And not in the “cool” Out of the Box way, either. This week we feature dinners that come out of a box and don’t absolutely suck.
Tonight, Jambalaya. First, you put 2 1/2 cups of water and 2 tbsp oil in a large pan.
I’m sure there are better oils, but Crisco oil comes with a lid that is also a MEASURING cup. It’s my bestest friend.
Then, you step over the toddler having a full-blown temper tantrum at your feet.
Next, you add shrimp or sausage or beef or whatever you like to the pan, and the seasonings in the box.
You let that sit for 25 minutes, I think, which is the perfect amount of time to make a pan of cornbread, which I didn’t, because evidently, cornbread is a specialty item here and you can’t just pick up cornmeal at any old store here. Ugh.
You then give the screaming toddler a slice of really thick white bread to shut her the hell up already…
…and that’s it. Dinner is DONE.
My cousin Kathy has her kids putting something beautiful on the table every night for dinner. I am totally stealing that idea. Candles? So far, so good. Here’s hoping dead snakes don’t qualify as a pretty.
The question is: Do you think they ate it? Or, to make it easier, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you think they hated it? 1 being Best. Dinner. Ever. and 10 being We’re Called Child Services and the Food Network to tell on you, you horrible, horrible woman.
I made this weeks’ short on purpose, because I’d like to throw an idea out there. See, the holidays are coming up fast and I thought it would be fun to have a little recipe contest. Here’s how to play: email at heymrlady [at] gmail [dot] com or post in the comments a favorite holiday recipe. Hell, you could submit a regular old recipe for all I care. I’m going to pick my favorite one every month and cook it. The first Saturday of the month will be Rate the Hate the Let Them Judge YOU edition. And the winning recipe? Will TOTALLY GET A PRIZE. A kitchen prize. A sweet kitchen prize. And maybe, just maybe, if we can keep this going for a year, if enough people play along, maybe I could throw all the winning recipes together into a little cookbook or calender or something.
This is a audience participation sort of thing, so spread the word. Tell your friends. Seriously, the prizes will ROCK YOUR WORLD.
Katherine
Saturday, 6 October, 2007 at 22:08Oooo, I’m in.
Ummm….can it be out of a cookbook?
Mr Lady
Saturday, 6 October, 2007 at 22:17You bet your ass it can. Just mention where you got it from.
Josh
Saturday, 6 October, 2007 at 23:59I’m a big fan of the Zatarain’s mixes. My secrets to Zatarain success are as follows:
Red Beans and rice — don’t use plain ol’ water. Create a base with some oil and a nice greasy sausage, brown it, then boil it, then use that tasty greasy juice to step it up a notch.
Gumbo — They have a secret… Their gumbo isn’t gumbo, it’s just soup. You can remedy this issue by adding a package of frozen okra. that along with creating a sausage base as indicated above totally takes it to the next level.
Good day.
Mr Lady
Sunday, 7 October, 2007 at 0:01Good day to you, too, sir!
Alison
Sunday, 7 October, 2007 at 1:20Yum. Zatarain’s. Good stuff.
I’m not rating anymore. There’s no way I’ll be able to judge. I ate everything except shark and eggplant when I was a kid. And I’d at least try the eggplant.
All my recipes are my mom’s recipes. Because I have never had to cook for the holidays. Maybe I’ll have to change that. I can make a mean Buche de Noel.
dawn224
Sunday, 7 October, 2007 at 3:29Guh, I’ve been drinking. I bet I forget to do this.
Mr Lady
Sunday, 7 October, 2007 at 3:35You know, Kathy (assuming you’re reading comments, which I am SURE you’re not), I’d give my second toe in on my left foot for your apple pie recipe from Christmas a few years back.
Veronica
Sunday, 7 October, 2007 at 8:06Ummm I’m running away to think…
I shall return…I hope.
hubs
Sunday, 7 October, 2007 at 20:50i too love the zatarain’s. i make mine with kielbasa. given all that, i’ll say 8.
PhotoMatrix
Friday, 19 October, 2007 at 19:24I wouldn’t give the 2nd toe on my left foot for very many things. I might though, if I could have all the time you have to write and be creative. Damn.
If you didn’t know, cooking is not my favorite thing to do, but in the interest of raising a child with some basic life skills, I have created some recipes for him to learn that are pretty darn ok. maybe i’ll get around to submitting them to see how they go over with your family. :)