Over the weekend I was asked about a recipe for a simple jambalaya that required little time and effort to prepare. This reader was going to be short on time on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, but wanted to prepare a dish for the occasion. She also did not want to fix pancakes, as many of us do on Fat Tuesday. I went through a couple of books and found this recipe that I think will fit the bill for what she is looking for. I also included a good corn stick recipe to serve along with it.

Shrimp Jambalaya

4 ounces bacon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

14 ounces tomatoes

5 1/2 ounces canned tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds cleaned raw shrimp

2 cups cooked rice

In a large skillet, fry the bacon. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add garlic, onion, celery and peppers. Cook until onion is tender. Add bay leaves, thyme, parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 5 more minutes. Add rice. When thoroughly heated, serve immediately. If desired, scallops may be added along with the shrimp.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Cheese Corn Sticks

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While preparing the batter, place a cast iron stick pan in the oven to heat. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk, egg and vegetable oil. Mix well. Add to dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Remove hot corn stick pan from oven. Brush generously with vegetable oil. Spoon batter into pan. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. You can also bake in greased, medium muffin tins at 425 degrees for 12 minutes.

Yield: 10 corn sticks or 6 muffins.

An anonymous reader wrote in for a recipe for tomato soup cake. Here is one version of the recipe, and the most popular of all of the sources I looked through.

Tomato Soup Cake

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 (10-ounce) can tomato soup

1/2 cup soft margarine

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the tomato soup and margarine. Beat until well combined. Add eggs and water. Mix well. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting, or orange cream cheese frosting. To make orange cream cheese frosting, just use your favorite recipe and add orange juice and grated orange zest to the ingredients.

My daughter and I were watching our favorite channel on television, the Food Network, and she mentioned that she has never eaten leeks. I guess it has been a long time since I made cream of leek soup, but I will so she can experience how good it is. The recipe says to simmer some of the ingredients for 1 hour. I find that it does not take that long to achieve desirable results.

Cream of Leek Soup

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sliced leeks, white part only (make sure they are clean and no sand is hiding inside the leeks)

1/2 cup chopped sweet mild onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1 cup milk

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and saute leeks, onion and celery. Add water, salt, pepper, parsley and bay leaf. Simmer for 1 hour. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Add milk. Stir thoroughly. Heat but do not boil. Remove bay leaf. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

While I was in my recipe file I came across a recipe for cauliflower soup that I used to make quite often when I lived by myself in Columbia, Mo. A double batch would last me most of the week and tasted great on snowy, cold evenings.

Cauliflower Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups finely chopped cauliflower

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground is best

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the butter and saute the onion and cauliflower together. Add the chicken broth, tarragon, salt and pepper. Let simmer until vegetables are just tender. Combine the milk and flour, stirring until smooth. Add to the soup. Simmer until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle individual servings with nutmeg as it is served. Serve piping hot.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

I found this recipe in a book I was reading over the weekend and it sounds worthy of trying. The caption with the recipe stated that it is a taste of Asian cooking with little fuss but great results. Add a bag of the Asian salad blend from the supermarket, and dinner is served.

Thai Thighs

2 pounds chicken thighs, skinned

For the sauce:

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in a lightly greased baking dish. In a glass bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Pour over chicken. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, basting with sauce occasionally. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

Yield: 6 servings.

I am out of room for this week. Have a great week and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.