I’m cajun.  And by birthright I should know how to whip up a mean etouffee or gumbo by heart and from scratch, but I don’t.  I can make some delicious red beans and rice, but that is about it.  So when I found a recipe for and easy and quick gumbo over at Kevinandamanda.com I jumped on the chance to make it.  Any chance to eat shrimp or crawfish (and if you call them crayfish I will punch you in the nose) I’m there.

While reading through the recipe I saw that it called for gumbo file’.  Every time I read/hear that word “file’” it pops one of my favorite songs, Jambalaya (on the bayou), in my head .  Love it!  Makes me want to be in the French Quarter dancing around like a fool with beads around my neck and an umbrella in my hand.

Anyway….back to the food.  Gumbo!  I was going to snap some shots while making my masterpiece, but booger butt got his 2 month shots yesterday and hasn’t been feeling too wonderful.  This caused for a busy momma that had to wait for daddy to get home to even begin cooking.  Then while cooking, I managed to melt a measuring cup.  For the recipe I used 3 different measuring cups and I managed to melt the one I use all the stinkin’ time.  Go me!

Next time I make it I promise to hook you all up with some pics.  I did manage to snap one of the finished product.

I am a baker not a cook.  So for the final product to come out looking like this (a.k.a. – unburned) is a great accomplishment for this little filly.

In a few short months I’m going to be a new mom.  Nuts!  With this new responsibility I thought that I should really get to getting on the whole making dinner EVERY night thing, and working on cutting back on our expenses.  We also have been looking at how much we spend on food monthly, and it’s…well, let’s just say it’s not good.  Soooooooo, we decided to try a something called E-mealz.

E-mealz is a kid and family friendly meal planning resource for busy/frugal moms and family cooks. E-mealz makes weekly meal plans based on current sale items at the grocery stores, with various types of plan options (i.e. – two people, a family of 4-6, a low fat diet, a low carb diet, and for those who are following a point based diet system) . The recipes are yummy and easy to follow.

We have only been doing this for two days now.  Our 1st two meals have been delicious!  Last night we had chicken puffs and tonight we grilled out some turkey burgers.  I’m sure there will be meals that we will not particularly care for at times, but hey that’s life.  There is a new meal plan, w/ an isle-by-isle grocery list, posted each week. The cost is just $15.00 every 3 months.  Not only does it help clueless people like me who tend to say, even after visiting the grocery store, “We have nothing to eat/make…let’s go out”, but it also helps you save money.  With this sweet idea you are only purchasing the items you NEED, and since E-mealz plans your meals around sale items it also helps you save $$$$.

We are trying this out for 3 months.  After that we will re-evaluate our food expenditure, and make a final decision.  After hearing from others that have children, it may be a nice deal to have someone/something else plan out your weekly meals so you have one less thing to worry about.  We only spent $57 dollars for our entire weeks groceries this week (including yummy snacks for my belly at work during the week)  Not too shabby.

E-mealz goals of their program are as follows….

Goal #1
Spending time with your family

Goal #2
Save time and money

Goal #3
Serve delicious food

Goal #4
Save yourself from multiple and last minute trips to the grocery store

Goal #5
Stare at your children across from the dinner table rather than into the pantry looking for a dinner idea  (I totally do this…minus the kid part)

Goal #6
Lose weight without preparing separate meals for the family. (Every meal plan is designed to be family friendly, even the weight management plans! See sample)

This program is a favorite of Dave Ramsey (the money saving guy), and has been boasted about in Southern Living magazine.  If you are a busy mom who is looking for a bit of sanity and a way to save a dollar, or just someone who finds it difficult to make meals for only two people; then I really think you should give this program a try.

I’m trying to nest I really am.  I just don’t think it has fully kicked in yet.  I’m hoping that it will hit me full force the closer I get to my due date.  I am doing my part in pushing my nesting instinct along by learning to make new and exciting meals for my newly expanded family…before….the bean arrives.

