Enjoying Beautiful Akron

It's been beautiful here in Akron !! I decided to make the most use of it... the past few weeks the kids and I have been focusing on "nature". We have been enjoying the outdoors and doing some great crafts.

Just 1 mile from our house is the F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm - This is a 104 acre park that has a bit more than two miles of hiking trails, several gardens  and a visitors center that hosts several indoor/outdoor activities for adults and children. Oh, did I mention that it's all FREE!?

Before heading out, we printed out a nature themed scavenger hunt. I thought this would help keep the kids interested. It was a fun addition to our day trip but not "needed" as they had a great time. I got the scavenger hunt here, but there are some other cute ones here that we'll use another time I'm sure.

Here are the items we "spied" - note, we had to accept the picture of the acorn as it was the wrong time of year to find a real one laying about on the trail.

Some of the crafts included painting our own birdhouses, making tissue butterflies to hang in front of the windows using clear contact paper, we hung birdseed bells out back and made leaf rubbings from leaves the kids picked off the sidewalk from one of our after-dinner strolls.

The most exciting thing going on around here... we're "growing" real butterflies!! I bought one of those Live Butterfly Gardens while in a check-out line at Walmart one afternoon. It was $14 and comes with a coupon inside to order your live caterpillars. I placed the order over the phone and the caterpillars arrived about 4 days later. I waited a couple days to tell the children about them so they weren't waiting too long for their arrival. Here are the pictures of their introduction to our home. Stay tuned for updates!

We've sinced moved onto "farm" related activities and then we'll be taking a bit of a hiatus as my MIL is coming to visit, as well as one of my BFF's!!

Jumpin' Jambalaya - I did it!!

A few nights ago I attempted to make Jambalaya. Ok, so what?? Let me tell you this dish is one that has haunted me... Several (almost 10) years ago I participated in some sort of potluck for work. I was still learning my way around a kitchen at the time and was stressing out about what to make because I didn't want to just bring anything... I wanted a dish that would have people talking. Well, they were talking oh boy! One evening, I was walking through the grocery store and saw this seasoning mix to make my own Jambalaya and thought "That's it! I'll make this!" I spent a fortune on ingredients using money I didn't really have.

The next evening I got to work and prepared my dish to take to the potluck. I didn't know any better to taste it along the way to be sure it was edible before serving. I proudly stuck in my serving spoon and placed it on the table among all the other wonderful looking dishes. There was buzz about someone having made Jambalaya and I was proud. That is, until I tasted it myself. I almost gagged on MY OWN FOOD!! It was dry, tasteless and the rice was still crunchy in the middle. Mortified, I looked around the room and saw no one eating what they had served themselves. I watched plate after plate hit the trash with my dish still on their plates. I couldn't blame them, it was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!!!

To top that off, there may or may not have been a boy in that crowd that I wanted to impress. Talk about a crash and burn.

Since then, I've learned a lot. I know now that my choosing to double the recipe and stick it all in a Crockpot was a very bad idea. Not browning my meats, not having enough water, not layering the flavors during the cooking process, etc all contributed to this disaster.

This past holiday, I got a 7qt Dutch Oven from my husband. I've been wanting one for a long time. I use it at least 3 times a week and wonder how I did anything before I had it (I say that about my KitchenAid too!). One of the gifts I gave my husband for the same holiday was Emeril Lagasse's newest book "Sizzling Skillets & Other One-Pot Wonders" and it's been wonderful. On page 114 you'll find his Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya recipe. I decided it was time to attack this feared dish once and for all! I have to admit, I'm sure I was more willing to cook this since it was just for the two of us. I may have not attempted it for a crowd.

It came out GREAT! We enjoyed every bite!!

His recipe makes enough for 8 servings. Since it was just the hubby and I eating it, I cut the recipe in half and it was the perfect amount. Here's my version of Emeril's recipe and some tips:

1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
1 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 tbs canola oil
3/4 lb smoked andouille sausage, diced
1 Lg yellow onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped, green and white parts reserved separately
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 of a 4oz can of diced green chiles, with juice
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed between your fingers
1 Sm. Bay Leaf (a Larger one if you're doubling this recipe)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce (or more to taste)
3/4 tsp Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (see this recipe here)
2 C. chicken stock
1/2 of a 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 1/2 C. long-grain white rice
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1) Season the chicken on both sides with half the salt and pepper above. Heat the oil in the dutch oven over high heat. Add the seasoned chicken and cook (in batches) until well browned on either side - approx 4 min on each side. Transfer the browned chicken to a platter and set aside.

2) Add the andouille sausage  to the dutch over and reduce the heat to medium-high. Stir until the sausage is browned, 4-5 min. Transfer the sausage to the same platter as the chicken. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, white part of the green onions, garlic, & tomato paste to the dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Saute until the beggies are tender. Stir in green chiles, thyme, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, hot sauce and Essence. (My tip here: While the veggies are cooking, chop up the browned chicken into bite size pieces and leave on platter for next step)

3) Return the chicken and sausage to the pan. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to a brisk simmer. Cover the dutch oven and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

4) Increase the heat to high and add the rice, chopped green parts of the green onion and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir well and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer again until the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the liquid. This will take about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. (Emeril's tip: Be sure to use the correct rice: long-grain white. This will ensure that your rice-to-liquid ration right)

ENJOY - the flavor is amazing. I served it with this imitation recipe of Red Lobster's biscuits, and white wine!

My last tip for this recipe is to buy the best Andouille Sausage you can. You do get what you pay for when it comes to your food. I went to a specialty market here in the area. It cost about $1.25 more per lb but since I only needed 3/4 lb it wasn't too bad.

Next time, I think I'll substitute some of the chicken and add in shrimp. While this dish was brag-worthy we did still miss the shrimp.