Chicken Sausage Gumbo with Cornbread

Found this post in my draft box... from I don't know when.... Don't know why I didn't post it. it's ready to go!

This gumbo is very "healthy" tasting...don't get the wrong idea, it's not "dieter's rabbit food" as some may think when the word "healthy" is mentioned. I adapted the recipe from Canadian Living. It calls for a slowcooker, but I did it with a "vacuum pot". I read the recipe and it didn't seem to hold up to 4+ hours of cooking, especially because the meats are cooked prior to being "slow cooked".

So I followed the recipe except for these few modifications:

1. Added 1/2 C of fresh corn kernels with the okra at the end. I browned the corn slightly to seal in the liquid.
2. I cooked the mixture in the vacuum pot, bringing the sausage/chicken/veg mixture to a boil and then put it in the pot for 2 hours. Then I took it out, put it on the stove, and added the corn and okra, brought it to a medium boil, put it in the vacuum for another 15 minutes.
3. Added about 1 tsp of chili flakes.
4. Served it with cornbread. Added 1/2 C of corn to the recipe and cooked it in muffin tins. I think 25 minutes in the oven would have sufficed.

Pulled Pork Success!

What better time to make 3.5 lbs of meat then when my husband has a Boy's Games Day (while I'm at the spa!) 

The only way to do this well is to make this amazing this no-fail Pulled Pork Recipe from Canadian Living using a slow-cooker.

I have to admit, I cheated a bit and used commercial tomato sauce.. :) (my fav primo original).  No harm in that. It tastes great! And with any luck you'll have enough leftover sauce for a meatball sub or spaghetti the next night.

What a success. We served it on toasted and buttered/margarined kaisers and a side mixed green salad.  I prepped it in the am, spent the day at the spa with my girlfriend, and came home to shredded pork (which my husband did while entertaining his friends and taking care of our 1 year old) -- it's THAT EASY!

Enjoy!