Mel’s Smoked Sausage Hashbrown Casserole is one of the most popular side dishes at our company potluck lunches.  So when I had a potluck of my own to attend this recipe instantly came to mind.

Smoked Beef Sausage and a can of RO*TEL give this casserole it’s flavor punch.  Cream of Chicken and Cheese Soup give it a swirl of comfort food love.  No, this recipe isn’t for the healthy eating police, but it sure is a crowd pleaser for special occasions.

Smoked Sausage Hashbrown Casserole makes a wonderful Breakfast & Brunch side dish, but is also hearty enough for a meal.

Today was my annual Thanksgiving Luncheon with my work family.  Besides looking forward to Mel’s Hashbrown Casserole, we were dreaming of the long list of favorite dishes that have become an annual tradition.  This year we have several new teammates, which meant glorious new dishes to fall in love with!! The food was incredible, but the fellowship is what I take away from the day.  Being able to spend one uninterrupted hour with my second family with no phones or fires to put out stays with me all year long.

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Smoke Sausage Hashbrown Casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Ingredients

• 2 20- ounce bags of hashbrown potatoes either shredded or diced
• 1 stick butter melted
• 1 pkg. Hillshire Farms smoked beef sausage sliced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cheese soup
• 1 can Rotel

Instructions

• Lightly brown sausage in skillet; reserve.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Add hash browns to pan and brown slightly, then combine with remaining ingredients, including sliced sausage.
• Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Here was a glimpse at last year’s Thanksgiving Luncheon and my fun & easy Pumpkin Torte recipe.

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I had such fun making our Low-Country Boil Skewers that I thought we’d try a new twist.  Meet Cajun Jambalaya Skewers.

Since I’ve read that no two Jambalaya recipes are the same, I took some liberties with the ingredients.  Don’t think authentic.  Instead think fun and flavorful.

We have okra, dipped in corn meal and ‘scrambled’ in a little oil until golden brown and tender.

Baby new potatoes, boiled until fork tender, then split and pan seared to get a nice crispy edge.

Spicy smoked sausage, such as Andouille, is a must.

For fun we made hush puppies (cornmeal fritters) and added them to our skewers.

Then came the nice juicy shrimp, which took a quick swim in a little Old Bay seasoned water before joining the skewer team.

And lastly tender chicken pieces, that have hung out in Cajun marinade for a bit, then pan fried with the smoked sausage until cooked through.

We alternated the ingredients on bamboo skewers and served our Cajun Jambalaya Skewers with Buffalo Sauce.  These were a super fun appetizer and who doesn’t love food on a stick (frees up your second hand for oh say something icy cold).

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Cajun Jambalaya Skewers

Course Appetizer

Servings 6

Author inspired by Matt Armendariz

Ingredients

• For skewers…
• 12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 lb. large shrimp peeled & deveined tails left on
• 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1 smoked sausage cut into 1 1/2-inch slices
• 6 new potatoes boiled
• 3 okra pods sliced about 1/2-inch thick
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 Tbl. canola oil for frying

For Cajun marinade…

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbl. Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp. black pepper

For hushpuppies…

• 1 pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix or 1 cup self-rising cornmeal, 1/2 cup self-rising flour, 1 Tbl. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• dash Cajun seasoning
• Canola or peanut oil for frying

For buffalo sauce…

• hot sauce
• butter

Instructions

• Combine marinade ingredients and add chicken cubes. Marinade for 20 – 30 minutes. Toss okra pieces in cornmeal crumbs.
• Add 2 Tbl. canola oil to a large skillet, sauté okra pieces over medium heat until browned and tender; remove to drain on paper towels.. Add sausage pieces to the skillet and sauté for 5 – 7 minutes, then remove to paper towels to rest. Add the chicken pieces into the same pan and sauté until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, boil new potatoes until fork tender. Remove from water. Add 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning to the water and bring to a boil. Add shrimp to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or just until they turn pink. Drain and reserve.
• Combine the hush puppy ingredients. Heat enough canola oil to deep fry them.

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I adore Low-Country Boils.  Having said that I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying them.  When I have, it has been at a neighborhood gathering or a backyard get together where there was a crowd to feed.  Today I came up with a fun way to prepare it for two (or for twenty-two).

I’m quite fond of eating food from a stick.  Makes me feel like a kid visiting the county fair.  Instead of cotton candy and corn dogs, I personally would love to stumble upon the Low-Country Boil Food Truck.  Which reminds me…I wonder what Fabulous Fair Food Creations will debut during this year’s fair season.  Stay tuned for an update of my favorites from last year.

For our Low-Country Boil Skewers I followed the basic method of boiling the ingredients in layers, potatoes first, then adding sausage, then corn, and finishing with the shrimp.  I simply used Old Bay Seasoning in the water, but have read variations that call for beer, lemon juice, vinegar, peppercorns…  How you infuse flavor is up to you, but Old Bay is a classic Low-Country flavor.

Once the ingredients were done, I allowed them to cool slightly so I could assemble them on skewers.  One of the nice things about the skewers is you could assemble them ahead of time and then as we did, flash grill them on each side for a minute or so before serving.  If you’re like me and thought Low-Country Boils were reserved for big crowds….think again.  We just had a two person party that was mighty tasty (and cleanup was a breeze).

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Low Country Boil Skewers

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For low country boil…

• 3 quarts water
• 3 Tbl. Old Bay seasoning
• 4 baby red new potatoes
• 1 smoked sausage such a Andouille, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
• 1 small ear corn cut into 4 pcs.
• 1/2 lb. shrimp peeled & deveined tails left on

For remoulade sauce…

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chili sauce or ketchup
• 2 Tbl. prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Instructions

• Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring water and Old Bay seasoning to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 10 minutes, add sausage and boil for another 5 minutes, add corn and boil for an additional 5 minutes, add shrimp and boil for 2 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.
• Drain and allow to cool slightly. Slice potatoes in half. Assemble skewers, alternating with each component. Just before serving, lightly oil a grill pan or BBQ grill grates and heat to medium high. Grill skewers for one minute per side. Combine Remoulade Sauce ingredients and serve.

Notes

Ingredients listed are for 4 skewers (2 per person). Increase accordingly depending on how many you are serving.
I used small red potatoes, adjust cooking time if you are using larger potatoes.

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