I found an interesting spin on pizza, a favorite in the Davenport house, on AllRecipes.com.  This pizza is called Gourmet Chicken Pizza.  You can make the pizza with as deep or thin of a crust as you like.  Ours was more of a deep dish Chicago kinda crust.  Go Cubs!

The ingredient that makes this pizza so different is the Ranch Dressing.  Yeah, I know.  It sounds strange, but it gives the everyday run of the mill pizza a bit of a kick.  I used canned diced tomatoes to quicken the prep process and added a little more cheese than the recipe called for, because even though I am lactose intolerant……I LOVE cheese!  I am taking full advantage of the down played roll my lactose intolerance has taken during my pregnancy.  So me and my cheese are having a small love affair while I’m all pregnant and such.

Gourmet Chicken Pizza

Pumpkin Creme Pies

Here is the pecan pie I made.  I didn’t have enough time to let my crust set up because I cooked it the morning of.  I forgot that it has to be refrigerated for at least an hour before rolling it out.

Geeez Jen, how could you make such a rookie mistake?!? It still tasted wonderful.  It was just the presentation that was lacking.

Pecan Pie w/ a wonky crust

Ya’ll’ve (wow! a double contraction….NICE) seen my Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie so I didn’t take a picture of it this time.

Puff Pastry-Wrapped Brie

And here are just some pictures of the fun we had that day.  This is my nephew, I call him JD, but his name is Jerry.  What a face!!!  Love this kid.

I don’t know if it is like this in every family, but the guys in mine are Deviled Egg-aholics.  It’s bad!

This is what the tray looked like in the 1st 3 minutes…yup, it was full.  We made them promise not to eat anymore until dinner started.  To make certain they each got two more; the boys decided they should be in charge of egg distribution for the remainder of the evening.  I was the Deviled Egg moderator.

My in-laws came over to celebrate with my family, and that always makes for great conversation.  After dinner, due to a lingering sinus headache, I went upstairs and passed out for like 2.5 hours while the guys all played Call of Duty :: Modern Warfare 2.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The mail man delivered my December Better Homes and Gardens mag, and let me tell you this issue is chalk full of wonderful holiday recipes and gift guides.  I mean it is page after page after page of wonderfulness.

I already had in mind the desserts I wanted to bake for Thanksgiving, but my after I read this issue of BHG my list has begun to grow.

Here is what I have in mind so far….

Puff Pastry-Wrapped Brie

Pumpkin Cream Pies

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Pecan Pie w/ Homemade Butter Crust

Now I ask you…jealous much?  Don’t worry I’ll save you some. 

I cracked out the ole’ Kitchen Aid mixer and attempted the baking of my delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie again this weekend, and I took some snapshots throughout the baking process.  When I posted about this magnificent edible masterpiece last month I had quite a few people request the recipe.  The most common issue I found with baking a cheesecake is keeping it from cracking during the cooling process.  I think the cooling process is the most difficult part of making one of these things.

So the helpful hints in this post are for others like my dear friend Rachel who, like myself had the cheesecake crack on their 1st attempt.  This time I nailed it, and I wanted to share the technique with you.

Combine cookie crumbs and butter.

Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.

Remove 1 cup plain batter; place in small bowl.

Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.

Spoon pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of reserved plain batter.

Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.

Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

See no cracks!

Here are tips I used to keep my cheesecake masterpiece from looking like the Grand Canyon.

• Have everything at room temperature so the ingredients blend quickly.  The cream cheese should not just be softened, it should be soft.
• Don’t over mix.  This can add air to the mix which leads to pits and cracks.
• Run a knife along the edges, pressing the knife against the pan, to loosen the top. Cheesecake contracts as it cools and if the top edge remains stuck to the pan when it shrinks.
• Cool your cheesecake as slow as possible.  Remove your cheesecake from the oven after it’s 45 minutes are up, and place it on the counter to cool.  Make sure it is away from drafts and covered with foil, or cling wrap to help slow the cooling process.

If you would like to try this recipe you can get it here.