Gumbo House

12/31/2020

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. All the best to you and everyone you love. I've had several requests this week for THE Bourbon Slush Punch recipe. Have a safe and happy holiday. xoxoxo

BOURBON SLUSH PUNCH
- 13 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups iced tea
- 12 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
- 12 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
- 3 cups bourbon

Mix ingredients. Pour into 2-cup plastic containers with lids (or the "Tupperware" odd sizes you rarely use). Freeze containers 8 hours. Thaw containers 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

10/11/2020

It's Autumn! Halloween is around the corner. Daddy used to make homemade popcorn balls around Halloween. And chicken and white bean chili is a Gumbo House favorite when the weather is cooler. For October we're sharing two family favorite recipes. Enjoy!

POPCORN BALLS
-- 10 cups popped corn (2 cups kernel corn)
-- 1 1/2 cups cocktail peanuts
-- 1/2 cup margarine
-- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-- 1/4 cup Karo dark syrup
-- 1/4 teaspoon salt
-- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large oven-safe mixing bowl, blend popcorn and peanuts. Keep warm in preheated oven.

In a sauce pot, melt margarine. Add brown sugar, syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Quickly pour over popcorn. Stir until popcorn and peanuts are well coated.

Spread popcorn out on a cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes, making sure every piece of popcorn has been moved around the bottom.

Remove from oven. Pour onto aluminum foil and roll into balls. Let cool. Store in tightly covered container.

CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN CHILI
-- 2 tablespoons margarine
-- 1 cup chopped onion
-- 1 garlic clove, chopped
-- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
-- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-- 2 (10 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
-- 15 oz. can great northern beans, navy beans or white beans, rinsed and drained
-- Sour cream

Over medium heat, melt margarine. Add onion and garlic and cover pot. Sauté 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ingredients, except sour cream. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in soup bowls and top each serving with sour cream.

08/16/2020

I was flipping through the cookbook last night and came across a summer dessert recipe I haven't made in a while. It's gotten rave reviews from my friends, so I thought I'd share it today. ENJOY!

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 large Gala apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup frozen blackberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9” round cake pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Drizzle with honey. Arrange apples slices on top and sprinkle with blackberries.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Using an electric mixer, blend well. Add eggs and blend well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Blend. Add this mixture to the sugar mixture, alternating with milk. Blend well with mixer. Begin and end with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Blend well. Pour batter over apples and blackberries in pan.

Bake 50 minutes, or until an inserted fork comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the inside edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Cool, then slice.

08/03/2020

It's time for our recipe of the month. Our recipe for August is Crab Corn Pudding!

CRAB CORN PUDDING

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 4 oz. containers refrigerated crab meat
- 2 (15 oz.) cans cream style corn
- 3/4 cup yellow corn meal
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapenos
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- Sprinkle of fresh parsley and chopped green onions


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a 6-quart non-stick pot, heat vegetable oil. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Cover and sauté 20 minutes, stirring often. Add crab meat and sauté 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to pot and blend well.

Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 8” x 8” glass baking dish. Cook uncovered 50 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!

10/06/2019

IT'S TIME FOR FALL AND FOOTBALL!

You've been asking for it and here it is...

GUMBO HOUSE BOURBON SLUSH PUNCH
- 3 cups bourbon
- 2 cups iced tea (with lemon or peach)
- 12 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 12 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 12 cups water
- 2 cups sugar

Mix ingredients and divide into 2-cup plastic containers with lids. Freeze overnight. In a large punch bowl, thaw 1 hour before serving. Makes about 1 gallon. For a non-alcoholic version, omit bourbon and add 2 extra cups of tea. Enjoy!

01/26/2019

It's Carnival time! Here's our most requested Mardi Gras recipe. Enjoy!

IT’S CARNIVAL TIME BREAD PUDDING

Bread Pudding
- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 15 oz. can crushed pineapple in its own juice, undrained
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 red apple, diced
- 5 oz. bag dried mixed berries (cranberries, cherries and blueberries)
- Half loaf day-old French bread, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add ingredients (except for bread) to a mixing bowl. Stir. Add bread, stir and soak 10 minutes. Stir.

Add mixture to a greased 2.5 quart baking dish. Bake 1 hour uncovered.

Remove from oven. Prepare rum sauce.

Rum Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup gold rum
- 1 cup confectioners sugar

In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Add rum and sugar. Stir continuously and bring to a light boil. Using a fork, poke holes in top of bread pudding. Ladle sauce over pudding. Allow to cool 5 minutes then serve. Enjoy!

12/19/2018

A big THANK YOU from me and Derrick for attending Gumbo House's Holiday Open House. Through your generosity, we were able to "adopt" 54 toddlers through Catholic Charities. At last count we were at 310+ new pieces of clothing... all gift wrapped from Santa. Thank you for helping those less fortunate and for your support throughout the year. We love you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

11/03/2018

Yesterday I spoke to a former DC friend/roommate who wanted Gumbo House's recipe for turkey salad. Since it's November and time for a good turkey recipe, I thought I'd share on GH's website. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving. xoxo

Turkey Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

- 1 cup diced pecans
(toasted at 350 degrees for 5 minutes on a pie plate)
- 3/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup low-fat mayo
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
- 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- Mixed salad greens
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Blend first 9 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Serve on your favorite sandwich bread. Or to enjoy as a salad, toss greens, olive oil and lemon juice together and top with chicken salad. Serve on 4 salad plates. Enjoy!

07/11/2018

A few coworkers have been asking for this recipe, so I thought I'd post it as my July recipe of the month. Enjoy! xoxo

Andouille & Eggplant Jambalaya

- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lb. andouille sausage, diced
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 medium eggplants, peeled and diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cups raw rice
- 2 1/2 cups water
- Chopped parsley and chopped green onion tops

In a 6-quart non-stick pot, heat oil. Sauté andouille 20 minutes or until slightly blackened. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Sauté 20 minutes, stirring often. Add eggplant and smother 25 minutes, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until rice is done. Enjoy!

05/27/2018

In honor of New Orleans' Tricentennial, we've posted the most requested dessert at Gumbo House... White Wine Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. For the recipe, visit www.gumbo-house.com. Enjoy!

Gumbo House (imagine a small, private restaurant in New Orleans) is available for dinner parties/supper clubs at my home. Also available as a cook/caterer in your home.

12/03/2017

Getting some great tips on how to have a Christmas with Sr. Home Editor ! She sure knows how to wrap a pretty package! She’s here Lakeside until 5. I’m looking forward to her tips on how to decorate a wreath! 🎄✨💚❤️

12/02/2017

Me outside Dillard's last weekend for a photo op with kids for two hours. Happy Holidays! xo

12/02/2017

Me, Alice, Jacob, and Nolen during Thanksgiving. xo