Dirty Dancer

The song and video of the moment...

Ever notice how guys rarely dance in videos like this? They'll move around, sure, but they don't really "dance"... not like the women do, anyway.

I should learn how to "move" like these guys and bust a few moves the next time I go out...

Paintin'...

Well, we're in Ogden tonight. For Father's Day, Anne's dad wanted everyone to help him paint their house. So tonight, we drove up and got everything ready to go; tomorrow morning, we'll all pitch in and get 'er done.

There's a lot on my mind... so much that I want to say, think about, dump here in this blog... soon. First... we paint.

First You Make a Roux...

I'm from the south, and I can honestly say that I love great food. I think great food is just a huge part of the southern culture. My girlfriend, the chef, has been fascinated with southern cooking. A few months ago, she asked me if I could make gumbo. I think that's because she saw Bobby Flay having a gumbo throwdown somewhere in New Orleans. At any rate, I was determined to impress her. For some reason, I feel shy when cooking for my girlfriend. I know that I'm a decent cook, and I have some great recipes under my belt, but cooking isn't my profession. I know she's not going to critique me or anything, and I've actually learned a lot from her, but for some reason I still feel a little shy cooking for her. Oh well.

Anyway, when asked to make gumbo, I decided to spend a Sunday afternoon fulfilling this tasty request. First, I made a roux:

The Roux:
-1 cup flour
-2/3 cup vegetable oil
-LOTS of stirring and patience!

Some recipes use butter or corn oil to make a roux. I think corn oil works best, but I used vegetable oil this time just because it's what we had in the cupboard. I prefer to use a large spatula when I'm stirring the roux; it covers a larger surface area and makes the whole process a little less stressful. The type of gumbo you're making will determine the color of your roux (and thus, the time you must spend making the roux); for this recipe, I wanted a caramel color- something close to the shade of peanut butter. I'd say that it took me about 45 minutes to achieve a satisfactory color for my roux. Even though I'm not a professional chef, I can share one important (and obvious) tip with y'all: don't ever walk away from the roux. Don't ever quit stirring the roux. If you walk away from the roux, the flour will burn and you'll have to start all over again. Trust me, patience and persistence are virtues when it comes to a good roux.

Now, my girlfriend had requested a seafood gumbo. I wanted to throw in a good mix of stuff; here are the ingredients that I used:

The Gumbo:
-1 stick butter/margarine
-1 pound cut okra (frozen is fine, that's what I used)
-3 pounds raw shrimp (peeled, unless you want to peel 'em yourself)
-1 cup sliced andouille (or any type of lean sausage)
-1 package of crawfish tails
-2 chopped onions (approximately 3 cups)
-1 large green pepper (chopped)
-1 cup chopped celery
-3 cloves of minced garlic
-2 quarts of seafood stock (you can use chicken stock if you have to)
-1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
-1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
-1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
-3 bay leaves
-1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
-chopped green onions (to taste)

Chop the vegetables and set them aside before starting the roux. Fun fact: the "holy trinity" of gumbo refers to the chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, and chopped celery. Then, in a large pot, melt the butter and add the okra. Cook the okra on medium heat for about 15 minutes, then set the pot aside. Now, you can start the roux. Once you have a caramel-colored roux, add the chopped vegetables and stir until soft (approximately seven minutes). Add one or two cups of broth to the roux and stir until smooth. Transfer everything to the larger pot and combine the two.

Now, add the tomatoes, the remaining stock, garlic, andouille, crawfish tails, and seasonings. Do not add the green onions yet. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours (2 hours is best if you have the time), stirring about every 15 minutes.

When you're almost ready to eat, add the shrimp and simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat. Be careful not to overcook, as the shrimp will get tough.

Serve with rice and add chopped green onions as a garnish.

The verdict? My girlfriend loved it, and I had a lot of fun making it!

Love

When I met her, I had no idea that we could have a romantic future together. These days, I can't imagine my life without her. I was attracted to her from the start, but things were unnecessarily complicated for awhile. Actually, remembering our first meeting still makes me laugh. We were at a party for her ex-roommate. Someone couldn't hold their liquor and threw up in the kitchen sink after one shot of Jaeger. Although I was disgusted by this, I was also starving because I had forgotten to eat that day, so I was watching all of this from a corner of the kitchen whilst consuming a chicken wing. Memorable, no?

At the time, a few people were causing a lot of drama for random reasons. In particular, one person would soon use to me in order to get closer to someone else. Although the "game" was explained to me later by a third party observer, it was nonetheless upsetting and hurtful at the time. In spite of the drama that would soon unfold, I felt an instant connection with the lady who would eventually become my girlfriend. When I looked into her eyes I saw a very genuine individual with a kind heart. Her eyes were sad at the time, but when she smiled it really lit up the entire room. We talked quite a bit that night, taking shots until she went to bed and I passed out on her couch for a few hours.

When the dramatic game unfolded, she was the only person who saw the game for what it was and chose not to believe everything she heard. We continued to talk and slowly formed a close friendship. Months later, I found out that a mutual friend told her that I spoke to her differently than I did with most anyone else; I seemed to put her on a pedestal and be more of a "gentleman" around her. In truth, what was happening was that I was finally letting my defensive, cocky, crude mask slip away. I didn't have to pretend that I was someone else around her; she seemed to like me for who I was. At a time when I felt uncertain about my future, when I was struggling to find my way, she allowed me to just be myself. It really helped me to step back and examine my life; goals that had seemed so unattainable finally seemed within my grasp. She was a rock, a current that made me stronger and propelled me towards my goals.

Oh, and did I mention that I adore her family, too? From our first meetings, I knew that I wanted to be a part of their family. One of the biggest problems that I had with my ex's family is that they were never welcoming and went out of their way to treat me poorly. I'm a family-oriented person at heart, and I couldn't imagine a future with people like that. My concept of family, the kind of family that I wanted to create, was defined and solidified after I broke up with her. When I met my girlfriend's family, I saw my definition come to life. I knew, I just had a feeling, that this is where I wanted to be. I love the family parties, the gatherings, the holidays, the stories... I love everything, even the imperfections.

Life with my girlfriend has been amazing; things get better and better with each new day. We have lots of adventures, even if all we do is play with hula hoops at Wal-Mart. No matter how crappy my day is, just coming home to her makes everything alright. I can honestly say that I see my future with this beautiful, strong, intelligent, AMAZING woman- and it's dazzling. Whatever else life may bring, I know that she's the one for me, the one that I want to create a family with. Even as I write this, I can hardly wait to go cuddle up next to her and fall asleep, with our boys curled up by our feet.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that... I'm in love and it's amazing. She makes me stronger; I fall more in love with her every day. This is where I belong; everything else will fall into place.

Wow, I must be feeling sappy tonight, eh? What can I say...? I love you, sweetheart. Every day!

Birthday Vandalism 2011

Although my birthday isn't until Monday (June 6th), the festivities kicked off today with some good ol' fashioned desk vandalism at work. Amanda did a great job with the vandalism! I enjoyed eating nothing but sugary treats all day; my stomach is enjoying the aftermath a little less.

Can't believe that I'm going to be 28 soon. In two more years, I'll be 30. I'm already sporting some gray hair. I don't understand what the fuss is, but my girlfriend seems to be quite concerned about it. I should bleach my hair white just to freak her out! Wow, then I really would look like an albino...

Well, cheers to my three day weekend, and here's hoping for some good times with family and friends for the 28th anniversary of my relationship with life!