garden gifts

Just before the rain rolled in this morning I walked through one of my happy places, the Green Acres Garden.  The place where we have for the past 4 summers toiled, planted, picked pesky bugs, slapped mosquitoes and for me, ruined many a manicure.  I love this little patch of heaven.

From our Inaugural Garden in 2009 to today.




Oh, how I love our Garden so.  This morning to my delight we found lots of Bell Peppers, jalapeno peppers and finally my tomatoes are coming around.  We have had a crazy tomato year.  Lots of vine, not many fruit and the fruit that was showing up was a salad bar for our new puppy and the tree rats.


So the question was raised ~ what to make today?  It looks like Tuna Pasta Salad, Jambalaya for dinner and possibly going to make a batch of pickled jalapenos for my Mr. Miller.

Yummy Crockpot Jambalaya

• The Cast of Characters
• 5 c. chicken broth 
• 1 can black beans*
• 4 peppers – any color you want, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large can of organic diced tomatoes (leave the juice) or 2 small cans
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 bay leafs
• 1 lb. large shrimp, raw and de-veined
• 1 pkg kielbasa or Andouille sausage
• 2 c. okra (optional)
• 3 tbsp. Cajun Seasoning or a little less if you want
• 1/4 c. Frank’s Red Hot (or hot sauce of your choice) 

1. Put the Peppers, Tomatoes, onions, Frank’s, Broth,black beans,  garlic, bay leaves and Cajun seasoning in crockpot.  Set on low for 6 hours.
2. About 30 minutes till end of time add cut up sausage and shrimp. Remember to take tails off and devein.
3. While shrimp and sausage are cooking make up some rice or crazy some quinoa to change it up a bit.
4. Serve over rice.
5. Your mouth, tummy and family will thank you.

*My family loves black beans.  I know it is not a regular ingredient found in jambalaya.  The beauty of cooking is that it is your canvas, make it how you want. You could use chicken instead.