Arkansas Derby 2014: AKA Horses ‘n Hats

As you may well tell from my absence, The Scoop is open for the season, so we’re crazy busy getting everything ready!  However, I finally spent some time today pulling photos off my camera from the last few weeks.  That includes pics from this year’s Arkansas Derby!  We missed the Derby last year because it was the same weekend as our Grand Opening, but this year we just couldn’t stay away.  My post from 2012 was fairly popular (apparently my readers love people watching as much as I do), so we’re back for round two!

Soo…what should we do first:  Horses?  Hats?  …let’s flip a coin. 

…HATS IT IS!

I’ll just let these gorgeous chapeaus speak for themselves.

And now… HORSIES!

I do not remember this horse’s name, but I put money on it because of the jockey’s fleur de lis silks. I don’t think I won.

Jockey booties & horse patooties.

“No pictures, please. I’m bashful.”

And that’s all for now!  I promise—a post of more written content with ACTUAL RECIPES to come soon!

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya: Cookoff Worthy Contender?

Last weekend the Hubs & I went to the Sertoma Cajun Cookoff here in Springfield.  My awesome friend Tara got us two free tickets and I was just itching to see what was there.  I’ve thought about entering, but I wanted to check out my potential competition first.

I’m used the the Sertoma Club’s annual Chili Cookoff, which is MUCH bigger with hundreds of booths.  So I was surprised to see only about 20 booths at the Cajun Cookoff. All the same, there was a wide variety of choices, from Bananas Foster Crepes to “Cajun Mac & Cheese” to tiny crawfish pies, gumbo, jambalaya…and a few of those “errrrr” entries where they make something that’s halfway between gumbo & jambalaya and you’re NOT really sure which they were aiming for.
    
Clockwise from Top Left: Mini Crawfish Pie (yum); little-too-buttery shrimp & lobster…something (“gumbo” is my assumption, but y’all know how I feel about tomato-based gumbo); burnt roux gumbo (remember kids: if you’re making a roux from scratch, aim for the color of peanut butter, not coffee); a REALLY tasty chicken gumbo topped with fried okra; and too-blonde roux plus crunchy-rice chicken & sausage jambalaya…that for some reason also smelled like weed.  For reals.
It got me wondering:  If I enter, WHAT would  I enter?  There were no etouffees…but then again, I don’t have a “go to” etouffee recipe, and I don’t really want to deal with a full day of people asking me what “E-toofy” is.  There were only a few gumbos—but that chicken gumbo up there is a CONTENDER, I don’t think my recipe would beat it.  But I’m pretty sure I could beat the crunchy rice jambalaya…because after all, I have John Folse & his bible on my side.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cubed
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb sliced andouille sausage
• 1 Tbsp dry roux (or liquid roux) - optional
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 cup onions, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/8 cup minced garlic
• 3.5 cups chicken stock/broth
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• salt & pepper to taste
• hot sauce, to taste
• 2 cups uncooked instant brown rice

DIRECTIONS:
In a large (5-6 qt) pot [cast iron, if you have it], brown your chicken in the olive oil.  Then stir in the andouille, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10-15 minutes.

On top of that, add the dry roux, onions, celery, bell pepper & garlic.  Continue cooking until the veggies are all well caramelized.  Then add the chicken stock/broth/whatever, bring to a boil, the reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.  Now add the mushrooms, green onions, parsley, and stir well, and season to taste w/ S&P and hot sauce. 

Then add the brown rice, bring to a rolling boil, and then reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is done.
Once everything’s cooked, remove from heat, stir and then re-cover to keep the steam in the pot until time to serve. Check flavors & season again to taste.

Makes about 8 servings. 

NutriFacts:
Calories 371.3
  Total Fat 17.2 g
  Saturated Fat 5.5 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
  Cholesterol 54.4 mg
  Sodium 1,106.6 mg
  Potassium 289.4 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 36.8 g
  Dietary Fiber 3.4 g
  Sugars 1.8 g
  Protein 18.6 g

Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo

This spaghetti squash recipe is all over Pinterest, and I was itching to test it out.  As a kid, my absolute favorite thing on the planet was going to Olive Garden & getting the Fettuccini Alfredo.  You know…back in the day when “carbs were good for you” I had a hollow leg and had absolutely no idea what calories were. All I knew was that cheese and noodles and chicken & breadsticks and that magical salad were waiting for me and my dad during their Never-Ending Pasta Bowl special.  We lived somewhere between B.F.E. and a corn field, so a trip into “The City” was a VERY special and rare occasion. 

Of course now, I live in “The City”, and Olive Garden is there all the time…and unfortunately, I now know HOW many calories are in their fettuccini alfredo (1220, for the record)…so I tend to just stick with the soup & salad & breadsticks (especially the Zuppa Toscano—see my recipe for it here!)  But that doesn’t mean I crave it any less.

Finally, I can indulge my need for cheesy garlicky goodness! 

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 2)

• 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 tsp each of paprika, garlic salt, & onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp crushed dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried basil (or a Dorot basil cube)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1/2 Tbsp fat free cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons extra for topping
• 1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes  (optional for extra heat)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and then place flat side down into a baking dish with about 1/2 cup of water.  Bake at 350F for about an hour.

Once squash is cooked, use a fork to gently scrape the “spaghetti” strands into the center.

In a medium skillet spritzed with olive oil, cook the chicken over medium heat; season both sides with the mixture of paprika, garlic salt & onion powder.  Cover with a lid to help speed up cooking and to help keep the chicken from drying out.  When fully cooked, slice & set aside covered to keep warm.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour, cooking for another minute while stirring. Whisk in the milk, basil & rosemary until no lumps remain.

Once heated through, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and add in the Parm, Cajun seasoning, black pepper and crushed red pepper. (NOTE: I recommend including the CRP because the alfredo is a bit sweet, and the heat from the peppers really helps cut that.)

Spoon the sauce into each of the spaghetti squash halves. Use a fork to get the sauce down into the “spaghetti” so it’s well coated. Top with the chicken strips and extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Serve hot with a side salad and a slice of warm garlic toast.  We loved this because it makes two HUGE portions—that come in under 500 calories each!!!!.  Even so, it was SOOO much food that I actually had to set half aside for lunch the next day!

NutriFacts: (per serving)

Calories 456.7

  Total Fat 20.1 g

  Saturated Fat 8.5 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 9.1 g

  Cholesterol 68.9 mg

  Sodium 1,071.2 mg

  Potassium 774.3 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 31.9 g

  Dietary Fiber 5.1 g

  Sugars 11.8 g

  Protein 38.2 g