CHICKEN GUMBO FOR NON GAME DAY

Hello Foodie Friends.

No football today as my Gators are off until their final regular season game with F.S.U. on 11-30.

Penny and I are knee deep in some yard work, so I decided to again go the the slow cooker for something that would be quick and easy.

And I found it !!

It's Chicken Gumbo time on Kill It, Cut It Up, and COOK IT !!!!

I have never been a fan of Louisiana cooking. (Apologies to my Sister In-Law)  And as you know, we have been Low Carbing it recently.

A week or so ago, I was with my friend at the local Southern Pig and Cattle. They specialize in Southern BAR B QUE.

  I was at the salad bar, when I noticed one of their soups was Chicken Gumbo. So I thought I would try it. And guess what??? Mikey liked it. 

As good as it was, I had to wonder.....(Could I do better?????)

You be the judge.

½ Cup A.P. Flour

½ Cup Vegetable Oil

3 Small Onions (Minced)

1 Red Bell Pepper, stemmed , seeded and Chopped FINE

1 Green Bell Pepper, stemmed, seeded and Chopped FINE

1 Celery Rib (Minced)

6 Garlic Cloves (Minced)

½ tsp Dried Thyme

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper (Optional – I left it out)

3 1/3 Cups Home Made Chicken Broth (plus extra if needed)

1 ½ lbs Andouille Sausage, sliced ½ thick

15 Ounces fresh Okra, sliced ½ thick OR Frozen cut Okra, thawed, and patted dry.

2 Bay Leaves

2 ½ lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

Salt & Pepper

FOR SERVING

4 scallions, sliced THIN

2 TBL Minced FRESH Parsley

Rice of your choice

Adjust Oven Rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350. 

 

Toast flour in large Dutch Oven over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes.

Off the heat, whisk in the oil until smooth.

 Cover the pot, move it to the heated oven and cook until the roux is a deep brown and fragrant, about 45 minutes. You might want to check after 22 minutes and stir it a bit.

Remove the pot from the oven and whisk the roux to combine

Stir Onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, thyme and cayenne into the hot roux mix, and cook over medium heat, stirring often. Until veggies are softened, about 10-12 minutes. 

 Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.

 

Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, then transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.

 Stir in the sausage, okra and bay leaves into the slow cooker. 

Season Chicken with salt & pepper and nestle into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook until chicken is tender (5 Hours on MEDIUM)

 No time to play with the doggie. Besides, he's already busy doing his thing...... 

  And I need to get back to the yard work. 

OK....The yard work is completed..... Time to continue with our meal....

BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST....

 OK, I'm nice and refreshed......

Transfer the Chicken to a cutting board, let it cool slightly then shred into bite size pieces.

Let the stew (soup) settle for 5 minutes, then remove any fat from the surface using a large spoon.

Discard the Bay Leaves.

Stir in the shredded chicken and let sit until heated through. (About 5 minutes)

Stir in the scallions and parsley, season with salt & pepper, and SERVE.

You can serve it plain or over some Rice.

 This was out of the park....... So damn good......

 It had just a little 'bite' to it', probably from the sausage.... YUM YUM

This is definitely on my go to list... 

So, that's it for this time. (As I type this, it is Thanksgiving morning) Wishing you the best this Thanksgiving.

Next up is a look at our Thanksgiving at Kill It, Cut It Up and Cook It. No recipes this next time, just some great photos...

Gotta go, Penny needs her helper in the kitchen. 

Live Long and Prosper and DON'T BE A CRAIG !!!!

WAFFLES FOR DINNER

     Hello Foodie Friends.

     Today, the Gators have an EARLY game at Missouri. Almost early enough to have breakfast. So we decided to have Breakfast for dinner.

     This is something that we do on occasion. I normally just have coffee in the morning, and Penny has oatmeal.

     So once in awhile, we have Breakfast for dinner.

    This is so damn simple, and I am going to show you how.

     FIRST of all, DO NOT go out and buy that waffle mix in a box. I WILL  hunt you down.

     If you can't make this from scratch, you have no business in the kitchen. JUST GO TO DENNY'S.

     I would put a Denny's picture here, but I hate to hear from Lawyers.

     Really, I would not kid you....... This is EASY. You'll thank me later.

     Here is what you need.

First of all, some SAUSAGE

1 Cup AP Flour

2 tsp Sugar

¼ tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Grated Nutmeg

½ tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Baking Soda

1 Cup Buttermilk

Whole Milk (if needed)

1 Large EGG

2 TBL Salted Butter (Melted)

In a pan, cook the sausages.... easy 

In a bowl, WHISK all the Dry ingredients together

Add ¼ tsp Cinnamon and 1/8 tsp Grated Nutmeg and whisk together

Add the Dry ingredients to the WET ingredients and Stir.

If too thick,  you can add MILK to thin it out.

Pre Heat your Waffle Iron to 400 degrees

Put batter onto Iron and close.

Cook until done, BUT DON'T lift the lid TOO soon.

Add some butter on top, and syrup of your choice. You can also add some fruit.

And don't forget the SAUSAGE. 

P.S.  Beer does NOT go with Waffles.... 

Have O.J. instead

no, NOT THAT O.J.

This O.J. (I borrowed my wife's glass)

The waffles came out PERFECT, and so will yours. Having Breakfast for Dinner is easy and FUN. BE CREATIVE with your cooking.

Football was fun too, as Florida got the best of Missouri 23-6

Ball State did not fare as well against the former Florida coach.

They gave one away.

On to next week. Florida is off preparing for it's annual game with Florida State to wrap up the regular season. We plan on yard work, and something special from the slow cooker....See you then !!!!

Gotta go play with President Cleveland.

Remember: Cook at HOME !! Don't be a "Craig"

Live long and prosper.