Scotty Snacks » jambalaya

Jambalaya With Mango (And Turkey Sausage)

Scotty — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:31:00 +0000

In lieu of @TyrinFord‘s #socalbbq, I took the liberty of gathering some snacks for the sharing. Amongst said snacks was none other than my Creole Crock-Pot Jambalaya, which always seems to make a big hit at every scene. And, although the cooking (and/or preparation) was just about the same as my original Jambalaya Snack Recipe, I did make a few changes while adding a little mango flare to this batch. Here, let’s get right to it!

Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

3 Boxes Zatarain’s Jambalaya Mix
7.5 Cups Water
6 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1.5 lb Cooked Shrimp
2 Packs Smoked TURKEY Sausage
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper (Sliced Up)
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (Sliced Up)
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper (Sliced Up)
A Few Drops Of Tabasco
A Small Pinch Of Tony Chachere’s
A Small Pinch Of Cayenne Pepper
2 Whole Mangos (Sliced Up)

Making Them Say Mmm.

First things first, toss your (7.5 cups) of water along with the (6 tablespoons) of vegetable oil into a pot and bring to a boil. And, since we doing this here jambalaya crockpot style again, go on and get your crock pot out and set it to high so that it can heat up while you wait for the water/oil mixture to come to a boil. Once the water and oil begin to boil, add them to the crock-pot and then add all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the mango slices to the crockpot and close/seal the lid for about 45 minutes to an hour prior to opening again. After the 45 minutes to a hour have gone by (all the while, your kitchen smells amazing!), open up the lid on the crockpot, stir the soon-to-be-ready jambalaya around very well and close the lid for about another 45 minutes to an hour. The rest is delicious history, people. Once the jambalaya is at the consistency that you like to consume it at, turn the crockpot down, stir in the mango slices (that have been patiently waiting to join the tasty fun) and begin to dig in. Enjoy!

Setting Up Snack Shop For The BlankSpaces 1 Year Anniversary Party

Scotty — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:20:13 +0000

Next Thursday, April 16, 2009, Scotty Got Snacks for the BlankSpaces 1 Year Anniversary Party located at 5405 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036. That’s right, I’m making a list, checking it twice and bringing some snacks that are bound to please the nice crowd. Amongst the snacks I have in mind to serve will include (but will not be limited to as I have a few secret snacks to surprise the folks with ) a crockpot of my Tasty Cajun Jambalaya Dish; some sweet snacks like my Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies, Skittles Cookies With Strawberries and Blueberries and Oatmeal Squares, to name a few ; a pitcher of Blue Dew Iced Tea along with some samples of a few other Scotty Snacks Teas; and a handful of other snacks certainly worth keeping on the hush, to better fuel the snack anticipation. And, I’m not trying to “spill the beans”, per say, but I also heard that Kogi BBQ might be making an appearance. So, pace your snacking self, there will certainly be plenty good Blank Spaces 1 Year Anniversary Party Snacks to go around. See you there? RSVP today!

A Re-Snack From February’s Freelancer Fridays (And The Food Consumed Therein)

Scotty — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:10:36 +0000

Another set of snacks served, another opportunity to meet and network with good people! Thanks (again) to Jerome Chang of Blank Spaces, I came through with a helping of snacks for February’s Freelancer Fridays attendees. With 3 boxes of Crock Pot Cooked Jambalaya in a 5 quart crock-pot, 3 gallons of Blue Dew Iced Tea in a 5 gallon thermos, 50 mini Oatmeal Squares and about 30 Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies (which actually turned out to be a big pile of cookie crumbs after I rush scraped them off of the cookie sheet ), both in separate, 76 ounce plastic ziploc containers, I made like Santa Claus in February and delivered the treats!

Snack By Snack

Besides the remaining 5-7 mini pieces of Yo Momma’s Oatmeal Squares and the half gallon of Blue Dew Tea that I transferred back home, all snacks were pretty much consumed within about an hour’s time. To no surprise of mine, first from the list to go (thanks to the hearty appetite of Francisco Dao, who you may know from The Killer Pitch) was none other than my Creole Crock Pot Jambalaya. The Clarified Butter Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies followed shortly behind, leaving the “and then there were two” scenario with my Blue Dew Iced Tea and my Yo Momma’s Oatmeal Squares sitting around, just waiting to be had.

