The Sweetest Thing's Sunday…It'sThe Simple Things in Life, Like Alone Time And Gumbo!

Does anyone else value "alone time" as much as I do? I mean, I remember how much I craved it when my children were infants…and my precious husband would often give me nights "alone" where he woke up with the babies and I never had to know about it! Sometimes it really is the simple, small things that make us the happiest!

I was in dreamland and would awaken refreshed and feeling like I was my old self again! It was glorious and I remember being so excited when I knew that was going to happen! All just for sleep!

Now I crave that same alone time to just be with Jim it seems! We are busier than we've ever been with way too many businesses and with our children in all different stages of life…All of it is extremely normal and we certainly don't consider ourselves to be suffering by any means! In fact, we are blessed 100 times over what I ever would have dreamed or asked for! Our children are at this moment walking with the Lord and either married to spouses that we couldn't have chosen better if we'd chosen them ourselves or dating a precious girl that certainly meets that criteria! We are so blessed! I don't ever want to take that for granted or sound like I don't know that!

However…when an opportunity arises to be alone at this stage in my life…I must confess…I LONG FOR IT!!! I GRAVITATE TOWARDS IT AND I EMBRACE IT!!!

So yesterday... when my family that currently is  staying at my house (either for being home from college for the long labor day weekend or living with us for a month while her husband is at Chick Fil A headquarters)…all drove away….I realized that I could experience that feeling again! ALONE!

Of course I did get a little bit sad…now that I'm older I realize that being alone isn't always cracked up to be what we think it is! ( I guess I just can't be satisfied!) However,  I am not one itsy bitsy teeny weeny percent ashamed to say that I was overjoyed! I was Alone! I was going to bed early…but by golly…I was also going to make me some Gumbo before doing any of that! Go Figure! I'm the only weirdo on the face of the planet that longs for moments to, 

A- Be alone

B- Get to exercise as long as I want to with the music as loud as I want it

C- Plan fabulous things to cook and create

D- Go to bed early and hopefully be at early church! (which by the way, didn't happen! either of them! because I stayed up too late doing C! )

But I gave it my best shot and here is what it looks like! I've always been scared to death of any recipe that tells me to make a roux! I'm afraid of it and I don't have 45 minutes to stand there stirring anything for that amount of time! So, I gave it my next best shot and bought the instant roux! For those of you that haven't tried it please don't turn your nose up at it until you've tasted this! It is so incredibly good and tastes as good as any restaurant's gumbo I've ever had!

At least I did cut up my own veggies to sauté! The onion, bell pepper and the celery!

To make it even more authentic I used all of the okra from my very own garden! I guess that makes up for using instant roux!

Just look at it simmering!

Next came the shrimp and sausage. I did peel my own shrimp as well! I must confess that I just couldn't bring myself to use the real sausage though! I am trying so hard to watch this girlish figure, you know! I used Turkey Sausage and hopefully no one will be the wiser if we don't tell them!

In the end, it looked like this and my kitchen was filled with the most wonderful aromas! Unfortunately, I was ALONE and no one could enjoy it but me! That was really ok and I know they will appreciate it when they get home! And I plan on sending some of it back with Miller when he leaves to head back to Auburn tomorrow. If I let him go, that is! 

I plan on serving it with this delicious Asiago Cheese bread that I picked up from Panera Bread yesterday. (hence the reasoning behind using Turkey Sausage and enjoying the extra calories from this yummy bread)

So, I hope you will give the art of making gumbo a try now that you know how easy it can be if you do it "Tony's" way!

Gumbo Recipe

2 C cool water
1 C Tony Chachere's Creole Instant Roux mix
1 large onion, diced
1-2 green bell pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1/4 t minced garlic
8 C cool water
1 t dried thyme leaves
1 t oregano
2 t liquid shrimp and crab boil
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut up
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small can premium crab meat or crab meat of choice
2 C cut fresh or frozen okra
hot sauce
green onions
File powder
Coat a heavy dutch oven with cooking spray and add 1 T oil. Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until tender. In a small saucepan, whisk the roux mix with the 2 C cool water over medium heat. When it comes to a slow boil take off heat and continue whisking until thick. Add the remaining 8 C cool water to the vegetable mixture and slowly stir or whisk in the thickened roux. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sausage and okra and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until desired time. Can make the night before and slowly reheat when ready to serve. I think it makes the flavors better but it's not necessary if you don't want to do that. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with green onion, hot sauce and file powder for individual tastes. (the instant roux mix already has spices in it and was pretty much the amount I wanted in mine so I would definitely taste before adding much else!)

Hope you are enjoying this long Labor Day weekend! I also hope you can stop and enjoy the sweet, small things in life…they are definitely the best!