Gumbo(rh)
You can use anything to make a gumbo, the following is just a basic guideline for a good gumbo, it can be adjusted a thousand different ways but you know real gumbo when you eat it:-)
Ingredients
Roux 3/4 cup each flour and oil (see recipe)
Chicken or seafood Stock, about 6 quarts (see recipe)
1-2 Lbs. Chicken (cooked diced 1" or larger, you can add whole parts cooked also, baking them first with cajun seasoning is good)
1-2 Lbs. Cooked Sausage (If link cut 1/2" or larger rounds, Andouille or smoked sausage, Chorizo also works)
1-2 Lbs. Shrimp (if raw, peeled and deveined, pre boiled shrimp can also be used or you can boil them in crab boil or old bay to your taste) !!other shellfish can also be added, Oysters, Crawfish, Crab, etc. !!
5-6 Stalks of celery 3/4 inch dice
1-2 bell peppers 3/4 inch dice
2 med-large onions 3/4 inch dice
8 or more green onions bottom white part sliced into thin rings, green tops cut about 1/4-1/2" keep separate.
20 Oz or more frozen or fresh okra, stalk ends removed 1/2 in slices (pre cook in 1 tablespoon or less oil until ropiness is gone, this will cook out the jell takes about 20-30 minutes, cook for 5 extra minutes after the jell goes away, best to use a nonstick pan you can flip with, that way you can see the stringiness as your flipping/tossing it while it cooks and you can use less oil)
1-2 (or more) cloves of garlic crushed
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground basil
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 to 1 bunch Parsley rough chop, stems removed
Gumbo File (on side)
Hot Sauce (on side)
Cajun seasoning (on side)
Rice (see below)
First make a Roux
Make a dark (copper or darker) roux of 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 3/4 cup vegatable oil. Cook roux,
stirring constantly at med-hi heat, be careful not to burn it, if you see black specks it is burnt, toss it and start over, there is no fix. make sure all lumps are gone/dissolved. You can lower the heat if you are worried about burning it but it may take up to an hour to cook it to the desired darkness. It is best to cook the roux in a cast iron pan, stainless steel works good also. Just keep stirring. Do not get any on you, it
continues to cook when removed from heat, also known as Cajun Napalm. When the roux is a deep copper/chocolate color lower the heat.At this point the roux can be put in a jar and refrigerated for a long time (it's just flour and oil) so you can make alot and not have to do it everytime if you want.
Making the Gumbo
When you turn the roux down add the bell peppers, celery, green onion bottoms (white part) and onion, this will stop the roux cooking process. After about 10 minutes add crushed garlic, saute until onions are transparent. Bring heat up to medium to medium high and using a ladle begin adding the stock (watch the steam!). Add stock one ladle or large cup at a time and mix in, be sure to continuosly stir it to mix it so no lumps form, use a whisk but do not "beat" it, just gently mix it together. Add all of the stock in this way,
once you have about 1/2 of the stock added you can add the rest in at once. Bring it to a full boil stirring constantly then immediately turn it down to a simmer The darkness and quantity of the roux will determine how thick it will get, darker roux's do not thicken as much as light ones. You can thicken it more later if needed by cooking it down. Add in Bay leaves, thyme, basil, and oregano, simmer 10 minutes. Add in the okra, sausage and chicken. Crab in shell, turtle or alligator can be added now also, leave shrimp, lump crabmeat, crawfish and other shellfish until end. Cover and allow it to continue cooking at a simmer for about 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes (the longer the better, actually it is best the next day reheated). The consistency needs to be fairly thick, a little thinner than a cream soup. Adjust the thickness by cooking it down or adding more liquid(water or stock) to get it where you like it (different people have different opinions on how thick a gumbo should be, I like it pretty thick). Adjust salt, heat ,etc. according to your tastes. About 10-20 minutes before serving add 3/4 of the parsley, 3/4 of the green onion tops, shrimp, crawfish, oysters or other shellfish. Serve over rice (below) with best garlic bread (below) on side. Sprinkle file over gumbo for additional flavor and thickening. Hot sauce or cajun spices optional for more kick.
Garnish with additional parsley or green onion tops.Above will feed 6-8 hungry adults.

