Two Yummy Gumbo Recipes in Honor of National Gumbo Day

Last Friday was #NationalGumboDay, a food that’s featured prominently in my book Under the Cajun Moon. To celebrate, I decided to share a bit about that book and pass along two great recipes for gumbo—one that’s easy and quick and one that’s more complicated but well worth the trouble.

Food in Fiction

One of my favorite reviews I’ve ever gotten was this one from Publisher’s Weekly for Under the Cajun Moon:

“…a delicious recipe of intrigue, romance and intelligent character development…Clark's story line is full of spice and lingers with an unexpected bite familiar to Cajun cuisine lovers. This text is sumptuous.”

The review was cleverly worded, because much of the novel is set amid the New Orleans restaurant world and deals with Louisiana cuisine, especially gumbo. In fact, in the story, concealed in what seems like an ordinary gumbo recipe are clues to the whereabouts of a hidden treasure! 

Gumbo as Character Development

In the novel, Gumbo also serves as a symbol of the troubled relationship between the main character, Chloe, and her demanding and distant father, as shown in this excerpt:

“Don’t you know how to make gumbo?” Travis asked.

I shrugged, not explaining about my one disastrous experience at gumbo when I was sixteen years old. My father had taken a rare day off from work and we were both at home, so in yet another desperate attempt to get his attention, I had had the brilliant idea of asking him to teach me how to cook.

Much to my delight, he was pleased with my request at first, eagerly gathering the ingredients from the kitchen cabinets and describing for me the origins of gumbo and the infinite number of variations that people had managed to create over the years. His version started with a roux and ended with filé, he said, though many folks believed you didn’t need filé if you had a roux.

He prattled on and on, and though I didn’t care much about the specifics, I remember beaming in the glow of my father’s undivided attention. With him watching over my shoulder, I stood at the stove and stirred the flour into the oil exactly as he directed.

“The trick is to keep stirring and stirring and watching and watching as it changes colors,” he said.

Sure enough, the longer I stood there and stirred, the mixture began to change from a light brown he called “béchamel sauce” to a darker one he deemed “sauce piquant.” As it slowly grew even darker, I thought the mixture might burn, but he assured me that as long as I kept stirring we could push it to the very limits, to that precise dark brown moment that waited between “not quite enough” and “disaster.”

Unfortunately, the phone rang as we were coming into the home stretch. He answered it, motioning for me to keep stirring. My arm was getting tired, though, so when he ducked around the corner to talk, I took a moment to shake out my arm and switch the spoon to my other hand. That one didn’t work as well for stirring, though, so I switched back, accidentally dropping the spoon in the process.

Mortified, I wiped up the globby mess from the front of the stove and the floor as quickly as I could, knowing that that sort of clutziness in his restaurant could get a person fired. Hiding the dirty paper towels in the trash and the spoon in the sink, I ran to get a new, clean spoon from the drawer. I made it back to the stove, spoon in hand, just before my father hung up the phone and returned to the room.

I thought I had gotten away with it, but the moment he came around the corner, he screamed. Apparently, in the few seconds it had taken me to clean up my mess, my lack of stirring had caused the roux to burn.

My father went into a rage so extreme that one would have thought I had burned the house down. He took over then, pushing me away from the smoking pan as he banged and clanged and continued to yell. By the time his tirade had run his course, I was still there in a corner of the kitchen, determined to make things right.

“Can we still make gumbo, Daddy?” I asked softly, trying not to cry.

At that, he turned to me and gave me his most withering glare. “You burned the roux, Chloe. There’s no going any further when you burn a roux.”

All these years later, I could still feel the sting of that moment, of standing there alone after he stormed out, our happy time together having gone up in smoke.

If the above scene makes you sad, not to worry: In the final chapter of the book, Chloe takes another crack at learning how to make gumbo, this time with a far kinder teacher, and she ends up with much happier—not to mention far more romantic—results. (Sorry, I can’t include that excerpt here or it’ll give away the ending of the story!)

