Gumbo

I don't like to cook. I'm not very creative, nor are the palates of my dining companions. I'm also not a recipe follower - I'm a pinch of this, dash of that kind of cook. But recently I've hit on something my hubby asked me to please write down. It's my gumbo. I've made it several times lately and he's asked me to make it when we've had friends over. So here goes my attempt to make a recipe out of my gumbo experience.

First, the roux (pronounced roo, like kangaroo). Traditionally, a roux is made with one part veg. oil and one part all purpose flour. I could get a nice medium roux this way, but if I tried for a dark roux, it would burn. Everytime. A while back, I'd heard of a "dry roux", using only the flour and not the oil. Rather than frying the flour, you are toasting it. I use the same iron skillet and the same amount of flour (1 cup per batch), stir it like usual to keep from burning, and slowly but surely it will darken (a medium heat, stirred almost constantly).
Another nice thing is I can make extra roux to keep for later.

Because I don't cook with them often enough to use fresh, I use Zatarain's dried bell peppers, onions, and green onions. I soak about 1/4c of each of those in a couple of cups of water while my roux is darkening. To that mix, I also add parsley powder(~1Tsp), cayenne pepper(~1tsp), creole seasoning(~2Tsp), and one chicken bullion cube (salt & black pepper as well {~1Tsp each to start}).


I use an 8 quart stainless stock pot, and for this size gumbo, I will use 3 boneless chicken breasts and 1.5 pounds of smoked sausage, both cut & browned before adding to gumbo.


Once my roux is dark enough, I slowly add the seasonings & the water they soaked in. This will bring the roux to a paste.


While I am dealing with the roux and seasonings, I have the browned chicken and sausage cooking in a couple of quarts of water in the stock pot. Once my roux paste is thin enough to pour (yet still thick - cake batter-ish), I pour it into the stock pot.


Then I fill the pot (again, an 8qt pot) with hot water and allow this to cook at a slow boil for as many hours as possible (at LEAST 3). Gumbo is something that gets better everytime it's heated. While it is cooking, it will thicken and you will probably need to add water after an hour or so. It's this step that determines how thick your gumbo will be. And if/when you add more water, be sure to allow it to cook down for at least another half hour. Also, check for seasonings every half-hour or so. I usually add salt & pepper as it cooks. We like our gumbo thick - on the line of a bisque or a cream soup. Some like it thinner. I'd say go with thicker if you're unsure - you can always add a little more water.This is the pot at the beginning of the cook. When it's *ready*, it has cooked down to about 3/4 full.

More traditional gumbo would use chicken on-the-bone for stock flavoring. It would use andoulli, and fresh veggies(~.5c each), perhaps even okra (though we only use okra in seafood gumbo). All of these things can only make your gumbo better. But you can make a very good gumbo without. Just saying...

Hold Fast - Mercy Me

Blahh...

The funk I am in is trying to stay, and I am trying to shake it. I don't really know how though. Maybe writing my thoughts will help. Maybe not.

My thoughts lately have been mostly of the suffering of those around me. The forethought I carry with me now is that of my friend Lisa, whose daughter Vivian drowned 3.5 months ago. She's keeping an online journal of the family's experience. It can be hard to read and yet encouraging at the same time. She can't see it now, but Lisa is helping so many people by sharing her walk.

Seeing Greg in pain again has been a challenge. It breaks my heart to think of all he's been through, and that he's likely to need another surgery in the not-too-distant future. His pain is nowhere as bad as it was, but knowing how bad it can get is frustrating.

Another biggie is my cousin Brandy. She's 30 years old, has a 3yo son, and just celebrated her 5th wedding anniversary. And she's been dealing with brain cancer since last November. It's very aggressive and the aggressive treatment she's getting is barely keeping the growth at bay. Five years ago, we lost our cousin Geri to breast cancer at the age of 34. So the whole family is scared, but trying not to go there. It bothers me that I'll go a few days without thinking about her. I don't get updates everyday and days do go by without me thinking of her. Maybe that's my own form of denial. I really believed Geri would win her battle, and I am believing the same thing for Brandy. But doubt is an evil thing. Lies like if I don't pray for her she won't be healed. I don't think God needs me to pray to heal Brandy. I am very aware of His ability to heal her. At the same time, I am aware that it may not be in His will that she survive this physical battle.

I've never believed God needed me to pray for something to happen - never believed that x number of prayers cancels out x number of wrongs. I am beginning to see that prayer opens me up to see or understand (in some small way) His will. My prayers don't change God's plan, they just help me see and accept His plan. It opens up an opportunity for my relationship with God to grow in whatever experience I am having.