Chicken and/or seafood Stock (rh)
Use shrimp shells/heads, crab shells, and roasted chicken bones (or de-fatted stock from cooking a whole chicken). Do not use fish parts for seafood stock, just shrimp, crab, or crawfish shells. You may be able to find seafood stock base in some stores, that will work also. Anyway, take about 8 quarts of cold water. Throw in all your seafood and chicken parts and add:
Celery (3-4 stalks cut into 4 chunks with tops)
2-3 medium onions quartered
1/2 - 1 head of garlic broken up, no need to peel
3 carrots cut into 4 chunks each
2 bay leaves
about 15 black peppercorns (or mixed colors)
1-2 tablespoons(Tbsp) Cajun or Old Bay seasoning (start with 1)
1-2 Tbsp sea salt (start with 1)
1/2 teaspoon(tsp) Thyme (crush or grind fine)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
Parsley stems and parts (about 1/4 bunch)
1-3 Tbsp (or cubes) of chicken buillion (more or less for extra flavor,watch the salt).
Bring this to a boil and just cook for 1-2 hours or until liquid is reduced by half, the longer the stronger. After 2-3 hours you can drain it all through a cheesecloth and then cook it down more if you like. You want about 5-6 quarts of liquid total for a gumbo so cook it down for awhile. Reduce it to about 1/2 of the total you want remove from heat and fill with water to make 6 quarts or more (or ice if not using it immediately).Try not to have any fat in the stock, skim off all of it. Eliminate the seafood and this is a good
basic chicken stock also.If you boil it way down (like a thick gravy) you can pour it into ice trays, freeze it, then put the cubes in a ziploc to use whenever you need them.

Perfect no hassle rice (rh)
2:1 parts water and rice. Usually at least 1 cup rice is easiest. I use basmatic rice, it has a great flavor, you can eat it plain with nothing on it and it tastes great. Add 1/2 - 1tsp salt (optional) to water and bring to boil, as soon as it comes to a boil add rice and stir, turn down to very low simmer and stir for a minute until it cools down some (no longer than 1 minute or so and stir it while it comes off the boil). Cover and let cook for 26 minutes (if you use long grain rice, same amounts but cook for 21 minutes). DO NOT
UNCOVER while it is cooking. After time is up uncover and fluff with a fork, re-cover it and you can let it sit for a good while, it will stay fresh and keep the heat. Make sure the simmer is as low as you can set it on electric stoves, very low flame on gas. If simmer is too high remove after 15 minutes, let sit 5 minutes, then back on 5 minutes then off 5 minutes, covered the whole time then check to be sure all liquid is absorbed. I would buy a new stove if I had to do this to cook rice since I eat it pretty often. This makes about 3+- cups of cooked rice, with basmatic it seems to be more.

Crawfish or Shrimp Stew (excellent)(rh)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup vegatable oil
2 lbs. Crawfish tail meat or shrimp (crawfish are much better)
6 large or 8 medium size bunches of green onions (that is right, tons of green onions) bottom white part sliced into thin rings, green tops cut about 1/4-1/2" keep separate.
8 cups chicken or seafood stock
1 med-lg onion (white or yellow) small chop
3 cloves garlic crushed
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp zatarins liquid crab boil
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper 1 tsp
Cooked Rice
If you use shrimp I recommend pre boiling them in crab boil (zatarins) or old bay to flavor them. For crawfish do not drain the bag, all of the fat and liquid give it the great flavor. Start by making the roux.
Make a dark (copper or darker, try for between milk and dark chocolate color) roux of 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup vegatable oil. Cook roux, stirring constantly at med-hi heat, be careful not to burn it, if you see black specks it is burnt, toss it and start over, there is no fix. You can lower the heat if you are worried about burning it but it may take up to an hour to cook it to the desired darkness. It is best to cook the roux in a cast iron pan, stainless steel works good also. Just keep stirring. Do not get any on you, it continues to cook when removed from heat. When the roux is a deep copper/chocolate color lower the heat. At this point the roux can be put in a jar and refrigerated for a long time (it's just flour and oil) so you can make alot and not have to do it everytime if you want. Once the roux is dark enough (should smell wonderfully nutty, not burnt) add the white parts of the green onions, the garlic, and the other onions, cook on med heat stirring regularly until onions are transparent. Turn heat to high then add stock 1 cup at a time mixing well to avoid lumps, do this until all 8 cups are added. Add 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Check consistency after about 10 minutes, should be a little thinner than a medium gravy when finished, it needs to cook down. Add all except 1 cup of the cut up green onion tops, this is alot of flavor and is great, even though 8 bunches seems like alot. Now you can let it simmer for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2-3 hours, just add liquid if it thickens too much. For crawfish add them in about 30 minutes
before serving, precooked or raw shrimp can be added in last 10-15 minutes, just add, cover and simmer the last amount. Serve over rice, garnished with reserved green onion tops and best garlic bread.

