Put a little spice in it!

Living in Washington can be wonderful! The Summer months are the best in the world I think. But as the Fall months set in so can symptoms of feeling down and out, and you find yourself trying to fill the day up with things to lift your spirit and help you to stay motivated.

This next recipe is a delicious way to combat the Fall and Winter blues you might be experiencing as the sun becomes less available. This is my rendition of Gumbo, made both in Creole and Cajun style. The difference between the two is that creole gumbo is made with seafood and a rue, while Cajun gumbo is made with Andouille sausage and chicken. I have combined the flavors of both to make a spectacular dish you are sure to love!

**Did you know that consuming spicy foods releases the same "feel good" hormones that exercise releases?

You'll need these ingredients:
1/2 cup red onion chopped
1/2 cup of white onion chopped
1 cup of celery chopped
1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper
These are known as the the trinity ingredients of your gumbo recipe. Now add...
1 stick of butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Sweat the above ingredients in a stock pot over medium heat stirring constantly (don't let the butter burn).

In a separate pan brown 1/2 lb of ground pork sausage and 12 ou of Andouille sausage (sliced).

Add 1/2 cup flour to the onion mixture to form a rue. stir and add small amounts of chicken stock( 1 box) to the mix until it begins to thicken.

In a food processor or blender puree five Roma tomatoes and add it to the mixture.Turn down to simmer. Add sausage to the mixture and 1/2 cup of medley rice (plain white rice is fine). Simmer on low until desired thickness is achieved.
Add 1 Tbl of Louisiana hot sauce or creole seasoning ( I used Franks red hot)

Peel 6 large prawns
In a separate saute pan put in 1Tbl of butter, 1 tsp of chopped garlic add the prawns. Put in a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until pink. Squeeze 1/2 of a lime over the prawns.

Plate the gumbo and place shrimp on top then serve!

Savory Beignets

1 yeast packet
1/2 cup of warm water (140 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
Combine in a bowl and wait til foamy and yeasty smell occurs

In a separate bowl combine
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 egg

In another bowl combine
1 cup of corn flour
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup of gumbo meat/onions drained ( take this from your gumbo with a slotted spoon.

Combine yeast and egg mixture and add dry ingredients. Mix well until the ingredients form a dough.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or large pot at 325 degrees. drop the dough into the oil and turn immediately to avoid sticking. Watch carefully. These should be done in about 3-4 minutes. The object is to let them cook long enough so they cook through without burning the outside. It might take a few times to test it. When they come out dust them with powdered sugar and serve with the gumbo...Delicious!