I feel a season of deep thought coming on. Big changes are coming for me & mine.

Just keep swimming...

Gregory and I took 2 of his friends, Zachary and Landon, with us to the aquarium in N.O. Friday. They'd never been to N.O. at all and we had a great time. My fat unbalanced self fell on the stairs there and sprained my ankle. We were already near the end of the tour and the first-aid crew fussed over me for a while. They got a bag of ice taped onto me and off we went for the drive home. My ankle/foot got very swollen and purple, but is mostly healed now. It didn't ruin our trip.

Tuesday

Today is my Love's birthday. So sweet of him to stay older than me. Today is an unusual birthday for him. There's no generator running, there's no storm hovering in the gulf, it's not even hot outside. It's now been a year since he hurt his back.

I'm finding it hard to break out of our summer *sit in*. We weren't protesting anything (other than the heat) we just stayed home. Now we have the chance to start getting out again and I'm finding it hard. I always enjoy the outings and I never regret going, but the *going* part is really hard. It's challenging because G's just as much an introvert as I am. He always enjoys getting out too, but drags his feet about going. I don't make him go, but I do present a good case and he usually agrees. Right now we need to go see my parents. That's an hour west. My dad had surgery last week, and he has rebuilt our old computer for G. We also have the chance to go to the aquarium in N.O. That's an hour east. I can't see us doing both in one week. But we need to do one. And we need to decide. My mom will be calling soon with the guilt inducing "when are ya'll coming?" Like the roads don't go both ways. I just hate driving so much.

My brains are feeling very scrambled these days. Some of it's hormonal I know, but I could really do without the constant anxiety attacks. Like I told a friend, I feel like I am okay, but so many around me are suffering so much. My friend Lisa whose baby girl died 3 months ago; Greg with his back; My friend Brandie and her ongoing financial battles; My cousin Brandy (30) fighting brain cancer - very aggressive and just barely being held at bay with chemo; My sisters and their ongoing fight with each other; Both my dad and FIL feeling terrible lately, but getting no results from numerous medical tests. And last week marked 10 years since my MIL and godmother died, followed the next day by the 5th anniversary of my cousin Geri's death. She had breast cancer and was 34.

There's something eerie about the shadows outside today. The sky is bright blue, but the shadows look like it's stormy. I'm not explaining it well. It's just weird.

I hope this day gets better. My gut aches.

Thursday

Greg stayed home from work Monday, and that always messes me up on my days of the week. Today most certainly didn’t feel like a Thursday. Last night's chicken w/shrimp cream sauce turned into tonight's dinner instead. I'd forgotten that yesterday was payday, and that's our night to eat out. So we had roast beef po-boys instead.

Greg's back is really hurting him again. He's had another MRI and it shows scar tissue. It doesn't look too much different than the first MRI. It's so disheartening to see him in pain at all. He went through so much last year. He's going to have physical therapy and he's taking an anti-inflammatory med that does help his pain. It kills me to see him limp off to work some mornings. He's quite a trooper. His surgeon says if the therapy and meds don't do the job, he'll have to have surgery again. This time they'd remove the disc and fuse the vertebrae.

Gregory started playing World of Warcraft today. He's been wanting to get started at it, but needed to wait for the new computer. He's really enjoying his online gaming friends. I think G will have friends over this weekend. My friend Brandie has a son who turned 13 yesterday and another who's 11 (2 of 6 kids!), and they love to sleep over. It's neat to see how differently Gregory relates to them. The older only wants to play video games. G loves his games, but he likes to do other stuff when he has a friend over too. He actually gets along with the 11 yo better because he'll play anything. They still do a lot of imaginary play - still use old costumes. They'll even make videos while he's here of short stories they make up themselves.

I didn't get very much done today. Got my plants watered, but nothing more than that. One of the many things that happened while I wasn't writing was the drowning death of Vivian, 2yo daughter of a friend of mine. You can imagine how difficult it's been the past 3 months. Her mother Lisa is keeping a journal at caring bridge. It's been a lesson in so many things to see how this family is creating a new normal in their lives. The family has taken down the pool and will be planting a memorial garden there. They've asked friends to bring plants for the garden. I'm grateful for something physical I can do to help. I've been debating what to give her. I'm pretty good at keeping plants alive, but cuttings are not my talent. Today I can across a small piece of begonia growing among some weeds. It's the perfect size and will require very little care.

