Let the Good times Roll!

This weekend was a lovely, productive time in the kitchen here in Pixie-land. First, on Saturday afternoon, I made the cookies that my co-workers have been craving. They sounded absolutely decadent to me, and involve chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and all things yummy and sweet. They are called 7-layer cookies, sometimes "magic bars" and let me tell you, they are indeed magically delicious! That leprechaun has nothing on me....They are wrapped and ready for work. This is one pie plate full, the other is going to Dear Husband's work.

Then, since summertime gives me an urge for all things Southern, I decided to make Jambalaya.  A Louisiana dish with chicken, sausage and shrimp. I used a recipe from one of my culinary heroes, Emeril Lagasse, and tweaked it slightly.  Here's the beginning, lightly sauteeing the "trinity" of celery, onion and bell pepper.

Then, with the addition of the broth, rice, chicken, bay leaves and Portuguese Linguica sausage the simmer begins:

I added the shrimp for the last ten minutes of cooking time, and garnished with scallion and flat-leaved parsley.  The rice absorbed all the broth and became lovely and soft.  The chicken, sausage and shrimp retained their own flavors while at the same time becoming integral to the dish.  All I can say is....Let the good times roll!

Dear husband made my day today by taking me to my local gourmet goodie store, and letting me run amok. I found stone crab claws (one of my true food loves, thank you South Florida!), lots of health food soup-in-a-cup, some beautiful collards and kale, and basically anything my heart desired. You know, the good thing about birthdays, and this is now a legend in our family, is that they can be EXTENDED (said in loud, movie preview voice) for longer than the actual day.

While turning a year older may not exactly be cause for celebration (especially as the numbers just continue to get higher, go figure), it sure has it's perks!  Eat well, and make someone else's day today!  It makes you and them feel good!