Easy Crawfish or Shrimp Etouffee (A-2-Fay)(rh)
2 Lbs. Crawfish Tail Meat or Shrimp
1 stick of butter
1 large bell pepper small dice
1 large onion small dice
4 stalks celery small dice
1 bunch green onions bottom white part sliced into thin rings, green tops cut about 1/4-1/2" keep separate 1 cup of green tops.
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 bay leaves
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 can rotel brand diced tomatoes with chiles
1 tsp-Tbsp cajun seasoning
about 2 cups water or seafood stock
Saute green onion bottoms and tops (except reserved),onions, peppers, celery, garlic in butter until onions are transparent, do not burn. Add 2 cans cream of celery soup and mix together over medium heat. slowly add and mix in tomatoes with chiles. If you add them all at once it will all break, do it slowly and mix it into the soup. Add bay leaves and cajun seasoning. Should be fairly thick but it needs to simmer so slowly add water or seafood stock, if using crawfish I usually fill up the bag they came in about 1/2 - 3/4 of
the way with water and swish it around and use that as the liquid, also pour that liquid over the crawfish and get the fat (yellow stuff) with it. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes stirring regularly. Add Crawfish or shrimp, cover simmer additional 10-15 minutes. Should be fairly thick, like a thick gravy depending on how you like it, etouffee means smothered so it should be fairly thick. Serve over rice with best garlic bread, garnish with green onion tops. Serves 4 hungry adults.

Crawfish Etouffee
1 1/2 cups butter, divided
1/2 cup flour
2 small onions, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper
3/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions bottoms
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
1 quart water
2 pounds crawfish tails
1/2 cup shopped green onion tops
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Combine 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup flour in a small saucepan. Stir while cooking for 3 minutes over medium-high heat; keep warm. In a 4-quart saucepan, add 1/2 cup butter, onion, bell pepper, celery, and green onion bottoms; cook over medium heat while stirring for 8 minutes. Add paprika, peppers, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Cook 2 more minutes while stirring. Add 1 quart water, and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add reserved roux, stirring well with wire whip. Reduce heat to medium, and boil for 3 minutes. Add crawfish, onion tops, and parsley; then stir in last 1/2 cup butter. Turn heat to low until ready to serve.
Serve over rice.

Crawfish Etouffee (from Coonass.com)
1 pound peeled crawfish tails with fat
1 tablespoon paprika
1 stick of butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons onion tops
1/2 green bell pepper
2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, minced
cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons finely sifted white flour
salt and black pepper
On low heat, melt butter in a deep, thick aluminum chicken frying pan. Add chopped onion and bell pepper. Saute until onions are clear in color --- at least 10 minutes. Season crawfish with cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, and black pepper to taste. Add seasoned crawfish, garlic, and water. Cook slowly. As water cooks down, add a teaspoon of flour at a time and stir until color of sauce turns a golden brown. Cook until crawfish are soft to the bite (around 40 minutes). Serve on rice and garnish with onion tops and parsley. Serves 4. When crawfish are not available, substitute shrimp, scallops, or lobster.

Red Beans and Rice
2 lbs. smoked sausage cut into 1/2" or larger rounds (Andouille preferred, substitute ham, ham hocks, etc.)
1 lb. Red kidney beans (cameilla brand if possible)
1 large bell pepper med dice
1 large onion med dice
4 stalks celery med dice
2 cloves garlic crushed
3 bay leaves
1-2 Tbsp cajun seasoning
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Water (alot)
Soak beans overnight in the following mixture (stir well):
water to cover 1 inch above beans
5 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
5 Tbsp Hot sauce
2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 Tbsp Garlic powder
1 Tbsp Onion powder
2 bay leaves
After soaking drain beans and reserve the bay leaf. Sauté sausage, ham, etc. in pan until browned then remove. Use oil from sausage or add 1-2 Tbsp of oil to sauté onions, peppers, and garlic until onions are transparent. Add Bay leaf from soaked beans plus 2 more (3 total), cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and about 8 cups of water to the pot. Add beans and meat to pot. Cover and cook at least 1 hour. Cook until beans are desired consistency. I like mine almost turned to mush and the gravy thick. Once the beans are done a quick way to thicken it is to take a cup of beans and mash them and add them back in. Some people prefer theirs thinner so adjust liquid and bean texture to your taste. The longer it cooks the better it gets. Serve over rice with cornbread or serve over cornbread.

HushPuppies
2 cups yellow corn meal
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Boiling water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
Oil for frying
Heat oil in deep skillet or fryer to 375°F. Mix all dry ingredients except the baking powder. Pour in enough hot water to make a thick mush, making sure all ingredients are moistened. Add milk, egg and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Drop by spoonfuls (or use a small ice cream scoop) into oil, and fry
until golden brown.