fat tuesday...

well, i had a brilliant idea yesterday. i thought since today was going to be fat tuesday i would make homemade gumbo and a king cake for a fabulous feast for my husband and mom. (my dad is currently out of town on business and mom is alone). ok, for those of you who have never made either of these or both (particularly on the same day) you have no idea what i have gotten myself into. let me start by saying, this is the FIRST time (1:50pm) that i have sat down since 9:45 am this morning when i began this adventure. i have made bread before and knew it would take time for the yeast to rise, etc. but i have NEVER made gumbo. the roux alone almost set me over the edge. i had to constantly stir for about 45 minutes this flour mix until it turned a deep brown. i am sure my muscles will let me know how stupid i was after tomorrow. anyways, the gumbo is now simmering and the king cake is done. luckily zoe napped from 10:30 until 12:30 today which was during the main time of cooking all of the meats separately, dicing the okra, onions, and celery to saute, etc. needless to say, i will only do this again on a very special occasion or for a healthy paycheck. some of you are probably asking why i did not just buy a king cake at kroger for $4.99 in the bakery. i guess i wanted to put the little plastic baby in myself, and i wanted a fresh cake- not some stale one that no one bought from last weekend. i hope it is as yummy as it looks. here is a pic of today's crazy adventure. i know you guys are all jealous. well- happy fat tuesday and for those of you who get ashes, don't forget to do that tomorrow.