My wife and I made “Quick & Easy Gumbo” for an event at our church this evening. I know it’s not “real” gumbo, but let me tell ya, it’s pretty tasty.

We modified the recipe in a couple ways, and learned a couple things in the process about how we should have adjusted for those changes.

First, we used hot breakfast sausage. The flavor on this stuff is amazing, but I think it must have been a little leaner than the sausage the recipe was expecting. I would recommend adding a tablespoon of oil to the your pan before putting the sausage in so you don’t burn it.

Second, and I suppose this applies to recipes in general, chop up everything ahead of time because you won’t be able to stir continuously and chop up all your veggies at the same time–at least not in 5 minutes.

Third, I added about twice as much creole seasoning as the recipe called for. I tend to like my food salty and spicy, so the recipe might suit your taste, but I would suggest 1½ times the amount listed in the recipe.

My cooking adventures will continue!

UPDATE: Louisiana lady says, “Good job on the Gumbo!” I’d say that’s a success :)