REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

We'll Have Big Fun on the Bayou

Jambalaya

by Hank Williams 

Good-bye Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh

Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou

My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh

Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou

(Chorus)

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file' gumbo

'Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio

Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o

Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou 

Tonight was our quarterly gathering of what we fondly call "our gourmet group," which I sometimes write about here. For more than 30 years we've met in each other's homes and tonight was Barbara and Jerry's turn. The host couple (or when it's my turn, me) selects the theme, provides the wines and the main dish and the rest of us bring the starters and other courses. Jerry was born and raised in New Orleans so their main dish was an arduously prepared seafood gumbo.

Click here and you will see the beautiful table that greeted us. Our group was once 10 people, but we've had attrition for various reasons and last night there were six of us. We were all anxious because Larry was in the hospital again with symptoms that keep cropping up as he awaits a liver transplant. But, Mary Lou, his wife, came for the main course and the good news was that Larry had a turn-around and is coming home tomorrow. 

How I wish you could smell this gumbo roux cooking right before Barbara and Jerry began pouring in all the seafood. This photo doesn't do it justice, but here's a recipe if you ever want to try it yourself: Seafood Gumbo. I've only been in New Orleans once, but I love the food I had there and we are blessed to have a really good Nawlins restaurant here: The Ragin Cajun. Here are the cooks celebrating their huge success. A few years ago they had their home remodeled and their state-of-the-art kitchen gets lots of use; they both love to cook and entertain. 

A gourmet gumbo seemed the end of a heavenly evening, but they went on to make Bananas Foster, a la Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, complete with a flambe at the very end. Going into restaurants is not one of my favorite things to do, but I love eating at other people's home or occasionally having people for a meal. As a single person in these later years, however, I entertain mainly for family and once a quarter for my friends in this group. 

The dessert was delightfully decadent! You could smell the rum and a little bit goes a very long way.

And though we had started the evening with sadness and worry, when Mary Lou arrived and gave us the good news about Larry, our mood and appetites soared. As we grow older, we are fully aware of the importance of living life a day at a time. This was a very, very good day. 

Sharing Recipes: Rosie's Oriental Chicken Casserole

When one grows older, there are a variety of ways to leave a legacy. Family recipes are one of them. In my own case, my mom wasn't the greatest cook in the world, although I can taste her big yeast rolls with dripping butter and her cornstarch gravy was the best I've ever tasted. What I've started to do is type in the favorite recipes, mostly shared by friends over the years, and I hope to make a little cookbook for my kids one of these days.

Since I actually made this today, I'm sharing my friend Rosie's Oriental Casserole which originally appeared in the St. Catherine Laboure cookbook in the 1970s. It rests on my dining table Lazy Susan which long-ago belonged to my mother-in-law. She died in 1973, but I've used it ever since. I hope you will occasionally share recipes, too. Here's Rosie's recipe:

Rosie’s Oriental Chicken Casserole

3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbs. soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 lb. bean sprouts (canned or fresh)
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat)
1 can or pkg. of chow mein noodles

Combine lemon juice and soy sauce. Pour over chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Mix remaining items and combine with chicken mixture.

Pour into 1 1/2 qt. lightly oiled pan. Sprinkle chow mein noodles on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, uncovered. Serves six.