At Considerable Cost

My latest post at Bourbon and Boots is all about gumbo.   I share a reflection on this favorite food and then my recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. ...The roux is earthy--in color, scent and taste--and so it offers the perfect culinary representation of south Louisiana.   Quotes from southern authors fill my head, along with visions of Spanish moss draped over limbs of live oaks, with all these roux-induced hallucinations helped on by the musical accompaniment of lively or mournful Cajun music as I stir... Read more at: http://www.bourbonandboots.com/cajun-gumbo-recipe/

 I really enjoy making wreaths.   I was inspired this year by a trip to downtown Bryan after Thanksgiving with a friend.   We saw some beautiful southern-style decorations and I set about making much-needed new wreaths for our front door and above our mantle. Front Door Wreath First, can we just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of a red door at Christmas?! This is a real wreath, but it didn't make it until Christmas.   We get some intense morning sun on the front of our house.   It makes the paint on the door slightly tacky to the touch and sometimes you can barely grasp the hot door handle.  So, a week before Christmas, I transferred all the pieces to an artificial wreath.   It will make next year a little easier!   I used artificial red roses that were expensive, so beginning in October, I went once a week to Michael's and picked up a stem with one of my 40% off coupons.   I cut the stems apart so I could spread the blooms ...

I'm able to post some of our progress on our new home .   I finally found time to transfer and organize all the photos from my phone!    It's been fun to work on the house and make decisions, but it's been different from earlier homes because we were making several big changes to surfaces.   I had to make sure that my choices would work together and fit with the overall look and feel I was trying to achieve.   And I had to shop around for the best deals!   I am so thankful for a floor plan that works so much better for our family.   Home schooling has been so much easier and I realized I was fighting against our old floor plan. So, starting at the front door: This is a picture taken before closing.   The house was very cold and contemporary.   Believe it or not, this was just a dorm for the owner and her children while they attended university, so it was sparsely furnished.   I knew we...