Makin’ Cajun

Below you will find the two recipes I was given to create an awesome, yet simple, Cajun meal.  Feel free to tweak a few things and share!  It’s always nice to just experiment

For the shrimp, I cooked it on the stove for a quicker result since I was on a bit of a time crunch.  I’ve cooked shrimp before, so I was quite familiar with it. I am a huge shrimp fan mostly because you don’t need to add a gazillion ingredients to make it fantastic.  Actually, I’ve found it shrimp takes the “less is more” approach. And I’m more than okay with that.

I fell in LOVE with Basil Mayo when Ginger first made it this past summer.  It’s delicious, and nothing, I REPEAT, nothing beats fresh herbs.  You can try to cut corners around this and use the basil in a tube, but I promise you the extra step of using the food processor will be worth it. I like to squeeze just a tad of the lemon used in the shrimp to it.  I like lemons, so why not?

This is where I kind of messed up, but that’s kind of the point right?

1. I thought I was supposed to turn on the heat with the first step. NO.  Just mix in the right ingredients.  I’m learning to read a few steps ahead…
2. Do not ever second guess measurements.  I didn’t use enough flour and it wasn’t as thick as it should have been.
3.  Always, always have a good knife handy.  I guess it’s time to invest in a nice knife set!

Overall, this was delicious!  Mentioned before, this is a pretty basic gumbo recipe.  So  if you’re looking for one to knock your Cajun lover’s socks off, you should probably experiment more with this.  I loved it, and it served well for the next day!  My friends are still alive, and even asked for seconds.  That must be good, right?

I enjoyed cooking this meal, honestly. Maybe it was the good company….

Or maybe it was because I was introduced to actual…”waiting.”  You know what I mean.  I had to constantly stir or chop up more vegetables or something other than adding milk or water.  And my goodness, the aroma.  I swear two hours after I cleaned, I could still smell freshly cooked shrimp and gumbo.

Sorry Hamburger Helper, but you are just too simple.  We’ve had a good run.  You’ve even added EXTRA-CHEESY FOR CHEESE LOVERS CHEESY LASAGNA.  It’s time to move on since I will gladly take this fun-filled Cajun meal over you any day.

Take Care,

Jenny