Man Food Mondays: Shrimp, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Have you seen those silly NutriSystem commercials touting "MAN Food?" Says big beefy man (I think Dan Marino): “Hey guys, let’s be honest. A man wants to eat real food – hot dogs, burgers, pizza and lasagna. You know, man food, big taste, hearty portions.”


I'm not sure if this is a prime example of the Marketing group gone crazy, but these commercials truly make me laugh. I somehow cannot locate a clip on YouTube so for those of you in the dark, you just need to watch more bad TV.

Well, in our household we've created our own Man Food Mondays, though it has nothing to do with losing weight, and everything to do with hubby in the kitchen. WoooHoo! You see, since we've been married, hubby has gotten uh, a little lazy in the kitchen while I've taken over the reins of housewife. Oh, but only if I were actually a housewife!

So, to maintain our egalitarian household, every Monday hubby will be cooking up a treat for us and you all get to revel in some good ol' Man Food!


This gumbo is chock full of goodies: sausage, shrimp, chicken, tomatoes, and okra. Okra...does it go in anything besides gumbo? In any case, this did stand up to be quite a hearty meal as we served it over rice and with a side of cornbread. The sauce is thick and tasty, though it didn't have quite the kick I'm used to with gumbo. I'd suggest adding a pinch or two of cayenne if you're looking for that spice. Otherwise, this is a tasty dish perfect for that man of yours who needs to feel like a man when he eats ;)

Man Food Gumbo
Adapted from Paula Deen

1-2 large boneless skinless chicken breast(s)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 link sweet Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4in pieces
1 link hot Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4in pieces (total of about 1lb sausage)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more to taste)
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped leaves for garnish
4 cups beef or chicken broth (we ran out and used 2.5 cups broth, 1.5 cups water)
1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen sliced okra
green onions, sliced, white and green parts
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.

2. Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley.

3. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add broth, whisking constantly. Return the chicken and sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.

4. Remove the chicken and allow to cool slightly. Shred with hands or two forks. Return chicken to pot.

5. Just before serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley. Allow to simmer until shrimp are cooked, about 2 minutes.

Labor of Love: Pulled Pork BBQ Sammies & Chicken Pasta Salad

I was a little bit of a precocious child. I'd find something and when I decided to like it, I LOVED it and took it upon myself to become an expert. One year, my obsession became dolphins - bottlenose, spotted, spinner- it didn't matter, I loved them all. I put my little heart into scouring through encyclopedias, books about dolphins, reading and learning just about everything my developing brain could soak in.

Hey, I even went through a dolphin fashion phase where I would wear dolphin earrings to match my dolphin t-shirt and socks (somehow I made it through these years with friends). Well at some point during my research, I read that dolphins were unfortunately being caught in nets by tuna fisherman. From that day forward, I swore I would never eat tuna. And I didn't...until I was in my 20s and decided I LOVED eating tuna, not studying them. Thankfully, I believe fishing practices have also improved.

I similarly decided as a child that I would not drink milk at the tender age of 3. Later in my childhood, I simply would not and could not eat a pig. That day, at the age of 8, I swore off pork. The tuna and the milk were not such a huge deal in my family. However, swearing off meat in a carnivorous family does not go over well. For many years, my Mom (being the saint she is) would have to make me my own "special" dish while the rest of the family dined on beef and pork. We'd go out for Pizza Hut and while the rest of the family shared a Meat Lovers pie, I'd have to get my own cheese pizza. Faces would sour when they saw my barren pizza; my parents would often wonder where I came from!

Fast forward to many years later: I'm no longer a picky eater in the least bit. I'll try anything once though the last time I said this I ended up eating chicken feet and feeling a tad bit ill.

As you'll notice, most of my posts and cooking concentrates on desserts (for obvious reasons), chicken/poultry and seafood. Even though I am no longer picky, old habits die hard and I have never been much of a meat eater. I had my very first bites of steak when I met my husband.

Hubby should probably hang out with my family more often since he's also quite a carnivore. He has been more than patient, altering his diet to accommodate mine so that we can share dishes at restaurants and I don't need to cook him anything "special" that I wouldn't enjoy myself. Though I will say that I'm less than skilled at cooking pork or beef, I've made a conscious effort to try it out from time to time to be fair to his tastes. While the rest of the world is moving towards a vegetarian diet, I'm bucking the trend. I'm a quasi-wannabe vegetarian trying to eat more meat!

Pulled pork is one of my favorite 'compromises' and this recipe is beyond easy. I usually save it for nights I know that I'll be working late or unable to make a fancy dinner. Lean pork tenderloin goes into the slow cooker with a magic tenderizing ingredient...Root Beer! The first time I used this recipe, I was a little skeptical, but it has tasted great every time. After several hours of slow roasting, add your favorite bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Rays is best in my opinion) and allow to cook on low for another hour. Voila, you have wonderful slow roasted pulled pork! If you have more time, consider serving these with cole slaw on the top. It's also delicious on the mini Hawaiian rolls you can purchase at most groceries.

