We love cajun food in my family.  I had my nephew in from out of town and gave him a few choices for dinner and he went away from the safe choices and went with the gumbo.  I used the Heaven on Seven recipe (a must visit if you like cajun food and are in Chicago) but I always need to adjust a recipe to fit my likes.  In this case, it meant adding okra and fire roasted tomatoes.  I love the addition of the okra because it helps thicken up the sauce.  One bit of experience is always remember to be patient with your roux, the darker the better.

The other feature I always like to add to my dishes is adding level of flavors.  One of the best ways to accomplish this is by adding a rub to your meat before cooking.  As you see at the side, I added a more southwest oriented rub I had made recently.  The chicken was then the first item grilled in the crock pot which not only seared in the rub on the chicken but also adds flavor to the pan.

The final product turned out great.  I had a lot of pressure, though, knowing my nephew’s opinion would affect how the rest of the family views my cooking.  I think I have a pass until the next meal.