We’re trying a new recipe for dinner tonight. Last evening, while Dave was on a ZOOM call, I resumed my recipe organization project, pulling out instructions for Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice. I’m pretty confident that it will be good, but won’t share the recipe with you until reviews are in. I’ll use the other half of a bag of frozen shrimp that was opened for a recent batch of Jambalaya, a favorite of ours since I made it for family around Christmas time and then for my January Neighbors’ lunch.
The Jambalaya recipe is from a College Inn Broth booklet published in 1987. Over the years, I’ve gone back to several soup and main dish recipes from this booklet. On the inside front cover, cooks are encouraged to “Experience the full range of creative cooking with College Inn Chicken and Beef Broth.” Creative indeed. After our son and daughter-in-law enjoyed my Jambalaya, they photographed the recipe for future reference and began leafing through the pages for more meal ideas. I recommended the Chicken and Pasta Soup to them and will share that one, as well as the Jambalaya, with you today.
With lots of full color photos, the book is somewhat of a page turner, and right after the One-Dish Meals sections comes Salads, salads made with broth. Creative. And there it was, LEMONY CHICKEN MOLD, a broth and lemon gelatin concoction with pineapple, chopped chicken, celery and pimientos, topped in the photo with lettuce and tomato.
Their reaction to the photo, then the title, then the ingredients…well, they were grossed out in a hilarious way that got me laughing uncontrollably. It was a memory making moment that kept the words Lemony Chicken Mold coming up again and again. I never was one for making gelatin molds and don’t think I’ll start now.
Without further ado, the Jambalaya and Chicken and Pasta Soup recipes as I make them, also on my PRINTABLES PAGE.
Chicken and Pasta Soup Makes 6 servings
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast
1 – 46 ounce can chicken broth
1 – 16 ounce can cut green beans
1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup uncooked small shell or elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves.
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Pour broth into a large saucepan. Add cut up chicken and heat to a boil. Cover pan and reduce heat to simmer for 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from broth and set aside. Add beans, tomato paste, macaroni, and basil to the broth. Heat to a boil and then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until macaroni is cooked. Add chicken back in and cook 5 minutes more.
JAMBALAYA Makes 6 servings
2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 (14 ½ ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups cubed cooked ham
1 (13 ¾ ounce) can reduced sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup uncooked rice (not instant rice)
½ teaspoon dried Thyme leaves
12 -16 ounces shrimp, cooked, shelled, and deveined (I like to cut the tails off before preparing this recipe. Either thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator and rinse it before using or thaw it under running water as directed on package.)
In a large skillet (with a lid), over medium-high heat, melt margarine and cook garlic in it for 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except shrimp. Heat mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. You can stir it a couple of times to make sure it isn’t sticking. Add shrimp. Cook, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
(By the time I finished this post, the Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice had received rave reviews – one taste tester said he wouldn’t mind having it again tomorrow.)