I’ve got a fire going and I just had a hunk o’cake. Life is good!
Good luck with your surgery, taxi! It sounds scary, but I’m glad it’s not particularly dangerous. Too bad about the canoeing, tho… 
Good luck with the surgery, **taxi. ** You’re definitely in my thoughts.
I’m sorry to read about Bobbio’s bad news. I’m glad they caught the scumbags, but still; what a pain in the ass.
taxi, I definitely have to make turkey. I refuse to make it any other time of year, but my husband loves it. So, since that’s really the “traditional” meal, I can’t skate out of it. I already changed the Christmas Day menu years ago because I dislike it so much. I make prime rib roast on Christmas. There are no complaints about that; especially since we have to eat turkey on Christmas Eve at MiL’s place. I just don’t put any on my plate.
I actually make a really good turkey that’s moist and everyone loves it. So, while I excel at making one, I just don’t like to eat it. Everyone loves my stuffing/dressing. I’m going to ask my daughter to make her lemon cake and I’m sure her boyfriend will prepare a side dish. I’ll just have to worry about the turkey, dressing and gravy. Oh, and the mashed potatoes.
Howdy Mumpers. Been a good doobie today - working on getting caught up on school reading. I’m caught up on Nutrition and nearing caught up on Drugs. Dogs are being annoying.
Read all but comprehended none. Will try again tomorrow.
Rosie’s sig to all. Toodles for now.
Taters sorry about all the drama. Make a schedule, especially for cleanup. Post it in a prominent place. Stipulate cleanup must start no later than one hour after everyone finishes eating. Then sit upon a stool, glass of wine in hand and supervise. 
That remids me of a song, Queen Of The Silver Dollar. One of the lines is “her scepter is a wine glass and a bar stool is her throne.” I haven’t thought about that in years. This post is very stream of conscious is it not?
He’s a very smart dog. 
{{{{{{{{{{{{Taters}}}}}}}}}}} I sympathize, really. There’s a reason I live on the West coast while my family lives on the East coast. They make me crazy. I don’t have any advice, just sympathy.
{{{{{{{{{Taxi}}}}}}}
[Manly side hug]Bobbio[/manly side hug]
I tried a search on Jambalaya on the SDMB, 'cause I’m pretty sure I posted it somewhere before. Got to reading some of the threads and was surprised to find that people had such strong feelings about what constituted ‘proper’ Jambalaya.
I will, however, post my recipe, which I found on my hard drive, in the interest of curiousity. As I mentioned in my recipe, and will reiterate again here: Jambalaya is kind of like spaghetti in that everyone has their own recipe, and no two ever seem to be the same. Please keep that in mind.
Anyway, here it is:
JAMBALAYA
about 1 lb. chicken parts
1 lb shrimp, preferably medium sized
1 BIG yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cups long grain white rice
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 green, or red, or yellow, bell pepper
2 regular sized cans of stewed chunked tomatoes
2 (or more) cans of chicken broth
1-2 Tbsp chili powder
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
cooking oil
water
optional (see text):
a pound of Andoille or other sausage
bay leaves
thyme
Old Bay Seasoning
poultry seasoning
Crab and Shrimp boil
whatever
Jambalaya is kind of like spaghetti in that everyone has their own recipe, and no two ever seem to be the same, but the basic premise is: two or more kinds of meat, or shellfish, cooked with rice, tomatoes and other vegetables.
The variation most often asked for around my house is chicken and shrimp, and I do it this way: (How you do it is up to you. Improvise.)
In a sauce pan, boil your chicken parts seasoned with salt, pepper, a little poultry seasoning, and bay leaves (or just salt and pepper, if you’d rather.)
Meanwhile, chop up one big yellow onion, three or four celery stalks, three or four cloves of garlic, and a green bell pepper. Taste the pepper when you chop, sometimes they’re bitter. A red or yellow bell would be more than welcome here instead, if you like.
Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and sauté the onion, garlic, celery and pepper over medium heat until the onion is translucent, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
If you’re putting in sausage, chop it up and put it in now. Saute it a bit.
Pour in at least two cans of chicken broth and two cans of peeled tomato chunks.
