about a half hour.

Serve hot alone or with chips or rice.

We had it as a side to hamburgers, which was delicious, but it would also make a great main dish as well.

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What is your favorite family recipe?

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

One of the benefits of having a mom who grew up in Jamaica and lived all over the United States in her adult life is enjoying all the fabulous meals she learned how to cook along the way. For example, from her 6 years in Louisiana she became an expert in cooking Red Beans and Rice, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, and Crawfish Etouffee.

Those other recipes will make it to the blog someday, but today we are going to learn how to make Gumbo. Now, my dad jokes that pretty much any meat "makes the best Gumbo" to a native Louisianan. We're talking dove, turtle, miscellaneous roadkill - "Just eat around the tire tracks, honey!" Don't worry though, we will be making our gumbo with a little more orthodox meat: chicken and sausage.

A few notes before we get started:

1) My mom recommends using Andouille Sausage. If you can't find that, then spicy italian sausage (not ground) works great, too. If you have young children who can't handle spicy foods, use regular italian sausage, but you will need to add lots of creole seasoning (I recommend Tony Chachere's) to your bowl to compensate for the lack of spice in the sausage.

2) This is Cajun Gumbo, which starts with a dark roux. This means you should get the roux darker than what I have pictured. It was my first time preparing gumbo by myself and my mom says it should have been darker. It tasted great, but just wasn't quite as good as hers! My mom swears by cooking the roux in the microwave. You can do it on the stove in a skillet, but it takes twice as long and requires much more stirring that way.

3) Gumbo is even better on the second or third day. I'm not sure why this is, but since this recipe makes at least 8 servings, plan to have it on leftover night as well. You'll see what I mean!

4) Gumbo needs to cook in the pot for several hours after you prepare it, so plan ahead! If you work, this may be a better weekend meal, so adjust the menu plan accordingly.

printable recipe

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 lb Andouille sausage
3 onions
3 celery stalks
salt
cayenne pepper
creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's)
1/2 green pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
4 green onions
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup flour
rice

Fill a stock pot with water and add the raw chicken, 1 sliced onion, 1 celery stalk with leaves, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 45-60 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Strain out chicken and vegetables, placing chicken on a plate to cool and tossing out the veggies, but retaining the liquid. This liquid is your stock and should look like this picture.

While the stock is cooking, chop the remaining 2 onions, 2 stalks of celery and the green pepper and set aside.

Also mince the garlic, parley and chop the green onion and set aside in a separate bowl.

After the chicken cools a little, shred it with a fork.

To prepare the roux, combine 2/3 cup each of oil and flour in a large, microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the mixture is brown: darker than golden but not dark brown. Darker than this picture, I chickened out right at 6 minutes, it should have gone for another minute or so, but your microwave may vary so watch it.

Add your chopped onion, celery and green peppers and microwave for 3 more minutes. The color in this picture is closer to what it should have looked like before I added the vegetables.

Add your garlic, parsley and green onion and microwave for 2 more minutes. At this point it should be dark brown, see how mine never quite got there? This is a classic example of "do as I say, not as I do."

Measure the stock in your stock pot. Add water so that there is 8 cups of liquid total. Once you have the correct amount of liquid, throw in 2 tsp salt, your vegetable roux, and the chicken.

Cut your sausage into 1/2" slices and cook in a skillet over medium heat until it is slightly browned and has given up its fat. This will keep your gumbo from getting too oily.

Add your sausage to the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours.










Serve over rice with extra Creole seasoning and gumbo filé seasoning (optional). We like to serve gumbo alongside a salad and buttered french bread.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 12.

Spicy Tuscan Soup

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I could have lived off of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. I loved it so much. I still love it only now I don't have to beg my husband to take me to Olive Garden when the craving hits, because I just learned how to make it from scratch at home. It's easy! And oh so good.

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen portion of The Pioneer Woman.

printable recipe

Spicy Tuscan Soup

serves 6

1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage)
1 whole Medium Red Onion, Diced
2 slices Bacon, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
3 whole Medium Potatoes
1 quart Warm Water
3 cubes Chicken Bouillon
¼ bunch Kale, Roughly Chopped
½ cup Heavy Cream
Salt And Pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot or Dutch Oven, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up as you cook it, until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Add diced onions and bacon to stock pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear.

Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices. Cut the slices in half again, unless using small potatoes. Add warm water, bouillon cubes and potatoes to the Dutch oven and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done.

Add kale, cooked sausage and cream.

Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve hot with French Bread or Butter Rolls. I think this soup was just as good, if not better, the next day as leftovers! Even the kale stayed fresh tasting in the soup. Fantastic.