Sausage Poboys

 I went on a Poboy kick for a while! These were Awesome so I wanted to share! We used some yummy deer sausage, romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, creole mustard and mayo = yum!

Nursing cover

 These were too easy to make! They have beautiful ones for sale but they are so expensive! Or the ones I found that I could afford I  hated the pattern! I made TWO of these for about $25 for everything! So, you need:

~ 3/4 yard two fabrics that you like. If you do not want two layers of fabric you can buy one. I suggest a lightweight cotton.
~ thread to match
~ 1 foot of boning wire. This is boning that you would put in a prom dress or a corset.
~ a set of 2 D hooks

 First make the drawstring for the neck.
Cut 3'' strip

Fold and pin right sides together. Sew one end closed and down the side. 

 Turn in the end you sewed closed.

 Insert a dowel rod (or something equally thin) into the pocket you have made. Start turning your drawstring right side out onto the dowel rod.

 Pull dowel rod out and pull the rest of the fabric out. Iron.

 Repeat the same process for the loop for the D hook. It will be a 3" by 6" rectangle.

Lay out your two pieces of fabric right sides together

Measure out the center of your fabric and where your drawstring, D hooks and boning are going to be. Position your boning in the center.

 Position the D hooks loop about 1in to the right of where your boning will be. Pin the fabric loop INSIDE your fabric.

If your are not using two pieces of fabric, you can add the loops later or sew your loops into your folded edges.

Repeat the same process for the drawstring (except on the other side of course)

I pinned the excess drawstring on the inside so I wouldn't accidentally sew over it!

This is what you will see when it is pinned. Be sure to take your boning out and set to the side.

Sew around all the edges leaving enough space to be able to flip your cover right side out. 

Thread the boning to the inside of the cover and position it in the center again. Position the plastic side on the top. Sew below the plastic onto the fabric part of the boning.

Iron and your done! A fun project that took about an hour and $25 and I had two beautiful gifts to give to my two lovely pregnant friends!

Chicken and sausage gumbo

I made this with the the help of my house mate, her sister in law and Emril. Gumbo is something that I have always wanted to learn how to make but was too intimidated. My family is from Texas and Oklahoma so I grew up learning how to cook Tex Mex and, my mom's specialty, ground meat and stuff in a skillet. But I did grow up in south Louisiana so I feel like I should know how to cook cajun as well. So this is my gumbo, that is approved by Melanie, a self proclaimed gumbo snob! Hopefully I can remember proportions!

1 c okra
1 T sofrito or tomato paste
1 lb sausage (andouille traditionally or your favorite)
1 c flour
1 c onion
1 c celery
1 c bell pepper
Water
1 whole hen or whole chicken or chicken pieces of your choice with bone in and skin on
1-2 T slap yo mama (creole seasoning)
2 bay leaves

Dice okra. "De-slime" the okra by cooking it with the sofrito in a Dutch oven on med heat for about 10 min. Take out and set to the side.

Render the fat from the sausage. If that is not enough fat, throw in some bacon fat. Take out sausage and set to the side.

To make the roux: Gradually whisk enough flour into the fat until it almost a paste-like consistency. Let roux cook on med heat (just bubbling not rolling) until it is caramel colored. If you like a dark roux gumbo, let it cook until it is chocolate colored. It's a fine line between burnt and perfect so keep a close eye on it!

Add onions, celery, pepper and de-slimed okra and let cook until onions are wilted. Add enough water to fill your Dutch oven, 9 or 10 cups of water. Add chicken and cook until the meat is falling off the bone, 5-7 hours. Take the chicken out and de-skin/fat/bone and add the meat back in. Add andouille. If there is too much fat on the top of the gumbo, skin off the fat. (You can save the fat and use it in future recipes, like beans.) The key to a really good gumbo is letting it cook for a long time.  I like to let mine cook 10 hours minimum.