{Tasty Tuesday: Louisiana Seafood Gumbo}

Hellooooo from Baton Rouge, LA everyone!! :) In honor of my trip here and the massive amounts of gumbo I will be eating this week, here is a yummy recipe for some Louisiana style gumbo!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 med. onions, chopped
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
1 sm. can tomato sauce
1 qt. water
1/2 tsp. dry whole thyme
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 qt. chicken broth
1 lbs. crab meat
Gumbo file
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pkg. smoked sausage
1 1/2 lbs. shrimp
1 pkg. ham chunks
4 crabs
1 bay leaf
Oysters (optional)

Directions:

To mix roux (base), heat oil in bottom of heavy pot, sprinkle flour and stir until a light brown. Stir in celery, onion, green pepper and cook until tender. Saute the smoked sausage and ham with the seasonings. Add tomato sauce. Add chicken broth, water, and seasonings and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Add seafood and cook for 1 1/2 hours on low fire. Add file gumbo after everything else is cooked. Serve over hot rice.

Tasty Tuesday- Homemade Chili

It has been FREEZING and rainy in Houston the past couple days and that just makes me want to stay home and eat chili. It is one of my husband's favorite things that I make so I make it a lot during the Fall & Winter and even every once in awhile in the Summer & Spring. My Mom gave me this recipe a few years ago but I am pretty sure I have changed it a little. Here you go!

What you will need:

- Ground Beef
- Chili Powder
- 2 Cans of Diced Tomato's
- 2 Cans of Kidney Beans (drained)
- 1/2 Onion, chopped/diced


What to do:

-Brown the beef in a pan on the stove.


-Add the cans of kidney beans, tomato's and the diced onion to the cooked ground beef (still on stove, medium heat)


-Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle with as much chili powder as you like. The more you add the spicier and more flavorful it will be. I don't really measure it...I just add a lot then taste as I go until I like it. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes on medium or low heat then it is ready to serve!

** I usually add about 1 cup of water so that it is a little more soupy**

Serve with Saltine Crackers or Cornbread! Enjoy!