shreddin' it up!

private powder... some mo...

private powder...

yellowstone club.

i was lucky enough to be invited to an amazing place with some amazing ladies...  it honestly left me a bit speechless... the service... architecture... slopes... snow... food... and amenities were impecable.

here are the ladies and i in the main lodge on our first morning at yellowstone club.

when we walked out to go skiing this is what we saw... somehow our skis got from the car onto the snow ready for us to jump in and go!

and that we did.

the views were breathtaking... when we could see through the clouds and SNOW!

thank you miss snowwhite for inviting me... it was the best girls trip EVER!

i am behind...

miss b is already mrs. b and i am late postin' this little party we surprised her with...

she was surprised... i love surprises!

look how cute!

we made her blush...

 

and we made her cry... good cry... not bad cry...

we all had such a great time celebrating such a loverly little lady who got married to a sweet sweet man...

how to make gumbo...

let me see if i can explain...

first please excuse my photography... food is difficult...

here it goes.

first be sure you have approximately 45 minutes of uninterrupted time.  you will see why in a minute.

second.
*here are the goodies you will need (amount varies depending upon how many you are serving)
1ish cup(s) flour

the holy trinity- for those of you who don't know what that is... it is onion. celery. green bell pepper.
2 ish onion (i admit i get the pre chopped onions... highly recommend and NO ONE knows the difference PROMISE... so if you get the bags of frozen pre copped get 2 small bags)

3 ish green bell peppers- again get the frozen pre chopped 2 or so bags

a bunch of celery- chopped.

one whole chicken (you may use a turkey or turkey legs or a combination of turkey and chicken)- this chicken can be one of those roasted ones from the store... or you can boil a raw one with enough water to just cover it and a quartered onion, some celery, ba leaf, and salt and pepper... this you can use in the gumbo later as your chicken stock...
bay leaves
kielbasa- one package from the meat section.  then chop into rounds.
hot sausage- andoille is suggested!
chicken stock- 2 boxes low-sodium

rice.

so now to the cookin'

makin' the roux- this is the MOST IMPORTANT part of the gumbo... it is make or break time here... time to FOCUS.
the roux is the body of your gumbo. it brings the distinct flavor and color to your gumbo...
get a large skillet.
put your flour into the skillet on medium low.

get a wooden spoon and start to stir.

you won't want to stop stirring.

this is the part of the process you are not allowed to walk away from the stove for an instant...

keep stirring...

when you think you are done... you most likely aren't...

keep stirring...

you want your roux to be the color of cinnamon...

when it is the color of cinnamon you may stop. 

pour your roux into your big ol' stew (in our case gumbo) pot...

then either in the same skillet or if you don't feel like rinsin' it get another skillet...

pour the holy trinity into the skillet with some olive oil...

and brown.

when the holy trinity is smellin' nice... pour it into your big ol' pot... where the roux is waiting for it...

mix 'em together...

now on your skillet... brown your kielbasa and andoille (hot sausage)...

when that is done pour it into your big ol' pot... juices and all..

then take your chicken (i did a boiled chicken)

put it into your big ol' pot... i put it in whole and debone later.. but you can do whatever you please...

pour all of the stock into the pot too...  add some water 2-4 cups i would say... add some salt and a ton of pepper... taste... let simmer for a while... taste again and season some more if you need to...cover and keep on low for as long as you can... the longer the better...

cook your rice in the mean time... depending upon how many people you are serving... if it is just you and a buddy i would say 1 cup rice/ 2 cups water... if you are having 20ish people over i would say 5 cups rice/ 10 cups water... and some olive oil... set one low and cover for 20ish minutes.

when your peeps have arrived... just put some rice in the bottom of each bowl and cover it with the gumbo... trust me everyone will be HAPPY!

* i do not measure when it comes to gumbo... i just put in what looks about right... then taste and add... you'll get it... don't worry.

miss fabulous is a soon to be mrs!

miss fabulous got engaged this past weekend to mr. back country... they make the perfect mountain top pair... look how happy they are...Eeeek!

we all went out last night to celebrate miss fabulous' engagement... no better way than to get our nails did!  amen.

these girls are too much fun! we were just cluckin' away talkin' about marriages... engagements... drama... pregnant friends... we giggled a lot... there is something so therapeutic about being with good down to earth women...

thank you ladies.

december...

it's the first and my calendar is already FULL... this month is going to FLY by...

i am SO excited for so many many things this month... i love love love this time of year... if it would just start SNOWING...


so this week i have country dancin' at 4 eagle in wolcott... an ugly turtleneck party... a tea party... a hot date night... and the birds of prey world cup race... yehaw!