stew up your okra lace

these pics say it all... good food + friends = love.  

do you try out new recipes on your peeps?  i meal planned a new stew recipe and tweaked the cajones out if it when i remembered we had a child with a peanut allergy coming over for dinner.  i added some extras cuz why not be adventurous with dinner guests?  if it ends up tasting like poop... so be it...  it makes for super fun goof-up stories till the end...  

remember that one time one band camp... ?

this meal fed two families (6 kids and four adults) and then was completely polished off by an after dinner party with more cocktails and friends.  

this #ballsoutrealfood recipe will be made again and again and again...  

african stew with okra laced rice 

meal planning and african peanut stew with okra rice recipe inspo made possible by jamie oliver's magical recipe app (aka "don't.leave.for.the.grocery.store.without.it")

here's another variation to get your cooking gumption on.

4 organic chicken thighs

2 c brown rice

15 okras sliced

1 tsp ground coriander + 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes + 1/2 tsp paprika (spice rub for da chicken)

1 carton (1 qt) of organic vegetable or chicken stock

1 small organic butternut squash (cored and diced.  leave skin on!)

2 small organic red onions diced

4 heirloom tomatoes quartered

1 carton mushrooms (8 oz) sliced

2 garlic cloves minced

sea salt
pepper

leftover organic bacon grease from breakfast

and this is how i threw it together...

10 qt dutch oven:

sauté low and slow:  bacon grease, diced red onions, diced squash (with skin on!), s&p until soft.  add garlic, mushrooms, some more s&p and sauté until mushrooms release their moisture and turn soft and dark.  add quartered tomatoes & cook down until all juice has been released.  add stock and diced chicken.  bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer with a vented lid for 45min-1 hour.  add s&p to taste.

lg cast iron pan:

rub chicken with spices, s&p and fry em up hot in your bacon grease until browned and gorgeous.  remove from pan, let rest for a bit and dice up.  in same pan, add a little more grease and sauté the sliced okra until they begin to brown and get some crisp.  

5 qt dutch oven:

cook brown rice to package instructions (i use vege stock for my liquid).  once cooked, stir in the bacon laced okra.

then becky says, "get your bruce wayne on" and enjoy yourself:)

say "boatswain"... he he he he... get it!?

xoxo

ps

the farm is creeping into corporate america... look what one of chris' co-workers brought to the office for us last week!  farm fresh, gorgeous eggs... oooooooohhhhhhh THE COLOR!!!!  

thank you thank you thank you mike!!!!!