First you make a roux...

It has been a little chilly here this week. Perfect soup weather! I was rifling through the freezer and decided I had the makings for a gumbo. Now, I live in Louisiana, but that doesn't make me Cajun. In fact, I'd never actually made a gumbo from scratch before! So, to the trusty cookbook cabinet I headed, and I found and modified a gumbo recipe that is delicious! Here's my recipe:

First, you make a roux. No, this is not some Cajun joke. A great gumbo gets its thick texture from a roux. I started by heating 1/2 cup of veggie oil and 1 cup of flour in my dutch oven over a medium heat. You have to stir constantly. I stirred for about 10 minutes before my little man decided he needed help going potty, so I took the pot off the burner for a minute and prayed that it wouldn't burn in the meantime. After that potty break and hand washing, I put it back on the heat and stirred some more. Watch your roux closely. It literally goes from being oil and flour to a beautiful dark caramel roux within seconds. Once my roux was ready, I took the pot off the heat and added 8 cups of water, 3 chicken bullion cubes, 3 cups cooked diced chicken, 1 package hickory smoked sausage, 2 cups veggie seasoning blend (onions, celery, peppers, and parsley), 2 cloves of garlic and a healthy dose of Tony's Creole. I brought it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 2 hours. Perfect!

By the way...my favorite source of Louisiana recipes is Louisiana Living cookbook published by the Jr. League in Natchitoches. Here's a site to check out: http://www.snappycasualgifts.net/catalog/item/4861495/5005411.htm

Do Not Go See This Movie!!!!

I have seen this info before, but I can't help passing it on...

This comes from a librarian I know:
"The move entitled The Golden Compass is bassed ona book series for children. The book series is a trilogy known as "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman...Pullman uses the imagery of C.S. Lewis' "Narnia"...The reader is exposed to a dark world that grows progressively worse with each novel. Pullman challenges many of the basic concepts of right and wrong hat we teach our children."

These are her politically correct statements to parents to help them make an informed decision. Here's my opinion:

This movie is a blatant attempt by an atheist to knock down our God and promote a false teaching. I'll admit. The preview intrigued me. From that 30 seconds it looked like a really neat movie. I'm so glad that I took the time to learn more. The movie is a watered down version of the books, created with the intent of encouraging kids to dig deeper into the books and thus be exposed to a very dangerous and evil false teaching.

Please do not support an author or a movie that is part of something so evil.

More Sewing With Fleece...

Well, I've started my Christmas sewing. My 1st project? A fleece robe for my little man. And I'm using most of those tips I found last week.

• Because I cut my fleece without determining which side was which, I used that water test. And sure enough, the water soaks in quickly on one side and just rolls off the other. As this is a bath robe, I used the side that soaked in the water as the wrong (inside) side.
• I marked, marked, marked. I made sure that I marked the wrong side of every piece.
• I sat my stitch on 3.0 (is this in mm or what, I really don't know).
• I used a size 14 ball point needle and it worked like a charm.
• I set my iron on the poly setting, but it was a little too warm. Thankfully, I was using a pressing cloth. After I turned it down to a little below half-way, it worked well.

I started with Simplicity 5874. I cut a size 3 because my 2-year-old LM is about 39.5 inches tall. I am using a bright red fleece that he picked out at Hancocks. And now, I am so frustrated! This robe is enormous!!!! The length is perfect, but I could wrap it around him twice. Sure, it is a robe, but come on!

Anyway, I have since started over. I have basically drawn my own robe pattern for him. I used what I liked about this Simplicity pattern, and what I liked about 2 other patterns I found. It fits better. It is still a little big, but at the rate he grows, it may just fit perfectly by Christmas! I will probably grab a picture soon and then put the robe away. He will forget about it by the time he opens it Christmas morning.

And one more thing--I also finished a Thomas pillowcase to go with his robe!