Mmm mmmm good! I pureed everything and added cheddar cheese at the end. Looked long and hard before settling on this recipe, and am glad I did because it turned out great!

Decadent! My kids didn't all love it -- but the adults did! One even said he wants it for his bday dinner. Served it with Ahi Tuna steaks and steamed broccoli, simple and light to balance this rich side dish. I did add a bit of finely chopped onion, cayenne pepper, and mustard, just to sharpen the flavors a bit. I used whole grain crackers for the crumbs, which worked wonderfully.

I grew up eating my mom's gumbo, so as I read many recipes and reviews, I also had some ideas such as gumbo must have okra and tomatoes! I think this is the best recipe I've found. I did speed it up by doing a few of the steps simultaneously in two pots, so my total cooking time was about 2 hours. 1. First I browned the chicken in light olive oil (holds up to heat better than regular) in a heavy skillet. I put the chicken aside to be added back and cooked in the gumbo during the last 40 minutes. (Chicken included is how I know gumbo.) 2. Then I cooked the roux in the heavy skillet simultaneously with browning the sausage (I used Polish, sliced in circles) in a large soup pot. For the roux, I added to the oil that had browned the chicken more olive oil and 1/4 cup of butter to make a total of about a cup of oil/butter, and gradually added about a cup and a half of flour, stirring constantly so that the roux was smooth. I like to use a metal spatula (aka turner) so that I can quickly scrape the bottom of the skillet and not let the roux burn. 3. While the sausage browned in one pot, and the roux browned in the other (stirring every couple of minutes), I finely chopped the Cajon "trinity" of onion, bell pepper, and celery. I added the vegies to the sausage pot, along with cajon seasoning (salt, pepper, etc.), garlic, and a little olive oil. 4. When the vegies were wilted and the roux was "darker than peanut butter," I added the roux to the sausage and vegies, along