Cajun Sausage and Pasta Skillet

Ingredients

12-16 ounces smoked sausage
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1-3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning. How much to add depends on the brand you use and the heat level your family enjoys. I used the full 3 teaspoons
3 cups penne pasta
2 to 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium heat in a 10 or 12 inch skillet with a lid

Slice the sausage into rings

Cook the sausage, garlic, onion, and bell pepper for 4-5 minutes or until the sausage is brown and the vegetables are tender

Sprinkle with the seasoning

Add the pasta and chicken broth
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer

Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, or until pasta is tender and most of the broth is absorbed

Whisk together the milk and cornstarch
Add to pasta and sausage

Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until a sauce is formed.

Oven Fried Okra

Ingredients:

16 oz bag frozen sliced okra, thawed {about 3 1/2 cups}
1 tsp Cajun or creole seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 C yellow corn meal
Canola oil spray
1 gallon zip lock bag

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Turn the zip-lock bag inside out and spray with canola oil spray.

Pour the okra in the bag along with the Cajun seasoning and garlic salt. Seal bag and shake vigorously. Let rest for 10 minutes so the juices extract  from the okra.

Add the cornmeal to the bag and shake up again. Let rest 10 more minutes. Give the bag one more good shake. Pour okra over a strainer or colander {either over the sink or over a bowl} so the extra cornmeal will fall off. Spread the okra over a foil covered baking sheet and spread out evenly. Spray okra with canola oil spray.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, flip okra over, lightly spray again and return to oven for 20 more minutes. And that's it!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

3 while boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun spice (I used Creole seasoning), more to taste
1 pound fettuccine noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 of a large red onion, sliced
3 gloves garlic, minced
4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Cayenne pepper to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is done. Do not over cook the pasta.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Best 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do NOT stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook and additional minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat. Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spices, then add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for several minutes, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black and tender as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional minute stirring gently. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add pepper, cayenne paper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce SHOULD be spicy.

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down.

Perfect Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 whole carrots, scrubbed, cleaned, and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 small potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 teaspoon fresh minced parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Directions:

Add bacon pieces to a soup pit over medium high heat and cook bacon until crisp and fast is tendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do NOT clean the pot.

Return pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour until the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food processer** until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in the cream, then stir in the parsley, reserving a little for garnishment.

Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese, and crisp bacon pieces.

** This recipe states to BLEND the soup in a blender/food processer. I tried this and with me holding into the lid as I always do it blew the lid off and went all over me leaving some burns on my arm. My suggestion (what I ended up doing) is taking half the soup out and using a masher or hand mixer **