Well, I titled this Thursday, but it's been Friday for almost 2 hours now. Goodnight all!

7 months

I cannot believe I've let so much time go by without writing. So much has happened in that time. I could never summarize it, so I won't even try. Today begins anew.

We've been indoors much of the past few months. It quickly gets too hot for us in the summer. I haven't even gotten much gardening done. I began to dig out about 18 inches of clay to redo my front garden. At this time it's a trench running along about 75% of our front porch. It's been mild this week, so I may finish the digging soon. I don't like having that trench there. If anyone should step into it accidentally they could get hurt. It has been cool to see the tadpoles make a home of it after summer rains. This summer has been more about maintaining the plants than adding new ones. But I do hope to get some things in the ground before "winter". Ooh - that reminds me - the bougainvillea that I bought 2 years ago is finally blooming for me. It was blooming when I bought it, but hadn't since. It's always exciting when something finally gives back some color.

G's been steadily conquering the world (mostly the post-apocalyptic world) on his Xbox this summer. He's made lots of friends gaming online and even has a few IRL friends that he plays with some evenings. I love the teamwork I see in him and his friends. They really look out for each other in the games.

We got a new-to-us dog in April. She just showed up and decided she wanted to live with us. She's more active than Bullitt, but much more graceful. They have a hard relationship to describe. But she loves Bullitt so much that it annoys him. And that's not all bad, because it has curbed just a little bit of his own obnoxiousness. I think she may be younger than Bullitt (he's 3.5yrs) because she just has so much energy. And she can get bored. This morning, to keep them from barking and waking Gregory, I had his bedroom door closed. And I didn't realize that Greg had also locked the pet door. Between Greg leaving @ 7:30 & me rising @ 9 she had gone into our front room (the junk/hobby/office room where the cats have a bit of sanctuary from the dogs. I also use some shelves in there as a pantry). She got a hold of a box of mashed potato flakes. It was unopened. The mess began in the front room where it looked like she'd made a concoction of potato flakes, cat litter, and poop. The she took the box of flakes over the baby gate (which we'd never seen her go over) and had a party in the kitchen and living room with it. She had to have shaken her head big time with the open box in her mouth. It was everywhere. She also got into an unopened pack of rubber bands - nice and chewy. I'm sure she'll be recycling some of them soon. Thankfully this is not normal behavior for her. But that does make it harder in a way, since I don't really know what will trigger her to destroy something. I can usually spot the trigger after the fact, but she's hard to predict. She is a chewer. We knew that right away. She ate all of Bullitt's rubber toys. Now they have several lengths of knotted rope to play with.

We have a new computer and I'm still fine tuning stuff, like pictures. If I'm lucky, I'll get in a little nap before fixing dinner. I'm baking chicken breasts and making a cream sauce with some shrimp - Greg held back a few when he fried the shrimp Monday and we've not had anything "with a shrimp cream sauce" in a long time. :)

"I've Learned"

This is a forward from my dad. You'd have to know how un-sentimental my dad tries to appear to appreciate the fact that this came from him. He's a puppy dog in grizzly bear clothing, if you will.

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I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned..... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned..... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.....That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.


"Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how you dance in the rain"

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Have a great weekend!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM NEW ORLEANS IF...

(I totally ripped this off from a facebook group I joined)
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You've never heard of a dry county.

You don't know what a county is.

When you hear gambling is illegal in some other states and are surprised.

You know the 12 Yats of Christmas by heart.

You know what Schwegman's is.

When you know what "LAGNIAPPE" and "LAISSEZ LE BON TEMPS ROULER" mean.

When you go away for college, and when you tell people where you're from they automatically know you can drink more than everyone at the school put together

You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.

Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.

When you give directions you use "lakeside and riverside" not north & south.

Your ancestors are buried above the ground.

You get on a green streetcar to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter.

You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.

You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

You leave a parade with footprints on your hands.

You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together.

Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.

You get aggrivated when
1. people think mardi gras takes place in the french quarter and
2. that people think that no matter what time of the year it is if they go to the french quarter they will get a boob shot!

When you get aggrivated when people pronounce it nawlins, norlens, or new or leans.

You know what a nutria is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.

No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.

Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.

Your house payment is less than your utility bill.

You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.

You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.

Your grandparents are called "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw."

Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.

You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.

You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.

You're walking in the French Quarter with a plastic cup of beer.

When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.

You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Louisiana.

