First you make a roux...

Around here we have a golden rule: "No gumbo will be prepared in Mom's Kitchen until the daytime temperatures are mostly in the 40s." But today we are making an exception... It's Brian's birthday, and he requested chicken & sausage gumbo as his birthday dinner. So, on this very mild November day, a pot of gumbo is bubbling on the stove.

Most of you who read this blog, know what it takes to make a gumbo, and you've heard your Mawmaw tell you over and over again, "First you make a roux!" Here, folks have some strange ideas about what gumbo is, and they just don't understand how difficult it is to make when you are mommy to little ones. To get my gumbo started, I have to tether myself to the stove while I make the roux, and for chicken & sausage gumbo, I go for a seriously dark roux. This means I'm at the stove for about an hour before I can get the roux made and the gumbo back down to a slow simmer. So, a few weeks ago I invested in a "Gumbo Gate" to keep the kids out of the kitchen and away from the hot stove.

Thankfully today we timed it so that they were napping during that initial hour of cooking... and oh, the smell is so good. I almost don't feel like I'm in Ohio right now... And later tonight when Brian gets home, we will celebrate with our Louisiana gumbo chocked full of Manda Sausage, a chocolate cake from a local bakery, and some Texas Blue Bell Ice Cream... and we'll probably end our dinner with a little Community Coffee.

Why are all our favorite foods imported??