Perfect Fall Weekend

Brian and I were really lazy this weekend. Date Night Friday was dinner at Chipolte. We were surrounded by teenager girls getting ready to see Twilight...we felt really old! After leaving, we decided to hit up the BevMo 5 cent sale. We were able to stock up for the holidays and even found the champagne served at our wedding! We went home and started mixing White Russians. The White Russian has, perhaps, edged out Eggnog and Brandy as my fav Fall Adult beverage!

What is a White Russian you ask? A white russian is made up of three ingredients:
1 part Vodka
1 part Kahlau
1 part Cream

For Sunday night dinner, I made a big pot of "Faux Gumbo" and cornbread. Faux Gumbo (recipe below) is a Weight Watchers recipe I found a while back. It was really good and EASY. We enjoyed steaming hot bowls of gumbo in front of our fireplace...we made our first fire of the year. I don't know...there's something about a fire in the fireplace that I just L-O-V-E!

Now, I'm off to get organized for the upcoming Thanksgiving work week. Have a great week!
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Faux Gumbo
A healthier version of gumbo, taken from the "Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook" - but it sure doesn't taste healthy!

Ingredients:
4 Tsp margarine
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
6 scallions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14 1/2 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup okra, trimmed and sliced (I used the frozen)
1/2 Tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8-1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
1/2 C regular long-grain rice
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" pieces
One piece kielbasa, sliced (I used some Cihcken Andouille sausage)

Directions: In a large skillet or stock pot, melt the margarine. Saute the bell pepper, celery, scallions, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, broth, okra, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, 15 minutes. Stir in the rice and simmer, covered, for 15 more minutes. Add the shrimp, chicken, and kielbasa; simmer, covered, until the shrimp and chicken are cooked thoroughly. Remove the bay leaf.