In Attendance

Although I can’t claim to have met with all persons who were at Blank Spaces last night, I can certainly claim to have connected with quite a few pleasant folk. Amongst them would be the first lady I walked by (and checked in with) as I entered the spot, Katya Roberts, who is property manager at Blank Spaces. Then, after laying the snacks out on the table, I was kindly greeted by Kim Koury, President of Spin Public Relations, a PR firm in Santa Monica specializing in public relations, strategic planning and special events coordination. In addition, I also had the pleasure of meeting publicist, Michelle Avedissian; network specialist, Matthew Almanza; and reporter with SynchedUpShow, Rich Demuro. And, last, but certainly not least on the (had the pleasure of meeting with) list would be Angela Wise, director of sale and distribution for (the innovative and creative custom label energy drinks company,) Xbrand Fluids, LLC.

*Did you go to this month’s Freelancer Fridays (or, perhaps a previous month’s)? What did you think?

Thank God It’s Freelancer Fridays!

Scotty — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:40:10 +0000

To better support the often flexible (but still at times hectic) schedules that freelancers tend to abide by, the team at Blank Spaces hosts regular happy hours on the third Thursday of every month called, Freelancer Fridays. After having the pleasure of meeting the founder of Blank Spaces, Jerome Chang, this past week (at Twiistup 5), I signed Scotty Snacks up with a sack of snacks for the folks at Freelancer Fridays (thanks much to Espree Devora for making the introduction)! However you want to calculate it, this Thursday’s Freelancer Fridays is just 3 more lunch breaks away, certain to be stacked with tasty treats accompanied by meaningful networking opportunities.

Amongst some of the party favors that will be provided include a crock-pot filled to the brim with jambalaya, a pitcher of Blue Dew iced tea, a handful of Valentine’s Day strawberries, a batch of clarified butter sugar cookies (with blueberries and white chocolate chips) and a few other secret snacks, certainly worth the anticipation And, I even heard that there will be wine, too! Just like the food, drinks and especially good company, pre-registration is free so, sign yourself up and be sure to bring some friends along. That’s this Thursday, February 19, 2009 from 6-9pm (PT) at Blank Spaces located at 5405 Wilshire Blvd (see it on Google maps).

Creole (Crock-Pot) Jambalaya

Scotty — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 06:23:33 +0000

After making a pot of jambalaya a couple of weeks back on the stove then preparing another batch this week (for #thebeachhouse supper) in a crock-pot, I can honestly testify that, if you have an extra hour and a half to two hours to burn, you should definitely cook your jambalaya in a crock-pot as opposed to on the stove. *Well, I do recommend bringing the water/oil mixture to a boil on the stove as it will be much faster than in the crock-pot but, after that, leave the rest of the magic to the power of the crock-pot. As I had mentioned to all who had a bite (or two) of my Creole Crock-Pot Jambalaya, besides the meat, some sliced yellow & red peppers and a few dashes of additional seasoning, the main ingredients come straight from the Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix box (which can be purchased at just about any grocery market).

What’s Needed

3 boxes Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix
7.5 cups water
6 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 boneless chicken breasts (cooked and sliced into small pieces)
1.5 lb of cooked shrimp
2 packs of smoked sausage
A half of a normal sized yellow pepper (chopped into small pieces)
A half of a normal sized red pepper (chopped into small pieces)
A few drops of Tabasco
A small pinch of Tony Chachere’s
A small pinch of cayenne pepper

Step By Step

Bring (7.5 cups) water and (6 tablespoons) vegetable oil to boil on stove then toss into crock-pot along with the meats, the boxes of Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix, the sliced peppers and the additional seasoning; set the heat to high and close the lid. Leave the lid closed until you begin to see the mixture boiling (usually takes about 30-45 minutes to see the mixture boiling around the edges). Once you see mixture boiling/bubbling, lift the lid, stir all around well, close the lid and set the heat to low, to simmer/cook for a remaining 45 minutes to an hour or so. And, quite frankly, that is a wrap! Serve warm and, please leave out the Tabasco, Tony Chachere’s and Cayenne pepper for those who so ~~care~~ dare to go spicy!

To Note: Using this 3 box recipe will get you enough to serve about 10-20 people. Simply add/subtract accordingly should you need more/less. If you do need more, you may need another crock-pot as the 5 quart crock-pot that I used for this specific 3 box batch was just about full. ALSO: You can feel free to add/swap some ham, crawfish, fish and/or meat-of-your-choice in there too