Shortcut Gumbo

Here’s my own quick recipe for the gumbo I usually make, which is a bit of a cheat since it mostly comes from a box, but it really isn’t half bad…

Louisiana Gumbo

If you’re a more ambitious cook than I, you might try this recipe instead, which is the one my brother David usually uses. Considering that he’s the single best cook I’ve ever known, it’s an understatement to say that this gumbo is beyond delicious.

Tough Job, But Somebody’s Gotta Do It

One last note, when I was researching Under the Cajun Moon, my husband, John, and I got to take a culinary tour of New Orleans. This included a lesson in making a roux as well as a yummy sample of the end product. Look closely at the photo below, which always makes me laugh: As you can see, John is far more focused on the gumbo sample than he is on the cooking lesson!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s post, and if you end up trying either recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out in the comments below or on my Facebook page.

Bon Appetite!

Serenity Sunday

October 2018 Christian Fiction Book Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

Contemporary Romance:

A Christmas to Remember by Julie Arduini, Valerie Comer, Janet W. Ferguson, Kimberly Rose Johnson, Deb Kastner, Elizabeth Maddrey, Lindi Peterson, and Ginger Solomon -- Eight authors from the popular blog Inspy Romance each share a Christmas-themed novella to put you in the mood for the season. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)



Their Family Legacy by Lorraine Beatty -- Annie’s inheritance will provide a home for her twins and all she had to do is keep a man paying for his mistake forever. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])



The Return by Marianne Evans -- A prodigal who never wanted to return home must repair his family farm and rush back to the big city before an old love convinces him to stay. (Contemporary Romance from White Rose Publishing [Pelican])




A Harvest of Blessings by June Foster -- When Nadia accidentally sits on a stranger's lap in the graveyard where her late husband is buried, she's horrified to learn the good-looking guy with salt and pepper hair is her new boss. Jared is intrigued by this beautiful woman who puts God first in her life, but his daughter isn’t ready for him to move on after his wife’s death. As Nadia and Jared try to cultivate a relationship, will they reap a Harvest of Blessings, or a season of drought? (Contemporary Romance from Forget Me Not Romance [Winged Publication])

A Sparkle of Silver by Liz Johnson -- Ninety years ago, Millie Sullivan's great-grandmother was a guest at banker Howard Dawkins' palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia. Now, Millie plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of the same manor. But when her grandmother suggests that there is a lost diary containing the location of a hidden treasure on the estate, along with the true identity of Millie's great-grandfather, Millie sets out to find the truth of her heritage--and the fortune that might be hers. When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate's private library, he threatens to have her fired. But her story seems almost too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up . . . (Contemporary Romance from Revell - A Division of Baker Publishing Group)

Reason to Breathe by Deborah Raney -- At twenty-nine, Phylicia Chandler put her life on hold to care for her dying mother with her sisters, Joanna and Britt. Now Mom is gone and their father has run off with a woman young enough to be their sister. Phylicia feels stuck--until her father's protégé, Quinn Mitchell, presents her and her two sisters with an intriguing business opportunity to purchase a trio of cottages just outside of Langhorne, Missouri. But Phylicia is skeptical. Quinn soon finds himself falling hard for Phylicia. But how can he pursue this beautiful, talented woman twelve years his junior when she's still reeling over her father's hasty engagement to a younger woman? Quinn is determined to give Phylicia her happily-ever-after. But first, he must help her come to terms with her discovery of long-held family secrets and persuade her that true love can transcend their differences. (Contemporary Romance from Gilead Publishing)

General/Women’s Fiction

An Amish Homecoming by Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller , Shelley Shepard Gray, and Beth Wiseman -- A collection of four new Amish stories of coming home. (General from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)




Miles from Where We Started by Cynthia Ruchti -- These no-longer-newlyweds want out of this road trip--and their marriage. Too bad they can't find the off-ramp. (General Contemporary from Gilead Publishing)

Historical:

