Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

One of my favorite smells in the whole world is the scent of a dark roux cooking. Nothing else can transport me back to my childhood so easily. A lot of my favorite recipes (Cajun and otherwise) start with a roux, but a roux this dark, aromatic, and flavorful can only mean one thing--gumbo.

If you haven't actually had gumbo before, it's kind of like a stew. Generally it's served over rice, though some people prefer potato salad. You make it with some sort of stock and add in various meats and vegetables. My favorite combo is chicken and sausage, but seafood gumbo is also delicious. The most important ingredients though are the ones you use to thicken the gumbo. You can use filé, okra, or a roux as your thickener, and each one provides a different overall flavor. My favorite is gumbo made with a roux, but to each his own. (I do like to sprinkle some filé, which consists of ground sassafras leaves, over my gumbo anyway though because I like the earthy flavor that it has.)

Chicken Creole

I haven't always been a big fan of chicken Creole. It's very tomato-y, and as I've talked about before, I didn't really like tomatoes much until fairly recently. When I was a kid, the tomato chunks in chicken Creole are what turned me off, but now that I'm over it, I really enjoy this dish. It's still not my favorite Cajun-style dish, but it's definitely worth making once in a while.

Creamy Mexican Gumbo

I'm using the term "gumbo" lightly here. The only thing gumbo-y (that's a word, right?) about this is that it's a soup made with a basic roux served over some rice. Other than that, this really resembles gumbo not at all, but I didn't know what else to call it. Basically it's poblano cheese soup poured over ground sausage and rice, but that doesn't sound nearly as catchy.

Chicken Fried Rice

Justin loves Chinese food more than probably any other type. (I, on the other hand, could eat Mexican food until I pop.) The beauty of Chinese food is that it's so cheap and can be found in abundance here; therefore, we don't make it at home very often. Justin's been asking for fried rice lately though, and I can't help but oblige.

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

When Justin and I got married, we had a small, intimate ceremony and reception with our families and close friends. We didn't have a lot of money to spend, but we still wanted it to reflect who we are and the things we love. One way we did that was through food. We went with a New Orleans-inspired menu, and my grandparents and my Aunt Jean cooked it for us (with a couple contributions from me and from Justin's mom). We had a hard time deciding on the menu because there are just so many great Cajun dishes that we love, but we wanted to choose things that would appeal not only to my Louisiana family but also to Justin's Indiana family. Something that we thought would bridge that gap well was jambalaya. It's chicken, smoked sausage, and rice with some seasoning--what's not to like?

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Cilantro is an herb that divides people. There are people who love it and can't live without it. Then there are people who think it tastes like soap. I fall somewhere between those two camps, I guess; I like cilantro in moderation. I enjoy the fresh flavor that a small bit lends to Mexican food, but too much of it makes me feel like I've swallowed a mouthful of Dawn. This cilantro-lime rice was made with that in mind, so the lime is intentionally a more prominent flavor than the cilantro. If you love cilantro, by all means add more.