What do to do with a freezer full of left-over cooked meats and sausages?  Make a gumbo! I won’t be so bold to say that this is a traditional gumbo, but I will say that this left me and scraping the bowl!

I think the most daunting part of this is making a roux, which is only laborious because you have to constantly stir it for about 20-25 minutes.  I mean it.  Don’t walk away. Don’t answer the phone, start texting, or grab the remote.  Making a roux is serious business, but if done correctly it will serve you well!

The Basics

• Diced onion – about 1 cup
• Diced celery – about 1 cup
• Cooking oil – about 2 tbsp, and 1/3 cup
• Diced meats – I used precooked chicken, ham, turkey sausage and andouille sausage.  If you are going to buy something, I would say definitely spurge on the andouille sausage.  You can add shrimp too.
• Flour – 1/2 cup
• Chicken broth – About 2 cans
• Green onions – Green part cut on a bias
• Cooked rice
• Salt and pepper
• Okra – I used frozen, but feel free to use fresh okra.
• Spices – I like using some 1 tsp ground sage, 2 bay leaves, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

The Rundown

Saute onions and celery in 2 tbsp of oil until onions are translucent.  Set aside.

In a dutch oven or a cast iron pot, add the 1/3 cup of oil and heat over medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup of flour and whisk.  It will look blond (to the left).  Keep whisking and moving the blond roux so it doesn’t burn.  This will take about 20-25 minutes until you see the color start changing.  Keep cooking until it becomes brown (to the right), like milk chocolate.

Carefully add the broth and keep whisking until all broth is added.

Once the base starts boiling, add all the meats.  Then add the spices and cooked veggies.

Bring gumbo to a gentle boil and let cook for about 15 minutes, covered.  Add okra and cook for about 10 minutes more.  Stir occasionally.  Skim off any excess fat.  Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.

Serve over hot rice with a sprinkle of green onions.

This is a family recipe, created by my grandma on my dad’s side.  My dad is the oldest of nine kids; while big families weren’t so uncommon in the Philippines a few decades ago, you can imagine it was tough feed such a large group on a limited budget.  This recipe is proof that you can make a few ingredients go a long, tasty way.

The Basics

• Chuck roast  – cut into large pieces
• Potatoes – peeled and cut into a large pieces
• Tomato sauce – The large can
• Soy sauce
• Garlic powder

The Rundown

Brown beef in a large pot with a tbsp of oil.  Remove beef and set aside.

Add potatoes to the pot and cook potatoes until just about cooked.  It’ll take about 10 minutes.  Make sure you stir occasionally.

Add tomato sauce, a few shakes of garlic powder, and about 1/4 cup of soy sauce.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Serve with rice.  Enjoy!

This sausage pasta bake was inspired from one of my favorite foodie TV shows “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”.  Basically, it’s a bunch of meat, cheeses, marinara sauce, bell peppers and pasta.  It’s basically love baked in goodness.

The Basics

• Meats – I used Italian sausage (not in casing), Andouille sausage and pre-cooked ham
• Sliced red bell pepper
• Sliced green bell pepper
• Sliced onion
• Cooked pasta
• Marinara sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Asiago cheese

The Rundown

In an oven-safe pot, saute the Italian sausage until fully cooked.  Add other meats and heat thoroughly.

Add bell peppers and onions.  Heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Add about a cup of asiago cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Mix well.

Add 1 jar of marinara sauce and mix.  Sauce should turn pink-ish from the cheeses.

Top with cheeses and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Thick and packed with flavor, split pea soup with chunks of ham is one of my favorite comfort foods.  This is especially if you have left-over ham.  This recipe makes enough for a large family.

The Basics

• Cooked ham cut into chunks – You’ll need at least 2 handfuls.
• 2 carrots – Peeled and sliced
• 2 potatoes; optional – peeled and diced
• 1 onion – diced
• 2 packages of dried split peas
• Chicken broth – about 3 or 4 cups.
• Water
• 1-2 bay leaves

The Rundown

Rinse one package of split peas with water.  In a dutch oven or a heavy pot with a lid, add onions, hams, chicken broth, the rinsed split peas, and bay leaves.

Bring to a gentle boil and cover with a lid.  Continue to cook for 30-45 minutes — just until the peas are soften.

Rinse other bag of peas.  Add carrots, celery, potatoes and peas.  Bring to a boil again.  Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes — or until the new peas are softened.  The first batch of peas will pretty much turn into mush, while the second batch will keep its shape.  Enjoy!

I was determined to salvage some of the meat from my ham fail into something delicious.  Since the meat was dried out, the only way I could add flavor and moisture is using it in a casserole.

Although this dish was my salvation, you could also use the same recipe just to create a tasty meal!

The Basics

• Onion – diced
• 2 carrots – peeled and diced
• Red bell pepper – diced
• Cooked macaroni – about half a box
• Cooked ham – about 1 1/2 – 2 cups diced ham
• Frozen spinach – about 1 cup
• Frozen peas – about 1/2 cup
• 1 can of cream of celery
• 1 can of cream of chicken
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Cooking oil – about 1 tbsp
• Parmesan cheese
• Breadcrumbs

The Rundown

Saute onions, red bell pepper and carrots with cooking oil in a pot for about 5 minutes in medium heat.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add ham, spinach and peas until heated through.  Sprinkle a little salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Then add the creams of celery and chicken and macaroni.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish.  Liberally sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.  Enjoy!

I never knew that pot roast could be so simple to make.  My dad usually uses those seasoning that come with a bag, but the beef usually still becomes too salt and dry.  I did some research and have tried this recipe a number of times with slight modifications here and there.  I usually stock up on beef roasts when its $1.99/lb so this can be a really cheap, yet filling meal!