When the Heart Sings by Liz Tolsma -- In 1943 Poland, the Nazis have forced Natia and Teodor from their peaceful farm to the harsh confines of a labor camp. When the couple is separated, Natia risks everything to send him messages through song as she passes Teodor’s dormitory. The stakes get higher when Natia finds a Jewish orphan on the doorstep where she works. She is determined to protect the boy and raise him as the child she and her husband were unable to bear—but if her German captors discover how much she’s hiding, both she and Teodor may pay the ultimate price. (Historical from Gilead Publishing)

Historical Romance:

This Courageous Journey by Misty M. Beller -- When Noelle Grant sets off to visit her brother in the Canadian Rockies, the prospect of making a name for herself as a news correspondent finally seems within reach. But when the dangers become more than she bargained for, she finds herself—and the mountain man she’s come to love—in a situation more hazardous than any story her imagination could conjure. (Historical Romance, Independently Published [ACFW QIP])

The Reluctant Warrior by Mary Connealy -- Union army officer Cameron Scott is used to being obeyed, but nothing about this journey to Lake Tahoe has gone as expected. He’s come to Lake Tahoe to fetch his daughter and nephew, and seek revenge on the people who killed his brother. Instead he finds himself trapped by a blizzard with two children who are terrified of him and stubborn but beautiful Gwen Harkness, who he worries may be trying to keep the children. (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing)

Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall -- As she acclimates to life in Back Bay again, Nicholette Everstone meets someone she can't help but fall for. But when she learns of the danger and sacrifices Cal Hawthorne takes on for the safety of others, will her heart be strong enough to keep her fears of "what if" at bay? (Historical Romance from Whitaker House)



The Christmas Heirloom by Kristi Ann Hunter, Sarah Loudin Thomas, Becky Wade, and Karen Witemeyer -- A family heirloom brings true love to its bearers through the generations as it is handed down from mother to daughter. (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing)



A Heart for Freedom by Janet Grunst -- Life was better than she dreamed, now the conflict between the British and the colonists threatened the loss of everything dear, even her husband. (Historical Romance from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)



Romancing the Bride by Melissa Jagears -- Marrying a stranger to save a ranch is one thing; losing the land on their wedding day is another. Desperate to keep the ranch where three of her children and a husband lie buried, Annie Gephart must marry or sell. Which of the few bachelors in town would consider a surprise proposal to wed a plain widow with a rebellious daughter, a spirited boy, and unpaid taxes—without laughing in her face? (Historical Romance, Independently Published [ACFW QIP])


The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear -- Thomas Bledsoe and Kate Gruener are traveling the Wilderness Road when conflicts between natives and settlers reach a peak that will require each of them to tap into a well of courage. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)




Mist O'er the Voyageur by Naomi Musch -- Desperate to flee a cruel suitor, Metis woman Brigitte Marchal flees into the wilderness to find her long-lost, fur-trader father, but who will save her from the dangers of being a woman among a voyageurs’ brigade? (Historical Romance from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Romantic Suspense:

Five Years in Yemen by Luana Ehrlich -- When the President issues a memorandum to bring home a military scientist who went missing in Iraq, CIA operative Titus Ray has been given the assignment. However, when the mission takes an unexpected turn after his contact is murdered in Riyadh, Titus is forced to make changes in the mission’s protocols, changes that endanger his operational team and have lasting consequences for his future. (Romantic Suspense, Independently Published [ACFW QIP])


Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon -- A woman who owns a fair trade shop and a police detective find themselves plunged into international intrigue—and danger—when people connected with her shop begin dying. (Romantic Suspense from Revell - A Division of Baker Publishing Group)




Burden of Proof by DiAnn Mills -- A hostage negotiator is thrust into danger and betrayal when a frazzled young woman shoves a crying baby into her arms, then disappears. (Romantic Suspense from Tyndale House)

Supernatural Thriller:

