New Orleans Style Shrimp and Rice

1 stick of butter
1 T. plus 1 tsp. flour
2 bell peppers
1 onion
2 celery stalks
1 28 oz. can tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1 lb. of raw shrimp

In dutch oven melt butter add flour and stir until lightly browned. Then add everything but shrimp and bring to boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Then add shrimp and cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve over Rice. This is Christina's recipe but i loved it so much i wanted to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

cocoa and chili rubbed pork chops

2 quarts water
1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
4 Pork loin chops
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T. light brown sugar
1 T. pure ancho chili powder
Extra virgin olive oil

In large bowl, combine water with red pepper and 1 1'2 t. salt and stir until salt dissolves. Add the pork chops and let brine at room temp. for 1 hour.
Set up a grill with both direct and indirect heat. In a bowl, mix the cocoa, sugar, and chili powder with 1 T. salt.
Drain the pork chops and pat dry, removing any bits of crushed pepper. Brush generously with olive oil. Roll the pork chops in the cocoa rub and pat to hp it adhere. Grill over moderately high heat for 4 min,. turning the chops once or twice until lightly browned. Transfer chops to indirect heat, cover, and grill for about 15 min. until an instant read thermometer reads 135 for medium meat. Let chops rest 10 min. before serving.

notes -If you use regular salt, be sure to use about half of what's called for. I don't think you'd have to brine them for a whole hour, but it does make them nice and tender. And you could probably do them in the oven or on the stovetop, but the grill really adds some nice flavor that goes well with the cocoa.

Chili-sweet potato hash with fried eggs

(this is a rachel ray recipe)

2 T. olive oil
1/2 lb. maple breakfast sausage
1 med. sweet potato, scrubbed clean,
cut in half lengthwise, and thinly
sliced in half moons
1 large red onion
2 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground coriander
salt and pepper
3 vine-ripe yellow tomatoes
1 sm. jalepeno, seeded and chopped
2-3 T. chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 c. grated Manchego, or extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. unsalted butter
4 large eggs


Preheat a large nonstick skillet over med. heat with olive oil. Add the breakfast sausage, breaking it into small chunks with your spatula - brown sausage for three minutes. Add sweet potatoes and 3/4 of the chopped onion to the sausage, along with Chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Stir FREquently (I burnt mine once!), and cook for 10 - 12 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and tender.
While the hash is cooking, in a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, jalepeno, remaining onions, cilantro, lime juice and a little salt and pepper.
Once the hash is cooked, add the chopped parsley, stir to combine, and transfer to serving plate. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with aluminum foil. The cheese will melt while you make fried eggs.
Wipe clean the skillet, return to med. hi heat, and add butter. Once butter has melted, crack eggs into skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook to desired doneness,, or scramble (a little runny egg is really good with this!).
Transfer fried eggs to top of hash, sprinkle with fresh tomato salsa, and serve.


****My notes - Yes, it looks like a lot of extra things to buy, but this is soo good, it's worth it. You can use red tomatoes, and I think a regular onion and any breakfast sausage would be fine. It does need a good strong cheese, I really like white cheddar on it, but yellow is sometimes cheaper, and just fine. And I leave out the parsley all together - RR puts it in everything, and I think it's a bit over done. Also, make sure your potatoes are soft - really slicing them thinly helps. Happy eating!