I'm so mean I can't even stand myself

Maybe it's the cosmos punishing me, for bragging on this blog about how much my lady problems have eased. Because this week, I'm in hell. I start work in less than two weeks, and still haven't seen the textbook from which I'm supposed to prep a class. And this morning, I stepped on a bug. Some kind of GIANT MUTANT bug. In my bare feet. A steaming shower didn't un-gross-me-out.

*Shudder*

I'm also stinging from another gumbo mega-fail. I don't know what my problem is either. I learned to make gumbo last summer, and my very first batch came out awesome. Every attempt since then has gone to hell. Beginner's luck I guess.

Now a disclaimer. Any proper Louisiana cook would probably give me a slap for what I call gumbo. For one thing, I don't use a roux. I know. I too felt that rush of wind as the whole gulf coast just gasped. I tried it a few times, and it turned into the nastiest gloop you've ever seen. So, I just rely on the rice for thickening. Don't even get me started on the "right" sausage...

Anyway, as of this week I hadn't given up yet. Okra's in high season right now, so I nutted up and bought some. Now for, ahem, "gumbo." Everything seemed in order...

Andouille

Chicken 

(Not pictured because raw chicken looks gross)

Onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic

Okra

Anaheim, serrano, and red and green jalapeno

All slow cooked with chicken stock, and mixed with rice at the very end.

Spicy and savory... 

It was really good when it was fresh.

Looks good, right?

But by the next day, when I heated up some leftovers for lunch, it had turned into an icky mess. Shoot me. If I could just remember exactly what I did that first attempt... Too bad I wasn't blogging all my cooking at the time.

The worst news is, I made a shitload. I kinda had to, in order to use up all that okra. If you put it in the freezer before you add rice, it's supposed to keep for a couple of months. Now I'm worried when I thaw that base, it's gonna be inedible. Sigh... Obviously, I'll need to be ready with a backup when it's gumbo time again.

There's always Papa Johns I guess.

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