The Basics

• Chuck or bottom round roast
• Red wine – use whatever you like to drink; about 1 to 1 1/2 cups
• Salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
• Carrots – peeled and cut into large pieces
• Celery – washed and cut into large pieces
• Onion – 1 onion sliced
• Garlic – 1-2 tbsp peeled and minced
• Soup mix – use onion soup or vegetable soup

The Rundown

Liberally season the roast with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  If you’re using a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Brown meat by letting it sit for 5 minutes on each side.  If you’re using a crock pot, brown in a big saute/frying pan.  Remove roast and set aside.

Add onions to your cooking dutch oven and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.  If you’re using a crock pot, turn it on and a bit of cooking oil and cook the same way.  Add roast to the dutch oven or the crock pot.

In a separate bowl, combine wine and soup mix.  Pour over roast.  If you’re using a dutch oven, place lid on top and cook in the oven for about 3 – 3 1/2 hours.  If you’re using a crock pot, add water until roast is about covered and let cook under low heat for about 4-5 hours.

Before the last hour of cooking, add celery, carrots and potatoes.  The meat will be very tender, so carefully lift out.  Enjoy!

When most people think “Salisbury steak”, they conjure images of salty TV dinners.  But really, its similar to sliced meatloaf soaking in mushroom gravy.

My dad, a Coast Guard retiree, loves Salisbury steak — which I think is attributed to meals he used to have on the ship.  The funny thing is my dad can’t quite get the recipe right.  The beef patties turn into huge balls of meat, and for some reason, he always adds a can of cream of mushroom. So I decided to do something nice for my dad and make it the way he remembered from his days as a “Coastie”.

The Basics

• Ground beef; 1 lb
• Peeled carrot
• Stalk of celery
• Half onion
• Bread crumbs
• 2 eggs – scrambled
• Salt and pepper
• Beef gravy
• Sliced mushrooms
• Dry onion soup – 1 packet
• Red wine – about 1/2 cup

The Rundown

Food process the carrot, celery and onion until finely chopped.  In a large bowl, mix veggies, ground beef, about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, salt, pepper and eggs.  If it’s too soupy, add more bread crumbs.  Form into 1/2″ thick patties.

Grill patties until brown, which will take about 5 minutes on each side.

In a oven-safe casserole dish, mix gravy, wine and onion soup package.  Add mushrooms and coat.  Remove mushrooms and set aside.

Add cooked patties then pile the mushrooms on top.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!

Sinigang  is a traditional everyday Filipino soup dish.  It is a tamarind soup base, which is a little bit sour.  There are different variations but this version is what I grew up eating.

The Basics

• Pork – I used pork ribs; if you use bigger chunks of meat, your cooking time will have to be more.
• Tough leafy greens – You can use anything from bok choy, cabbage, kale or mustard leaves.  I would stay away from soft greens like spinach, watercress, etc.
• Fresh green beans
• Onion  – 1 half; sliced
• 2 Garlic cloves – minced
• 1 large potato – Peeled and diced
• Cooking oil – about 1 tbsp.
• Tomato
• Tamarind soup mix – I prefer the UFC Tamarind Soup package (which is yellow and green).  Soup packages are under $1 at the asian markets.
• Water

The Rundown

1. In a large pot, add cooking oil on medium heat.  Sautee onions and garlic for about 5 mintes — be careful that the garlic doesn’t burn.
2. Add pork.  Stir occasionally and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add green beans and potatoes.
4. Add soup package and about 7 cups of water.  If you want to eyeball it, fill up the pot about halfway.
5. Heat until boiling.
6. Cover with lid and cook for about 15 minutes.
7. Add greens and tomatoes.
8. Cook for about 15 minutes.
9. Serve with rice.  Enjoy!

Additional Notes

• You can switch the meat to shrimp, chicken or beef.
• You can keep this on the stove top on a very low setting for a couple hours if you want the pork to be extra tender.
• You can add peppers to the soup to make it a spicy.
• You can also add sliced dicon radish for extra texture.

The Basics

• Shrimp with shells; about a handful or so
• Garlic; about 3 or 4 cloves
• Cooking oil
• Salt

The Rundown

1. In a non-stick skillet, heat oil under medium low heat.  Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
2. Mince or thinly slice garlic.  Add to the pan and cook until garlic is golden brown.  It should take a while, so stir occasionally.
3. Carefully add shrimp.  Try to slide the shrimp in the oil so avoid splashing.
4. Cook until shrimp is no longer pink.  A good measure is shrimp should be a “C” for cooked; if it is overcooked, it will be an “O”.
5. With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp and garlic.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with rice!

Lindsey and I watched “Julie/Julia” this weekend (Meryl Strep was hilarious!), and it really inspired me to try french cuisine.  Beef bourguignon is a slow-cooked beef stew in a wine sauce.  I couldn’t find the Julia Child’s recipe online, so I tried Ina Garten’s verison (aka The Barefoot Contessa from The Food Network) and it was awesome!

I have to say the BEST part was when I got to flambe the veggies! My heart was beating out of chest and the flame when pretty high, but it was sooooo cool!  Also the meat came out really tender and absorbed the flavor really well.

Things I would change/alter:

• Recipe called for a pinot noir, which is too dark for me, so I might change it up to a Cab or a Shiraz because I don’t mind drinking those.
• Recipe also called for frozen onions, whereas I might just use regular chopped onions.  The frozen pearl onions were cute, but after a while, I just couldn’t handle eating them.
• Ina’s recipe only used thyme as the only herb, but other recipes used parsley and some other spices.  I feel like it was missing just a little something extra, so you may want to go with a different spice combo or recipe if you want to make it.

As Julia says, “Bon appetite!” =)