Easy Jambalaya

This is a staple dish in my family. I actually do not know if my dad makes his jambalya like this, but this is an easy way to make it for supper. I do not ever measure so, I'm sorry.

You will need:

• yellow onions
• green onions (I use frozen seasoning mix or Creole Seasoning Mix)
• garlic
• rice (2 cups)
• chicken stock
• water
• oil
• flour
• salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper (I use Tony's but some people don't like it)
• chicken or pork (I use bonelss, skinless chicken breasts most of the time)
• link sausage cut into bite size pieces
• cast iron skillet or dutch oven- must have a lid

1. First, coat your chicken pieces in flour.
2. Put some oil in the bottom of the skillet- coat the bottom
3. Brown the chicken in the oil
4. Take out chicken and put to the side. You may want to cut them up after they are not too hot.
5. There will be some little bits of flour + oil that is crunchy-like, that is ok
6. Now, sautee your veggies and garlic but don't burn it!
7. Using your spatula, pick up the little crunchy bits and mix them all with your veggies.
8. Add some chicken stock to help you pick up those little bits- just a glug or two.
9. Next you can add your chicken pieces and sausage.
10. Add 2 cups of rice
11. After all of that, add water until all of the rice and meat are covered. I use some chicken stock and some water.
12. Finally, add your Tony's (or salt, peppers, whatever).
13. Put the lid on and turn the heat to medium for about 20 minutes.
14. After that, stir (it's not easy to do) and fluff your rice- if you still have too much liquid- cook on low for a little longer. If your rice is still too crunchy- add some more chicken stock and cook for a little longer.

**Serve with white beans and cole slaw for a real south LA treat**

I am TERRIBLE at writing these things. I know that my recipe is not well written at all. I can answer questions though, if you have them.

Diet Coke Cake

This is not my mama's sweet potato crunch like I promised but I just had to share with ya'll. As I've said before (and I guess I should again), I'm dieting. I'm also a world-class craver. I start to crave something and I GOTTA HAVE IT.

Anywho, I have been reeealllly wanting cake lately. I remember reading somewhere (possibly here )(she rocks) awhile ago about Diet Coke chocolate cake, where you use a can of Diet Coke with a box of dry cake mix. I didn't remember if that was ALL so, I looked it up and found a few different message boards that said that same thing. I decided to give it a try.

I bought a box of Pillsbury Devil Food cake (which is certainly not gluten-free, sorry) and a can of DC. I also got some Cool Whip Lite to use as the topping. It really serves no purpose to go through all the trouble of using Diet Coke when you top it off with a can of icing. I wanted it but I held back.

I remember reading that some people found the cake to be a little dry. Now, maybe this is because they didn't use any type of topping, I don't know. I decided to play it safe and I added about (see I told you, Loni, I'm not that great with the measurements- I'll try harder in the future) a cup of 60 calorie Jell*o pudding. It's maybe two containers of these. I dumped the dry cake mix in a bowl, poured in 8 ounces of DC and mixed for a little bit. Then, I dumped in the pudding.

I am not a baker. I have never made anything bake-y from scratch so I don't know anything about all this but it was VERY hard to mix. I think that is because it's the Devil Food cake, but maybe not. I also don't have a mixer so I used a regular old spoon. So, I mixed the three ingredients and poured (scooped) it into a 13 x 9 dish. I then had to spppppprrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeaaaddddddd it out with the spoon. It was not easy to work with- very thick.

I baked as directed and when I checked it, to my complete surprise, it rose and became CAKE, actual cake. Then, I tasted it and was so thrilled because it was de-lish! Blue had to piss on my parade by saying, "But where is the icing?" He's looking all over the kitchen like a fool. I told him that we were too fat for it, that we were eating with Cool Whip Lite because the cake was diet. He said that he wanted the icing. He can be a butt like that.

I ate it with the Cool Whip Lite and it was great. Even without the topping really, it's moist (a word I loathe) and chocolaty and just YUM-O. You will be amazed.

Recapping the "recipe"-

* 1 box of dry cake mix
* 8 ounces of diet cola
* 1 cup of fat free pudding (optional)
Mix all together and bake as directed
Top with Cool Whip Lite

I've read that chocolate cake and Diet Coke go well (that is what I used) but also, yellow cake or lemon cake with Diet Sprite or 7up. You can use whatever kind of Diet soda and cake mix- use your imagination- Diet Cherry Coke would be good too.

**Sorry I didn't take any of my bad pictures of the cake/cake making. I didn't think I was going to write about it until after it was all over.

Welcome! II

So, hi everyone. I am Kristen, also known around as Shoeaddict (and sometimes just Shoe). I am from south Louisiana and most of my recipes come from my mom or grandmother. I really love to eat, try new foods, go out to eat at different restaurants (and old favorites) and all of that so, hopefully, I'll have something to add.

I live with (and cook for) my husband, Blue, who is lot pickier than I am. I am also dieting but I usually cook the naughty, yummy food anyway and either don't eat it or eat a little. Blue doesn't like a lot of vegetables (and no salad) and always wants meat. If I just served him warm beef- he'd be fine.

For supper here, I usually cook some type of meat (chicken, chuck steak, fish), a veggie or two and some kind of carb- bread or pasta or rice. Sometimes, we eat spaghetti with meatballs, tacos, or chili. I'm excited to get new ideas here and maybe try some new stuff from my Mama. The first thing that I plan on telling ya'll about, when it's my turn, is one of my favorite holiday foods- sweet potato crunch.

I write in long, run-on sentences and I am a terrible speller. I am a product junkie. I love taking bubble baths and watching tv and taking bad (not on purpose) pictures of my awesome family. I love to be with them- they are the best subjects. My favorite foods (right now) are- shrimp, biscuits, apples, french fries (I never eat them but I love them so). I am also, of course, a shoe addict.