Surrounded by Darkness by Rachel Dylan -- When attorney Olivia Murray opens a legal clinic for victims of domestic violence in Windy Ridge, she knows she will face legal and spiritual opposition. The New Age presence has grown stronger as alliances form between groups hoping to spread their destructive way of life and gain a stronghold in the community. While the forces of evil target Olivia’s new clinic, her legal partner Grant Baxter, and her relationships, she refuses to let them stop her quest for justice. Will Olivia’s and Grant’s faith be strong enough—in God and each other—to prevail in the battle that threatens to bring darkness to the entire town? (Supernatural Thriller, Independently Published [ACFW QIP])

Speculative:

A Dance of Shadows by Erica Marie Hogan -- Ten days have passed since Sundragon blood was shed for a sacrifice by Raphaela Kael. Ten days since Lathan and Maxx Jandry fled the city in search of Princess Damari Kael and their niece, Noelle. Brecken Jandry, Brae’s loyal husband, remains a tortured prisoner in the Kael dungeons and no one in Sunkai is safe from Roderick and Raphaela’s wrath. Damari Kael flees Sunkai with little Noelle Jandry, determined to deliver the child to the safety of the Shadow Lands, even as her own power emerges within her. The Eventide Sisters embark on a mission to join the Winter Queen. Across the land, Clea Jandry arrives in her birthplace of Molderëin where she is met with a savagery she thought long dead. Afra Malaki seeks the Creator’s will and the Queen of the Woodlands prepares for battle. In the peaceful city of Quintaria, the Winter Queen grieves. But the shadows are coming for her. They carry a message for Adlae Sundragon, and they will not rest until all is revealed. (Fantasy from Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.)

Body by Blood by Dr. Patrick Johnston -- In the not-too-distant future, where cloned bodies are marketable commodities among the super-rich, leaving graveyards of trampled dehumanized classes in science's wake, the richest man in the world who pioneered the breakthrough technologies learns the meaning of true love from a disabled granddaughter. (Speculative Action Adventure from Ambassador International)


Mercury Rising by Tim and Gail Sattler -- Four ordinary people are thrown into an extraordinary situation when they are thrown into a diabolical plot hidden under the guise of global warming. (Contemporary Fantasy from Mantle Rock Publishing)




The Awakened by Richard Spillman -- If Lazarus didn't die a second time what would he be up to today? (Speculative from Mountain Brook Ink)  

Serenity Sunday

Callie Webber’s 5-Step Guide to Charitable Giving

Make a Donation and Get a Free Book

Yep, that's my offer: Donate $20 or more to Operation Joy’s upcoming “Joy Run 5K Race/Walk,” and as a thank you I’ll send you one free, autographed copy of A Penny for Your Thoughts or any one of the other books in the Million Dollar Mysteries series! You can find all the details, links, and more at the end of this post. First, I’d like to share a bit about donations, charities—and what they have to do with my mystery novels.

The thing is, as I’ve been working to help spread the word about this fundraising event, which is being sponsored by my husband’s company and will go to help local children in need, my mind keeps turning to Callie Webber, the fictional heroine of my Million Dollar Mysteries. As an attorney and private investigator for a mysterious philanthropist, Callie knows a thing or two about giving money wisely; after all, her job is to investigate charities to see if they’re worthy of donations from her boss.

Giving Away the Big Bucks

In this excerpt from A Penny for Your Thoughts, book #1 in the five-book series, Callie has just wrapped up an investigation of a worthy charity and is now handing over a sizeable grant on behalf of her employer…

“I’m here to present you with this check,” I said to the mother-son duo at the helm of the group, “from the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation to Transition Resources in the amount of $300,000.” 

I held out the check, and neither of them moved for a moment. Then suddenly they began jumping up and down and hugging each other and screaming and cheering and embracing me. It was one of the more jubilant reactions I had gotten in the last few months, and I allowed myself to relax and go with it, silently thanking the Lord for good people like these, people who had a gift for taking God’s resources and using them in wonderful ways. 

“We can buy a truck,” the son said. “That’ll cut our moving costs by 38 percent!” 

