Crindian?

That, my friends is Creole + Indian and means that yes, I made my first Jamba-LAYA (I would be remiss to not mention that Jim pronounces it this way every time, a Seinfeld reference) as well as my first Indian food.

We'll start with the Jambalaya. This literally could not be easier. I absolutely love how the slow cooker magics any combinations of ingredients together into deliciousness and you don't even have to be there. I just chopped up the ingredients (after a ten hour graveyard shift, in the morning before bed) and threw them in the crock pot and went to bed. 8 hours later...beautiful jambalaya waiting for me.

I'm not sure what the fat content is for this little baby because it does include such decadent ingredients as andouille sausage, but the calories are fairly low and a giant pot makes 12 servings. Needless to say, I actually made this last week and just got around to talking about it today. It's lasted a long time. My only complaint is that it was too spicy for Jim. I love the spice and I think it made it taste authentically Cajun, but Jim still has a milder palate. It's probably my Cajun seasoning again, being a little too red pepper heavy. Every few months I mix together a batch of Emeril's Creole Seasoning, or his "essence" as he likes to call it. Here's a quick recipe for that:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

It's a staple around our house. Great for those nights when I want something flavorful but I'm feeling uncreative and unmotivated, works great on salmon, chicken, and shrimp. I've never tried it on steak, but I should!

And tonight, we had a little late night Indian. I have been wanting to try this recipe forever but have scoured the earth looking for Garam Masala (an obscure Indian spice) and finally found it today. I really liked this recipe, it tasted very authentic to me. It could have maybe used a bit of coriander though, I did feel like it was missing....something. Most of all though, I wish I had made Naan as well...you know, that delicious Indian flatbread necessary for soaking up every last delicious drop of the sauce? Oh yeah.

Surprisingly, it wasn't too spicy for ole Jimbo. Hurray! I know I've had this in Indian restaurants before...and if it's not called "chicken makhani" there, I believe I've seen it served as "butter chicken".

By the way, the cinnamon bread from yesterday is still around, although there is significantly less of it now...and it's still delicious. Holding strong!

Tomorrow I'll be going to a little ladies get-together and I'm thinking I'll bring peanut butter blondies with chocolate ganache for two reasons:

a)why not?

and

b)I have so few occasions to make and enjoy peanut butter creations since Jim is a peanut butter-hating Scrooge, or as my coworkers said upon learning of his aversion...a terrorist.

I wouldn't go that far, but take that as a lesson, Jim. You're being taste-profiled.