As soon as your chicken parts are cool enough, skin and de-bone them and chop or shred, then add to the pot.
Put in at least a tablespoon of chili powder. Most folks also add cayenne pepper, but my friends and family are a little timid about that stuff, so I take it easy on them. A little dried thyme would be welcome here also. Taste! Taste! Taste!
Strain off the chicken, and add the broth to the pot. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the pot.
When the pot comes up to a slow boil, add at least a cup of long grain white rice. Remember that a cup of rice will absorb about two and a half cups of liquid, so adjust your liquids accordingly.
If you want the rice to absorb all the liquid, the traditional way, cover, and reduce to a simmer, just as if you were cooking any rice dish. You may, at your discretion, come back and stir the top down to the bottom part way through.
If you are serving it as a soup, (some people do), put in more liquid and stir every few minutes.
Meanwhile, rinse out the saucepan and cook the shrimp as you would normally do, using crab and shrimp boil, Old Bay Seasoning, or whatever you prefer. At least use some chili powder or something. You may add this stock to the pot later if you wish. I always do.
When the shrimp are done, drain and peel and set aside.
When the rice is done, (half an hour to an hour), turn off the heat, stir in the shrimp, and, as soon as the shrimp are hot again, serve, with Louisiana Hot Sauce on the table.
If the proportions seem sketchy, I’m sorry. I taste as I go, and so should you, and by all means, use fresh ingredients instead of canned if you have them.
The above recipe isn’t quite what I do these days. I cook the shrimp earlier and add the shrimp broth to the pot before putting in the rice. Also, if you’re using sausage, you put it in and saute with the onions, etc, before adding the broth. Some people put in some tomato paste after the onion is translucent and saute everything some more til the tomato paste gets brown some. I don’t, but I’m just sayin’
Rebo’s version looks yummy too, and much less trouble than mine. I’ll have to try that method.
I apologize about my recipe, above. Apparently I would have you add your chicken to the pot twice. You don’t have to do that. Once is enough. :rolleyes:
Not sure how I missed your post from yesterday, taxi. Sounds like things went as well as could be expected. I think you should be glad that they’ve diagnosed the depression, so now it can be treated. Hope the Zoloft helps.
Watching the second installment of Case Histories on PBS. It’s really good.
Hope things have improved.
Cool recipes, Rebo and Bumba. I’ll be including the double chicken, of course. 
Should be asleep. But I have to watch the end of the show.
Hugs.
GT
Man, is this ever a Pit-worthy story.
The burglars were, in fact, a crew hired to winterize vacant houses, apparently by the mortgage company. Never gave us a courtesy call or letter that they were doing this. The story was so confused that we drove 4 hours and change to check things out for ourselves.
They shut off the water, poured antifreeze in the terlet, drains, and appliances, and changed the locks on the front door. They also busted the front doorframe getting in.
I called the mortgage company on the way out of town to see if they did send a contractor, and never got a straight answer, but it was wrapped in beautifully arcane politically correct bullshit. I told the vapid moron I wanted a fast answer, because it would save me a 400 mile round trip. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
We’re staying in a hotel in Suffolk, VA, and will go home tomorrow after I make another trip to the house in the morning. You can bet I have a big snootful of outrage, both recreational and deserved, and there will be a whole lotta butts chewed before I’m done.
{{{{{{{Bobbio}}}}}}}
Gonna try again today to get the car inspected. Hope my back cooperates.
Ohhhh, you put your right chicken in and take your right chicken out and then you shake it all about!
So I was out of coffee for the morning and figured I’d go get some at WalMart. You know, for 2 in the morning it was almost entirely free of WalMartians. The only drawback was the bagels weren’t re-stocked yet and there were only two bags of pumpkin spice. Usually I’m a bagel purist, reformed from that crazy woman who insisted on making her own even, but they must make these punkin’ bagels with crack. I dream of them! Happy little bagels with snowy white cream cheese jackets trip trapping through my mind…
Sending waves of good outcome to all those who need it (and this week has seen it’s share, huh?).