“We can do a lot more than that,” the mother said, counting off on her fingers the plans they had itemized in their grant proposal. “Extended counseling, bigger facilities, more caregivers...” 

They listed ideas for the money, lobbing them back and forth like a tennis ball. They asked if they should call the local newspaper to have a photographer and a reporter record this event. I told them no, that our foundation preferred to do things in a more discreet manner. 

“So what was it about our little company that caught your eye?” the mother asked, finally settling down into her chair and pausing to catch her breath. “We didn’t think we stood a chance. We just did the paperwork and sent it out on faith.” 

I took a deep breath, wondering how I could ever explain the way our foundation worked. I wasn’t exactly sure myself what the selec­tion process was. I only knew how my part of it worked: I received a sealed packet from my philanthropist boss, a packet full of informa­tion about a nonprofit organization to which he would like to make a donation. It was my job to verify the integrity of the place as thoroughly as possible. Sometimes that meant digging around a little, examining records, talking to people—occasionally even posing as a client or infiltrating the ranks as an employee. My eclectic employment history as a private investigator and then an attorney had trained me well for my job, and I was very good at what I did. When my research was finished, I was the one who gave the red or green light, and thus far the boss had relied completely on my recommendations. If I said a place was good, then he would commission me to write and deliver a check for an amount that could range as high as a million dollars. 

The amazing part was that my boss stayed out of the picture, remaining completely anonymous. He kept such a low profile, in fact, that even I didn’t know much about him beyond the basic facts. Tom and I had spoken on the phone hundreds of times, but we had never met face-to-face, nor did we have a need to. I left him to his privacy. 

“It’ll take days before this really begins to sink in,” the son was saying now, still staring at the check in wonder and grinning from ear to ear.“Whom can we thank for this money?” the mother asked. “I know a little about the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation, but is there someone in particular...” She let her voice trail off, looking to me for informa­tion. 

I smiled, clicked my briefcase shut, and stood.“The best way you can say thank you is to take that money and use it to further your mission as outlined in your grant proposal. The foundation believes strongly in what you’re trying to accomplish, and we just wanted to have a small part in furthering your efforts.” 

It was a speech I had made many times before, but it still never failed to bring a small lump into my throat. There were so many unsung heroes out in the world, people who had decided to dedicate their lives to helping others. The fact that I got to be the bearer of such good news was the very best part of what I did for a living.

Callie Webber’s 5-Step Guide to Charitable Giving

So how does Callie decide whether or not an organization is worthy of her employer’s money? Later in the same book, she is asked just that, and in response she outlines her basic process, which is as applicable to real life as it is to my fiction…

1. Check what percentage of the money the charity takes in is actually used toward the cause it supports. 

How do you figure out what that percentage is?  According to Kiplinger, you can start by checking the searchable databases of the Wise Giving Alliance, which is offered by the Better Business Bureau, and GuideStar, which is a group that gathers, organizes, and distributes information about U.S nonprofits. Between the two, you should be able to find information on numerous charities.

If neither of those sources work, you might try the charity’s own website, since most nonprofit organizations are required to make their IRS Form 990 available to the public.

2. Evaluate the percentage

Once you have that percentage, how do you know if it’s good or bad? Generally speaking, any charity that puts less than 35% of its money toward programs and services is poorly run and should not be considered worthy of your donations! Beyond that:

• The best-run charities will be putting at least 75% of their money toward programs and services. 

• Well-run charities will be putting at least 65% of their money toward programs and services. 

• Charities that put just 36-64% of their money toward programs and services should be evaluated more closely, especially with regard to criteria #3.

3. Determine the percentage norm for the type of charity involved.

Different kinds of charities have different resource and spending requirements, and that can affect their percentage in ways that might make them look worse than they actually are. 

For example, museums generally have higher administrative costs than the average nonprofit, thanks to the necessary expense of maintaining facilities and collections. Thus, for a charity that raises a red flag because it puts only, say, 50% of its donations toward programs and services, that percentage might be justified if that charity happens to be a museum. 

