Monday, January 28, 2013

Chicken and shrimp gumbo

Weekend recap here! We had a very busy weekend with the kids having other kids over, going to other kids houses, needing to go to activities and us big kids celebrating a friends birthday!
Busy Friday and Saturday made for a quiet Sunday and I even took a nap by the fire! I hate naps. I really do. I always wake up feeling more tired than when I went to sleep and feel like I have missed the entire day and freak out because I then feel like I have a million things to get done. I am a mover. A shaker. A cant sit for more than the length of a movie kind of girl.

I just LOVE to be busy. Love having things to do all the time!
Saturday we went out to a country concert to celebrate a friends birthday and had some drinks. I did NOT get Mcdonalds on our drive home which is a huge accomplishment because I am not kidding you when I say a couple years ago I ate that stuff about 2-3 times a week.


That's a picture from our night out. It was a lot of fun singing to some country tunes and helping our friend celebrate her Birthday.

Back at this morning with the routine and
this morning the kids were discussing what kind of food we would all be, if we were in fact foods. Why? who knows. They also discused what kind of animals we would all be.
This was a nice change of pace from the usual super nutty things they talk about in the morning before school. Always makes for fun entertainment while drinking my coffee and it makes me smile to see them laughing so hard every morning beofre they head out into that place...SCHOOL!
oh, that reminds me of a comment The Boy made when we were out to dinner on Friday night. He said that when kids turn four years old parents should sit them down and give them a talk about how they should really enjoy being four. Take it all in, be a crazy, do whatever you can four year old because once you turn FIVE your life is over and you are a prisoner of schooland responsibility for the rest of your life. At five years old you have to start spending your days learning the alphabet instead of playing cars and then when you turn 11 people start talking to you about highschool and how you need to get focused and then before your even in high school everyone is talking about college and getting jobs and then before you know it your worried about retirement and how your going to get your own kids weddings paid for. This made us laugh so hard! Poor kids! Amazing what goes on in those minds at such a young age!

Oh, by the way, I was asparagus. That's what food the kids said I would be! Not surprising! ha!ha! K would be a churro, the boy would be beef jerky. M would be a pink sparkly cupcake with edible glitter. John would be a nutty donut.


John would be a great nutty donut! He also makes a awesome weekend cook at our house!
He really loves to cook and doesnt get to do it during the week because of those pesky responibilities and all but this weekend he treated us to some awesome chicken and shrimp gumbo!
It was so crazy good! Kids gobbled it up. I had two bowls and its on the menu for today lunch for sure! Hope you enjoy it!


Ingredients: 2 Large White onions, 6 celery stalks, 2 Whole Carrots, 1 Large pack FRESH Okra, 1 Green Bell Pepper, 1 Red Pepper, (2) 15 oz cans organic no salt added Fire Roasted diced tomatoes, (1) 32 oz organic no salt added Chicken Stock, 1 LB Peeled and Deveined Shrimp, 4 Large Chicken Breasts (precooked/boiled and cooled, then shredded) , 1 Jalepeno Pepper (optional if you like heat)

3 TBSP extra virgin oil, 2 Garlic cloves, 2 Bay Leaves, Brown Rice 2 cups (uncooked), 1 small can organic tomato paste

Spices: Pepper 1 TSP, Salt 1 TSP, Zatarans Creole Seasoning 1.5 TBSP, Basil 1 TSP, Cayene Pepper (Optional 1 TSP if you want some heat) OPtional (hot sauce of choice 1 TBSP to taste based on your desire for spice)

In large Pan: On Medcium heat- Heat extra virgin olive oil and add garlic: Add Chopped, Onions, Celery, Carrots, Okra, Green and Red Pepper and Jalepeno . Add Salt, Pepper, Creole Seasoning, Cayene and Basil. Continue to cook and stir for approximately 10 minutes.

Add Tomatoes, Chicken Stock, tomato paste, Bay Leaves, tobasco. Shredded chicken.

Raise heat and bring to boil (continue to stir to avoid burning)

Once the base has come to a boil= add (2) 16 oz cups of Water and bring heat down to simmer.

Let cook on simmer for 1 hr 30 mins- Add Brown rice and bring heat to medium for 45 minutes. Add shrimp in at the last 10 minutes of cooking and serve when fully cooked.

Add additional hot sauce of choice to reach your desired heat level.

Serve and enjoy!!!


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