**BBBobbio **- the responsible party who didn’t notify you should, at the very least, reimburse your gasoline cost for this fiasco. What a pain in the patootie!!
Yes, I’m up. I was having a dream that **FCD **stopped at a shelter and was looking to adopt another cat. Which is pretty hilarious considering how much he whines about the 2 we have… There was also a pug in the shelter that was just sitting quietly. That’s how I knew it was just a dream.
My sweetie’s on his way to work, I just had a healthy slice of cake for breakfast (wheat and eggs and milk!! Bill Cosby wouldn’t lie!!) with a glass of milk, and before too long, I’ll hop in the shower and ready myself for class. The logs that I banked in the fireplace insert were reduced to embers by this morning, but it’s still radiating some heat. It would have been more effective if I’d remembered to close the window in the stairwell (where the cat box resides.) Oh well…
Apart from class today, daughter is coming for supper. I’ve got a little pile of stuff for her to take - gotta remember to get her long winter coat out of the hall closet and have her take it. I may stop on my way home from school to get a few grocery items. Dunno - today is a wing-it day.
Happy Thursday!
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffienatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 58 degrees Amurrkin out with a predicted high of 65. Over the next couple of days we might have a :eek: frost! :eek: Ok by me. Outside pipes are wrapped. I have outside faucets I wrap and also wrap the pool pump just in case. I figure insulation never hurts. Anywho, after this little snap o’ cool, early next week some low 80’s a couple of days until it settles back to low 70’s again.
As far as jambalaya is concerned, my recipe is close to Rebo’s but always includes shrimp and I don’t use tomatoes cause I don’t like tomatoes in jambalaya. Like Bumba says there are as many ways to make jambalaya as there are folks who make jambalaya.
BBBobbio give 'em hell as only you can do and then we want all the juicy details.
Now I must seek caffiene and brekkie for rumbly tummy. Then, alas, irk purtification must commence.
Happy Thursday Y’all!
blurf.
progress - I managed to get dressed without injuring myself.
The day started with a pleasant surprise: My paycheck came a day early. Og knows we need it. I plan on paying off that speeding ticket I got from the last trip to the Land Of The Rednecks.
I will be leaving momentarily to go back to VunderLair I to do a couple of things (mebbe SPITEFUL things), then we head home to MerryLande. I intend to be back by 1400. Just because.
OMG, shortdrum! It’s beautiful!!
The rest of you will have to wait until I get back home to see what I’m talking about.
Rosie gettin’ up and dressed without maimin’ oneself is a sign of a good day.
I was presented with a choice at irk. I could either go work an “event” in beautiful, downtown, in the middle of nowhere Edison, Jawja or make some home visits in around heah. I chose the latter. It’s drizzly out and besides, I can finagle home visits so’s I can go by da cave and grab a sammich for N.O.L.. Yeah, so what you say, either way it’s drivin’. However, I prefer local drivin’ to a two hour round trip and sittin’ around for several hours. So, happy bear dance!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GT!!!
Sorry that the vast conspiracy has been working on you lately, BBBBBobbio. If tomorrow is your payday, you probably get the money a day early because it’s a federal holiday tomorrow (Veteran’s Day - and a THANK YOU to all vets everywhere, a day early, btw!).
Waiting to see what Rosie got! I have an echo cardiogram today - keep me in your thoughts, folks, please.
Have a great Thursday all. 
:grumble: too early, etc.
Took another math quiz yesterday (there is no graded homework in this class, but weekly tests and quizzes). Got 100%. This math stuff I am finding to be very interesting, to my complete surprise. In highschool I loathed math - my idea of hell was being locked in a room doing math equations. Now, I find it fascinating. Absolutely bizzare. I’m actually looking forward to taking advanced algebra and calculus.
Anyone know where I can get an official Nerd membership card?
Happy Birthday, gardentraveler!!!
Wow, Bobbio - I say kick some ass and take names, and come back here and tell us all about it! We all love to live vicariously through you.
Not much happenin’ in Rebo World. Irk is slow, but I just got promised some easy stuff to do. I need to work on my project some more. Shakin’ dat tree, Boss Swampus!
I hope everybody feels better soon.