Too much time on my hands

This weekend I decided to hit the kitchen once more. Originally it was going to be on Saturday but then the boy showed up on Friday and announced that we had been invited to a party/fundraiser on Saturday. So that meant the cooking would happen on Sunday.

I guess my inspiration was the weather of late -- cold and wet. OK. I also drew inspiration from a number of items that were on sale this week in the stores. With weather like this, I want comfort food. This means mac and cheese, soups, stews, and anything Southern. The Southern thing won out.

My first inspiration in choice of Southern cooking was a result of crab being on sale this week. As I was driving in the rain through Fairfield on Friday, I suddenly remembered that chicken, sausage, and shrimp were also on sale. This could only mean one thing -- gumbo!

I have only tried to make gumbo twice before. The first time it was a success; the second it was awful. This time I decided to call my other mother on my way to the store. (Although she is a native Californian like myself, her parents are originally from Louisiana. Her mother schooled her well in Louisiana cooking. Further proof of this is that there is not much difference between her gumbo and my stepmother's. My stepmother was actually born in Louisiana.) After shopping, I hit the internet to see if I could find further guidance. I used this as my guide along the way.

I got up bright and early on Sunday morning to start on the stock.


Stock prior to the addition of the shrimp shells

The next thing was to make the roux. I prefer a peanut butter colored roux.


Almost done. Just needs the crab and shrimp added.


Final product in the pot...


and in the bowl

I have been having huge cravings for something sweet all week. I had planned to make more madeleines but the other dessert took took much time. I spent last week flipping through cookbooks and cooking magazines. I settled on a recipe for Orange Meringue Pie from this book.


I used the blood oranges I already had in the fridge to change it up.


Unfortunately I was browning the meringue at the same time that I was browning the roux for the gumbo. That's OK though. The boy will still eat it.


And here it is on the plate.

It's been some time since I have baked a pie. I think the last thing I made along these lines was a apple pear cobbler. And that was years ago. I am happy with the meringue (other than the over-browned areas) but the filling ended up a bit weepy. *sigh* Perhaps it was a bit too ambitious to think that I could do gumbo and a pie simultaneously. Live and learn.