Current Reading List: The Vow. Although I have several different ones started it's been a few months since I started them. I have been reading The Vow while I wait in the carline to pick up the boys from school.
Current Playlist: I just usually turn on the radio to Magic 96 for christmas Tunes!
Current Food Favs: Venison summer sausage, goat cheese, homemade pepper jelly and Ritz crackers (all together)! Also I love the Peppermint Mocha liquid creamer for my coffee!
Current Wishlist: I would love to say my Momma but heaven is much sweeter than life here on earth but oh how I miss her!
Current Need: To get my Acadia's windshield fixed where a rock cracked it a couple months ago. To get the relector fixed on the back corner where someone hit me.
Current Triumph: Dealing with Momma's death with God's help and not medication.
Current Annoyance: My neighbor's facebook page. She is also my Dad's preacher's wife. Someone commented on her page while one of my 6 year old twins went to my desk and when I got back from a phone call......he asked what sh*t was. The "f" word had also been typed. When I asked her why she left it up there she said if we only knew where these people had come from. That she and her husband were just beginning to get through to them.GRRRR! Apparently folks from the church (sho are fb friends with her) saw it too and were very upset. As of last night the whole post was deleted. She neer apologized. No problem though. I just hope her children never see those type things.
Current Addiction: The Peppermint mocha liquid coffee creamer! Divine!
Current Blessing: My children! In light of the recent current events (shooting in Conniectcut) I am loving on them more and holding them tighter! Also, they help keep me busy and not focus on Momma's death as much as I would without them.
Current Outfit: Jeans, white long sleeved tee with hot pink tee from Lulu's over it, Nike Alvord 10's
Current Excitment: Making cookies and delivering to the neighbor above. Get togethers and parties coming up. Seeing the smiles from our twin boys on Christmas morning.
Current To-do's: Make mixes for some gifts. I am doing cocoa mix and bean soup mix as well as dilly dill dip. Make my families white chex mix and oreo balls.
Current Favorite Stuff: My new wreath for the front door and my new teacup Chorkie puppy!
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Homemade Gumbo
I am trying my hand at homemade gumbo. Here is the recipe!
As Served By: LuLu's, Gulf Shores
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons LuLu’s Crazy Creola Seasoning
2 to 3 tablespoons LuLu’s Perfect Pepper Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups green onions, finely chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Drop tomatoes carefully into boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. Skins will slip off easily. Remove cores and coarsely chop tomatoes over a bowl to retain as much juice as possible. Set aside. (If using canned tomatoes, I cut them up in eights.)
Place chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, and okra in separate bowls. Set aside.
To make the roux, heat vegetable oil or bacon grease in a 10-quart heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, gradually add flour, whisking continuously. Continue to whisk roux , adjusting heat as necessary to keep from burning. This may take 25-35 minutes or until your arm feels like it is about to fall off and the roux is a dark mahogany color. Be careful; if the roux burns, you will have to start all over again!
Carefully add chopped onions to roux and continue stirring with a large wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes. Onions will sizzle and steam when they hit the hot roux so caution is advised. Seasoned gumbo cooks have roux battle scars on one or both arms.
Add bell peppers and continue stirring for another 2 to 3 minutes; add celery continue to stir constantly for another 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should now resemble a pot of black beans.
Add tomatoes and stir well.
Slowly add the heated stock.
Add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves, oregano, basil, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Bring gumbo to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
Add okra and bring back to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat again to maintain a slow simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or a day (until okra has lost its bright green color and is cooked down like the other vegetables). If gumbo gets too thick, add a little water. If too thin, continue to simmer uncovered.
At this point, you can cool the gumbo. It’s always better the day after it has been cooked, although I’ve never had a complaint when I served gumbo the day I made it. Remove from heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then place pot, uncovered, in an empty sink. Fill the sink with water and ice around the stockpot. Stir gumbo every 15 minutes to move the liquid to facilitate cooling. Gumbo will spoil if cooled improperly. When completely cool, refrigerate it, uncovered, for a couple of hours before placing it in an airtight container.
Reheat gumbo slowly to simmering. Thirty minutes before serving, add green onions, parsley, and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add shrimp and crabmeat. Mix well. Cover and turn off heat. Let sit for at least another 15 minutes while seafood cooks. It will stay hot for a long time. Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked white rice with French bread and butter.
As Served By: LuLu's, Gulf Shores
Ingredients
- 3 pounds medium shrimp, heads on
- 2 pounds claw crab meat, picked for shells
- 4 crab bodies, if available
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped in their own juice
- 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium head celery, coarsely chopped including leaves
- 2 ½ pounds okra, fresh if available, cut in 1/4 –inch pieces, or frozen cut okra, thawed
- ¾ cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 cups shrimp or seafood stock, heated
- 2 to 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2tablespoons dried thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Ingredients
De-head, peel, and devein shrimp. Reserve heads and shells for later use. Pick through crabmeat carefully for shells. Refrigerate shrimp and crab until ready for use.Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Drop tomatoes carefully into boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. Skins will slip off easily. Remove cores and coarsely chop tomatoes over a bowl to retain as much juice as possible. Set aside. (If using canned tomatoes, I cut them up in eights.)
Place chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, and okra in separate bowls. Set aside.
To make the roux, heat vegetable oil or bacon grease in a 10-quart heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, gradually add flour, whisking continuously. Continue to whisk roux , adjusting heat as necessary to keep from burning. This may take 25-35 minutes or until your arm feels like it is about to fall off and the roux is a dark mahogany color. Be careful; if the roux burns, you will have to start all over again!
Carefully add chopped onions to roux and continue stirring with a large wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes. Onions will sizzle and steam when they hit the hot roux so caution is advised. Seasoned gumbo cooks have roux battle scars on one or both arms.
Add bell peppers and continue stirring for another 2 to 3 minutes; add celery continue to stir constantly for another 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should now resemble a pot of black beans.
Add tomatoes and stir well.
Slowly add the heated stock.
Add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves, oregano, basil, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Bring gumbo to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
Add okra and bring back to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat again to maintain a slow simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or a day (until okra has lost its bright green color and is cooked down like the other vegetables). If gumbo gets too thick, add a little water. If too thin, continue to simmer uncovered.
At this point, you can cool the gumbo. It’s always better the day after it has been cooked, although I’ve never had a complaint when I served gumbo the day I made it. Remove from heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then place pot, uncovered, in an empty sink. Fill the sink with water and ice around the stockpot. Stir gumbo every 15 minutes to move the liquid to facilitate cooling. Gumbo will spoil if cooled improperly. When completely cool, refrigerate it, uncovered, for a couple of hours before placing it in an airtight container.
Reheat gumbo slowly to simmering. Thirty minutes before serving, add green onions, parsley, and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add shrimp and crabmeat. Mix well. Cover and turn off heat. Let sit for at least another 15 minutes while seafood cooks. It will stay hot for a long time. Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked white rice with French bread and butter.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Gone But Not Forgotten
It's been almost 3 weeks since I have written and one week ago today we laid my sweet Momma to rest. The above pic was taken last Thanksgiving (2011). I still cannot believe she is gone. It just hit me that come Mother's Day I won't have my Mommy. 36 is just too early to lose her. She was only 68 years old. Momma passed away on Black Friday, it was truly a black day. We were all gathering around her bed. She was at my parents house and was very confortable. She went in peace, in HIS peace and HIS time. Please continue to pray for our family as we learn how to live life without her. Til we meet again, Momma. I love you!
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