Welcome friends to our Monthly Challenge Blog Hop! On the second Monday of each month a group of talented and creative bloggers come together to share their themed creations! And this month we're kicking off the new year by sharing our Favorite Family Recipes!
I've been making crock pot gumbo on New Year's eve for over forty years! And this year was no exception! It's a favorite family tradition that I started long ago when we would always go to our dear friends on Christmas day for a lovely gathering! We were never home on Christmas day, so naturally I felt guilty not having something just our family would enjoy together during the holidays. So I started making gumbo - something I knew my family would love and to welcome the new year in our own special way! And my family still looks forward to eating my crock pot gumbo every new year!
The fun thing about making gumbo is that you can add your favorite ingredients like chicken, sausage and shrimp and omit things you don't, like okra and green peppers! This year I even added turkey and ham that I had in the freezer leftover from Thanksgiving! Served over rice, the gumbo was really delicious and quite tasty, as always!
As with most gumbos, my crock pot version starts with making a roux for thickness. My family likes thick gumbo as opposed to a soup-like consistency.
Roux starts out the same way - a combination of flour and oil, stirred together for however long to get the desired color and to keep it from burning! Dark roux gives gumbo a rich, nutty body!
You'll also find most of the signature ingredients included, too, except for tomatoes and, as I mentioned before, okra and green peppers. The hubs doesn't care for these in his dishes. But anything you like can and often does find its way into gumbo! That's one of the cool things I love about making it! It's the cooks' choice as to what goes in it! Lol!
Roux starts out the same way - a combination of flour and oil, stirred together for however long to get the desired color and to keep it from burning! Dark roux gives gumbo a rich, nutty body!
You'll also find most of the signature ingredients included, too, except for tomatoes and, as I mentioned before, okra and green peppers. The hubs doesn't care for these in his dishes. But anything you like can and often does find its way into gumbo! That's one of the cool things I love about making it! It's the cooks' choice as to what goes in it! Lol!
Once the shrimp is added and mixed well, cover and continue to cook on low for another 15-20 minutes or until the shrimp has blended in well and tender. Then, serve over rice or eat as is! Enjoy!
Be sure to check out all of our co-hosts for their favorite family recipes, too!
