Gonna Wash that Roux Right Outa My Hair

We both thoroughly enjoyed the gumbo that I made on Friday. After running errands in the afternoon, we didn't have much time for prep work, so Mamma's yeast rolls were quickly eliminated. I used the time to start the King Cake dough, which needed lots of time to rise. The gumbo was delicious. The andouille that I picked up at Whole Foods turned out to be nothing like what I expected, but it was still pretty tasty. Based on the color and taste (and smell), the roux was the perfect (almost black) darkness needed to make the gumbo rich and delicious. There's nothing better (and nothing worse) than a house that smells like a roux. The only problem is that it sticks to your clothes and hair and has a faint resemblance to a gnarly case of B.O. I remember as a kid my Mom would yell from the kitchen "I'm making gumbo!" and my sister and I would run around the house, flinging all of the bedroom doors closed and throwing open the windows. Sometimes, still, I'd go to school and classmates would ask me if we were having gumbo for dinner. There's nothing worse than being called out for your funny smell when you're 13 and awkward, with a southern accent in New Jersey.

The King Cake, while delicious, didn't look anything like the cakes I have eaten before while visiting my grandparents for Mardi Gras. However, the taste was spot on. The dough was only slightly sweet with a hint of nutmeg. Next time instead of cutting the dough roll in half lengthwise and shaping into ring (or figure eight), I'll leave it intact so it looks more like the round bread that I'm used to. Of course, I took liberties with the shape, but a true circle of dough wouldn't fit on my baking sheet. Besides, I kind of like the figure eight. Also, I opted to not color the sugar glaze -- it just looked too gaudy for this beautiful baked good.

Last night, we enjoyed the red beans and rice that I made along with the gumbo on Friday. As a side, I roasted golden beets and mixed them with the sauteed greens (who knew, you can eat beet greens!) and mixed them together with pickled onions and toasted almonds. The salad was spectacular -- so simple and yet, so delicious. I can't wait to pick up another bunch or two of beets and do it all over again! Oh, and the pickled onions from this recipe are now my favorite refrigerator staple. The only change I made was to add a little sugar with the vinegar and salt -- at first a pinch or two, but then about another teaspoon after tasting (maybe 1 1/2 total). You can make them in about 10 minutes total and apparently they keep for weeks in the fridge. Try them. They're delicious.

Jesse is off to another business trip today and won't return until late Wednesday night. I have lots of planning to do in order to maximize my time alone in the apartment!