Barley Jambalaya

Don't mistake me for a food blogger, but I wanted to share this recipe. It's super easy, delicious, healthy and filling and I did it all with stuff from my pantry and freezer.

I got it from a Dallas Morning News article, the recipe with my modifications is below.

BARLEY JAMBALAYA

**Notes:
I used frozen mirapoix veggies instead of fresh.
I made half the recipe and there were still leftovers, but I did NOT half the spices.
I added frozen shrimp at the end.
I didn't think it reheated that well for leftovers, it seemed very gloppy and stiff. Maybe I should have added liquid before nuking.e Your mileage may vary.

1 tablespoon canola oil 1 ½ cups onion, diced in 1/2-inch thick pieces 1 cup celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1 cup green bell pepper, diced in 1/2-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, chopped in juice 5 cups water or broth 2 cups pearled barley, uncooked (see note) 2 whole bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 cup turkey sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Add oil to a large saucepan or roasting pan and heat on top of the stove. Add the onions, celery, green pepper and garlic; mix well. Sauté 5 to 10 minutes, scraping bottom of pan periodically.

Add the tomatoes (with juice), broth or water, and barley. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring often. Add the bay leaves, salt, cayenne, oregano, black pepper and thyme; mix well. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the sausage.

Place the covered pan in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes. Check and stir after 30 minutes, adding more liquid if needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Serves 6.

Note: Pearled barley can be found in supermarkets, usually near the rice and dried beans, and in bulk form at health and natural food stores. Recipe instructions call for regular pearled barley. You also may use quick-cooking barley, which is pre-steamed to shorten the cooking time to about 10 minutes. Adjust the cooking time per package instructions.

You may substitute ham, beef smoked sausage, chicken or shrimp for the turkey sausage. Add chicken or shrimp later in the cooking process to avoid overcooking or precook and stir in during the final 10 minutes to warm.

PER SERVING: Calories 363 (16% fat) Fat 7 g (1 g sat) Chol 20 mg

Sodium 1,466 mg Fiber 13 g Carbohydrates 64 g Protein 16 g

Daddy/Daughter Sweetheart Dance

At Parker's school, around Valentine's Day, they have a Daddy/Daughter dance. (prior to that, there is a Mom/Son skating event). Lots of Parker's friends attend, so there was no way she was going to miss it.

Bob tried for a corsage, but couldn't find a suitable one, so he brought Parker flowers. She was thrilled.

Just to add to our chaos, it was the night before we left on our ski trip, so Gigi, former hairsylist, was here. It took both of us to do a suitable 'updo'. I didn't really get a good picture of it though...the back was a cascade of curls , and the very front was 2 braids that wrapped around (that was my part, at Parker's insistence)

How sweet do they look? Bob called all his friends, and yep, they were all wearing suits, so he did too. Just what someone wants to put on after they get home from work on a Friday night. He looked great though.

At the dance. Bob said she had fun - they do a combo of dancing with friends and dancing with dads and running around in circles.

Maybe next year I'll look for something darker for her to wear. She looks so pretty in that color that I couldn't pass it up....but it is more of an Easter dress than evening wear.