This may be my shortest & easiest (& tastiest) recipe to date. (check out those superlatives!) J

Pulled Pork BBQ Sammies
2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
salt & pepper
1(12 oz) can of root beer
sweet onion, cut into 5 rings ½” wide (reserve remainder of onion for other use)
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (or your favorite)
toasted kaiser buns, makes about 6-8 sandwiches depending on bun size

1. Rub salt and pepper into pork tenderloin, to taste.
2. Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with sliced onion rings, about 4-6. Place pork tenderloin on top of onions in slow cooker. Pour root beer over the pork, cover and cook on low until tender, about 5-6 hours.
3. Remove pork from the slow cooker and shred with a fork and knife. Drain half of the juice from the slow cooker and save onions in the juice.
4. Add pork back to slow cooker and pour bbq sauce over pork. Eyeball the amount to use based on how saucy you would like your pulled pork. Combine well and cook on low for an additional hour. Serve on toasted kaiser buns.

Chicken & Pasta Salad
adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups chopped red,yellow and orange bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1 cup cooked tri color rotini pasta
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the chopped cooked chicken, cooked pasta,and cheese and toss mixture well. Cover salad and chill 1 hour.

Print out the recipe here:

You Want What for Dinner?!

...spaghetti & meatballs of course.

You see, I have a bad habit of pestering hubby about helping me come up with dinner ideas. I say 'pester' because with as much time as I spend perusing cooking blogs and participating on boards, I really shouldn't need too much of hubby's input for dinner ideas. Though it is nice from time to time, the poor man couldn't pick out leeks and rhubarb from shallots in a lineup.

So, after a particularly stressful day and an inability to think straight, I forced hubby to come up with our Sunday dinner and of all things, he chose homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Though this would probably be the last thing I order in an Italian restaurant, I couldn't scoff at the idea and come off as the crazy wife who requests opinions but doesn't like any of them. Well, actually I suppose this happens all the time, but who's keeping track?

For hubby, spaghetti & meatballs reek of nostalgia - family dinners and quality homemade food with fresh ingredients. For me, I think of $5.99 all-you-can-eat church spaghetti dinners. Growing up in an Asian household, I get nostalgic over things like nasi goreng, lemper ayam, and kue lapis. Dishes like spaghetti & meatballs usually came from Mr. Chef Boyardee, a sauce packet or the local Pasta House. Nonetheless, I forged on and began my search for a true, hearty & homemade recipe.

I wasn't quite sure where to start but as usual, a simple Google search resulted in a bevy of delectable recipes from fellow food bloggers. After reading through a few, I chose Chelley's spaghetti sauce from Sugar and Spice since I had over-zealously plucked my basil plant and needed to use dried basil. Then, knowing how much hubby likes Italian sausage, I found Elise's meatball recipe from Simply Recipes that uses both ground beef and Italian pork sausage. Plain breadcrumbs are used in the original recipe, but I tried Italian style breadcrumbs to give the meatballs an extra flavor kick.

Like many wonderful things in life, good things come to those who wait. Though we live in an instant gratification society, this homemade sauce is best when simmered all day, or at the very least a few hours. You'll be rewarded with tempting aromas wafting through your house and a sauce that is so much better than any kind you could buy in the store. Since I was at first skeptical, but certainly won over by this recipe, I'm submitting it to this week's Presto Pasta night.

While not the most sophisticated of dishes, homemade spaghetti & meatballs is ultimate comfort food. Sorry, Chef Boyardee.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
adapted from Sugar & Spice

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28-oz. can tomato puree
1 28-oz. can tomato sauce
2 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Water from rinsing extra sauce and puree from inside of cans
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until onion is tender.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato puree, parsley, basil, water, salt, sugar, pepper and bay leaf.
3. Stir and lower heat to a slow simmer. The sauce is best when simmered for at least 2 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving

Italian Meatballs

(adapted from Simply Recipes)

1 lb ground beef
½ lb fresh sweet(mild)Italian pork sausage, casings removed
2 Tablespoons finely chopped basil (I used 2 tsp dried basil)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
½ cup finely chopped crimini brown mushrooms
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup Italian style bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Prepare the meatballs. Mix by hand in a large bowl beef, Italian sausage, basil, parsley, mushrooms, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until well mixed. Use small melon baller, or teaspoons to form 1-inch round meat balls. Roll and compress into tight balls. (We made ours a little larger).

2. Heat frying pan over high heat and add olive oil. Sear and brown meat balls on all sides, about 2-5 minutes depending on size of meatballs. You may need to brown two batches of the meatballs. Do not crowd the pan by stacking the meatballs. Cook in a single layer and do not over-cook as these will simmer with the sauce.

3. Add meatballs to spaghetti sauce, and gently stir. Simmer sauce and meatballs for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.