I love gumbo, and this is a quick and easy recipe.  It shouldn’t take more than half an hour to make! 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut okra
• 8 ounces smoked (precooked) andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups water; stir in okra and sausage. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken, and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; if desired, serve with cornbread.

Easy enough?  I’d love to hear if you try these recipes or any feedback.  Also, if you’ve got a recipe you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments!

Posted under Food, Recipes

The other day when I was grocery shopping, I stopped in the fresh produce area to buy fruit, and I compared the price of apples per pound versus a bag of apples.  When I looked at the sign, I did a double take.  $1.99 a pound for apples?  You’ve got to be kidding me.  Just last week they were $1.49 a pound.  That’s a huge jump in just a week!  I was frustrated, but what could I do?  I bought the apples.

On my way home from work one day, I happened to see a sign on the corner for a local orchard.  I had no idea there were any orchards locally, so I decided to look them up on the internet and go visit them.  Mr. Money was off today, so we decided it would be the best day to go pick apples.  We got lost on the way, so I called the number that was on the sign for directions.  The woman told me that she is out there until 5 (this was 6:15) but we were welcome to pick whatever we wanted as long as we didn’t mind her not being out there.  Oh, and also to take $1 off a bag because it’s the end of the season and we may not find too many good apples.

When we arrived, we were in heaven.  Here was this beautiful orchard with all these apple trees and no one around.  We grabbed some apple pickers and went to work.  After 30 minutes, we had three huge bags of apples.  We paid, left the check in the pink bucket, and went home.  I was dying to see how many pounds of apples we had picked.   I weighed them when we got home.

30 pounds.  We’re going to store them in the basement and if something terrible happens (like a hurricane) we’ll be all set. Of course, I think eating only apples will be a chore, but it’s better than nothing.  I guess I’ll be looking up recipes to use up some of these apples.  The best part of this all?  I paid 40 cents a pound, versus the $1.99 in the store. Plus, they are all natural and organic and don’t have that waxy coating on the outside.  I tried one and they are heavenly.  If you haven’t picked fruits and vegetables locally, look up orchards in your area before it’s too late!  I hope to make a trip to a pumpkin patch this fall too.  Maybe I can get a good deal on some other produce!

Have you picked fruits or vegetables locally this year?

Posted under Food

Well… I finally have electricity!  I am so happy.  A week without power is a long one!  The week drug on and the fact we didn’t have electricity was pretty bad considering our anniversary and my birthday occurred during it.  Talk about an “unfrugal week”.

- We had to throw away all the food in our refrigerator and freezer.  It makes me sick to think of all the wasted food and money.

+ Our electric bill will be less this month than it would have been.

- We had to eat out a lot because we couldn’t buy food or store it.

- My car is acting funny… again.

+ I kept myself busy doing other projects during the week.

- I wasn’t able to have the yard sale this weekend like planned.

- My Dad is in the hospital tonight due to two blood clots in his lungs.

 I am so thankful this past week is over.  We are going to buckle down next month and hopefully be able to save more money than we did this month.

Did the hurricane have any effect on where you live?

Posted under Food