Mountains! Beach! or Both!…

It’s Fat Tuesday and this year I decided to venture out and make Gumbo.  I served it up with white rice and a loaf of French bread with butter.  It was yummy; and for dessert the four of us split a cinnamon King Cake.

Gumbo is a soup or stew which originated in southern Louisiana in the early 18th century and combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures including French, German, Spanish, West African, and Choctaw.  It consists primarily of a strong stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable “holy trinity” of celery, bell peppers, and onion.  Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used: the African vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice file powder, or the French base made from flour and fat, roux.  The dish likely derived its name from either the African name for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for file (kombo).

Two main varieties of Gumbo exist.  Creole Gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a thickener.  Cajun Gumbo is generally based on a dark Roux and is spicier with either chicken or shellfish.  Sausage or ham can be added to either.

Cajun Gumbo

• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 ribs of celery, quartered
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 large chicken breasts
• 4 quarts of cold water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 16-ounce package of frozen okra, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1-3 teaspoons Tabasco, or to taste
• Salt, Cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 pounds Andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
• 2/3 cup fresh Parsley, chopped

In a large stock pot, add the rinsed chicken, onion, celery, salt and pepper, and the water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat till the stock is at a low boil and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour with the lid off.  Remove the chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid, and discarding the vegetables.  Allow chicken to cool and then chop into bite size pieces.

In a separate pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to medium high heat (depending on your roux making abilities), stirring constantly with a wooden spatula, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, similar to the color of a penny.  Drop the minced garlic in for 30 seconds and then add the chopped onions, peppers, celery, okra.  Stir.  This cooks the vegetables and also stops the roux from cooking further.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.  Add the vegetable/roux mixture to the stock in the large pot.  Stir until smooth.

Add the tomatoes, seasonings, chicken and sausage.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low boil, then cook for at least 1 hour with the lid askew, skimming fat off the top as needed.  Also, check the seasonings and add if needed.

Add the chopped green onions and parsley, and heat for 10 minutes.  Serve over hot rice in large shallow bowls.  Yum!

Happy 37th birthday to my beautiful husband!  This year instead of making him a cake, I thought that I would make him one of his favorite pies…an apple pie.  Now it might come as a surprise to many, but I have never cooked a pie before.  I seriously thought about making the crust myself…but then reality set in and I said to myself, “Why mess with perfection?  There is a reason why Pillsbury tastes so good!”  So, I bought the crust in the refrigerated section at Publix and then proceeded to make the pie filling.  I remembered seeing a recipe a while back ago in the Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook and I knew that it would be perfect.

Cinnamon Apples

• 6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cut into eighths and then sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1.2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine apples and lemon juice in a 4 quart slow cooker; toss well to coat.  Add brown sugar and next 5 ingredients, combining well.  Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.  Stir together water and cornstarch in a small bowl;  stir into apples.  Cover and cook on low 3 more hours or until apples are tender.

So, you may think that I haven’t been keeping up with the weekly recipes…but I have.  Unfortunately, I have not had the time to post them and several have been done for the Junior League and will be posted after they hit the cookbook blog…so stay tuned for more :O).  I found this recipe in Cooking Light’s Fresh Food Fast Cookbook.  This cookbook is full of delicious recipes that I can’t wait to try out, and most of the ingredients coming straight from the Farmers Market.  Yum Yum!  To compliment this pizza Andy barbecued some chicken.  Had I thought of it sooner, I would have chopped the grilled chicken and tossed it on.  Something to remember for next time.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

• Pizza dough
• 1/3 cup pesto
• 3 cups of roasted vegetables
• 1 cup preshredded cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated

Prepare pizza dough as instructed.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place pizza crust on rack in oven while preheating, and heat 5 minutes.

Remove crust from oven; place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Spread pesto evenly over crust.  Top with roasted vegetables; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.  Bake at 500 for 7 minutes or until cheese melts.

Roasted Vegetables

• Vegetables of choice: tomato, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, asparagus, etc.
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Combine all ingredients except for basil, toss well.  Place on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Bake at 500 degrees for 18 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, stirring after 12 minutes.  Add basil to roasted vegetables, toss gently.