You know what is meant by 'K&B purple

You know what it means for food to come 'dressed'...

You 'ax' for things...

You know your from new orleans if you recognize at least one person in a parade

You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfishboils

When you travel you always remember to pack 2 things: bottle of tabasco and a salt shaker of tony's in your purse

Drive-thru daquiris -- it's not drinking and driving until you put the straw in.

You drive east to get to the West Bank.

You stand on the neutral ground at parades and have no idea what a 'median' is.

You get annoyed when you wear a Perlis shirt and people ask you if you work at Red Lobster.

You know how to pronounce Mignon Faget.

Pulling a baby out of a cake is completely normal.

You know McKenzie is both a football player and a landmark

You've made one bad turn and ended up on the twin span at least once.

You know what the twin span is.

You shop at Lakeside.

You listen to people represent their ward on Q93.

You know that the Riverwalk is for tourists.

Someone asks you for starbucks and you give them CCs or PJs

You have waited in the ridiculously long line for Camellia Grill during lunch at least once.

The only Bush you respect is a Black man.

You refuse to believe that there is such a thing as the "Utah Jazz".

There is a color called "Bur-GUN-dee".

The concept of a basement never crossed your mind.

You get your car's suspension repaired at least twice a year.

You know at least two best places for sno-balls.

You've seen roaches bigger than rats.

You've seen rats bigger than cats.

The roof of your house was at sea level, and your stuff was at the "bottom of the sea"

WHEN YOU DONT REFER TO ''MARDI GRAS'' AS THE CARNIVAL...WHO SAYS THAT???

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Louisiana

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Louisiana

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Louisiana.

If "Vacation" means going to Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Louisiana.

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Louisiana .

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Louisiana.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Louisiana.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Louisiana.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph - You're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Louisiana

You know that there is one "Original Lee's Hamburgers" even though they all say they are the one.

If there's a major hurricane headed straight for you and all you're worried about is that they changed the time of the LSU game.

Down to the bottom

Chorus:
We've been down to the bottom
Stories we got 'em, when we hit rock bottom
If you been there put your hands in the air
To let the lost know that someone cares

Cause we've been down to the bottom
Stories we've got 'em, when we hit rock bottom
If you been there put your hands in the air
And let somebody know that the Most High cares
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I really love this song. Too often, people are literally chased away from God and a relationship with him by *Christians* who judge them, tell them they are going to hell, tell them they are unlovable, they've gone too far, done too much, blah, blah, blah.

LIES!!!!! I remember a point in my life where I thought that one day I'd clean up my mess of a life and then I'd return to God. It hit me like a ton of bricks one day that if I could fix the mess of a life I was living, I wouldn't need God. Jesus didn't come for the *holy*. He didn't hang out with the high priests and holy leaders. He hung out with those whom the *religious* had turned away. He hung out with liars and thieves, the poor and infirmed. He hung out with women others looked down upon. And he didn't condemn them. He just loved them. He still does. And the one command He left us with is to Love. And not to love those who love us, but to love our enemies. To me that means never judging the actions of another person. I do not know their heart. I sure would hate to be labeled by what I do on a bad day. And yes, Christians have bad days! We even make bad choices sometimes. But we can always go back, we can never stray too far for God to reach us. He's bigger than that.

Do we get a *free pass* for doing wrong because of the forgiveness freely offered by God? Of course not. I don't do *the right thing* because I think I'm better or because I think it'll get me extra Christian points. My heart has been changed, and I'm led to do better things. It feels good. My heart is at peace. It gives me joy to help someone else.

This is where Christianity and unschooling meet for me. I believe Jesus was a radical unschooler. He would pick a place along the way to wherever He was headed and tell stories. He'd take the oportunity to point out new ideas, new ways to think about what we believe. He challenges us to really look at what we believe and why, to examine and expand our comfort zones. He never said, "You have to know this to get into heaven," followed by a list of rules. He infact despised those who followed the letter of the Law and considered themselves *holy* for it. It isn't what we do that gets us to Heaven, it's what He did. It's not because of who we are, but because of who He is. I believe it is far more important for me to teach my son to love, to be compassionate, to be giving, to admit mistakes, and to love God than it is to teach him algebra. When (& if) he needs/wants to know algebra, he'll learn it. And he'll master it quickly becasue he wants to learn it. Teaching life skills requires modeling, so I'm constantly questioning my own actions - "is this what I want to teach my son?". It amazes me how much I learn from my child.

As usual, I've rambled. Just wanted to share a song with ya!