Thanksgiving Cranberry Jell-O

I only trust Jell-O when mom makes it. I can't even touch it if a non-nuclear-family member makes it. But for all that, I do love the handful of things Mom does with Jell-O, especially this Thanksgiving standard.

6 oz raspberry Jell-O
2 c water
1 cans whole cranberry sauce
1 c sour cream
1 c chopped pecans

Swirl in sour cream when the rest is partially set.

Caramels

2 c sugar
1 c corn syrup (2 c for popcorn balls)
1 12 or 13 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 lb butter

Boil sugar, syrup, and butter for 5 minutes. Slowly add milk. Don't allow the boil to stop. Cook to firm ball. Pour into greased 8"x8" pan.

Gingerbread Cookies

These are a favorite of mine at Christmas.

3 1/2 c flour
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t cinnamon
3 t ginger
1/4 t cardamom or allspice
1/2 c shortening
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c dark molasses
1 egg
2 T milk

Roll and bake at 350.

Mardi Gras: Jambalaya!

For a Relief Society cooking group today, I made jambalaya and rice pudding. I was a bit worried-- ok, a lot worried-- because I hadn't ever made either and I was playing with the recipes. Foolish! But I think I was blessed for hosting, because both turned out delightfully well. I will give you the recipes as I made them.
This jambalaya recipe is adapted from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, but it's really quite different. Even with the intentional changes that I made, I chopped things rather large and roughly and was a little bit loose with the timing of things. I think it's rather robust-- the thing turned out absolutely ideally.
This makes a very spicy dish. I like spicy, and yes, this really is spicy. Serve with milk, a nice french bread, and a leafy green salad.

Jambalaya

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage (I cut disks in quarters), about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups (I used thigh meat)
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 8x8-inch baking pan (must not be unusually shallow). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit cruncy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.