After I made it past Wednesday’s show, I knew I needed some sleep-I was beat! They also told me I needed to turn up my personality. So I did some sleeping and some thinking. I knew that for the seafood challenge I was doing my Jambalaya but how was I going to tell my personal story? I started cooking 8 years ago and it all really started with making Jambalaya. The original recipe was really intimidating and people commented on how hard Jambalaya was to get “right.” It started to become a tradition between me and my husband and I make it every year around Mardi Gras time. I’ve honed the recipe down and found ways to make it easier and more affordable. It’s still one of our favorites in our house and is personally very meaningful to me. Who knew 8 years ago that I would be on tv making this recipe. What a life!

Thursday’s Twin Cities Live Kitchen Star Presentation

Thursday’s Twin Cities Live Kitchen Star Results

Ingredients
1 TB Olive Oil
1 pound Andouille Sausage
3 stalks of Celery (finely chopped)
1 Green Pepper (finely chopped)
2 medium Onions (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon Salt
½ tsp Cayenne
½ tsp Pepper
28 oz can of chopped Tomatoes
1 TB minced Garlic
2 cups Rice
1 tsp ground Thyme
8 cups of Chicken Stock
1 ½ TB Cajun seasoning
1 pound Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 cup Green Onions
½ cup Parsley

Directions
In a large Stockpot, heat 1 TB of Olive Oil over medium heat and sauté Andouille Sausage. After Sausage has cooked, add celery, green pepper, onion, salt, cayenne and pepper to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, add rice and keep stirring for several minutes. Add Thyme and chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Toss Shrimp with 1 ½ TB of Cajun Seasoning. Add Shrimp to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Then remove pot from heat and set aside covered for 15 minutes.

Lightly mix in Green Onions and Parsley. For a fun Mardi Gras twist, serve in martini glasses!