As another example, newer charities are going to have higher start-up costs than more established ones, and those costs can weigh more heavily on their percentage than might normally be expected.

4. See if the charity has signed itself up for any voluntary watchdog groups. 

It’s always a good sign when a charity has voluntarily opted to open itself up for third-party evaluations and ratings. For any group you’re interested in, search the databases at sites such as Charity Navigator or Charity Watch, both of which evaluate and rate nonprofit organizations. 

5. If possible try to determine whether or not the organization operates with a “service mentality.”

This last criteria is kind of difficult to explain, but here’s how Callie lays it out in a discussion over appetizers with two acquaintances…

“Once the math checks out, more often than not it’s simply a ‘mentality’,” I explained. “A way of thinking, of doing business.” 

Marion and Judith both studied me, their shrimp cocktails ignored, as I continued. 

“I usually start by reading their mission statement, then I look to see if they really seem to be living by it. I mean, I hate to call it intu­itive, but in a way, it is.” 

“You’ve been doing this a long time,” Marion replied. “I would imagine your instincts are fairly good.” 

“It’s not just that,” I said. “Really, anyone could do the same.”  

“You’ve lost me,” said Judith. 

“It’s the salaries. The benefits. The decor, even.” 

“The decor?” 

“For instance, is the office fancier than it needs to be? Are the salaries too far above the norm? When the executives travel, are they staying in Holiday Inns or Ritz Carltons? When an employee needs to go to a training session, is she going to one in the next state—or one in Hawaii?”

“What’s wrong with staying at Ritz Carltons?” Marion asked. “Those are lovely hotels.”

“But they’re very expensive,” I replied. “Nonprofit organizations should have a pervading mentality of saving money, of cutting cor­ners. Of using their resources for the things that are important.”

“So if you work for a nonprofit, you should suffer?” Judith asked. 

“No,” I replied. “But in a way you should begivingmore than you’re getting.Most really good nonprofits have one thing in common: They have a sort of ‘service’ mentality. The people work there because they want to make a difference in the world, not for personal gain. They work tirelessly and selflessly, even though it usu­ally means fewer perks and lower-than-average incomes.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Judith said.

“Put it this way,” I continued. “People in the nonprofit sector work just as hard as people in the for-profit sector, but they do it with the understanding that they will never be compensated at the for-profit level. But because they derive so much personal satisfaction from the work itself, they’re usually willing to accept it.”
“I think I understand,” said Marion.

“I reviewed a company in California once,” I said, “a nonprofit health care organization. On paper, it looked very good. But some­thing about the place bothered me.”

I took another bite of shrimp, thinking about all of the nonprofits I had examined, both good and bad. “I dug around and found a few disgrun­tled former employees who were able to point me in the right direc­tion. Turns out, the head of the organization liked to travel. Within five years he had gone to twelve international conferences in places like Zurich, Singapore, and Monte Carlo.”

“But if these conferences were necessary for doing his job—” 

“They weren’t,” I replied. “They were all only marginally related to his work.”

“But legal?”

“Yes, legal. And it turned out that he brought along his wife, four children, and their nanny on each of the trips. They stayed in some of the nicest hotels in the world, dined in some of the fanciest restau­rants, took in all of the sights—and the entire tab was always picked up by the agency.”

“Wow.”

“Clearly, that man was getting more than he was giving. Needless to say, they were denied the grant.”

So there you have it, Callie’s guidelines for evaluating charities. I hope you’ll find them helpful as you manage your own donation dollars.

Free Book Offer

Which brings us back around to my original offer: Donate $20 or more to Operation Joy’s upcoming “Joy Run 5K Race/Walk,” and as a thank you I’ll send you one free, autographed copy of A Penny for Your Thoughts or any one of the other books in the Million Dollar Mysteries series! 

Note: Deadline to qualify is midnight October 18, 2018, so don't delay. Offer good while supplies last.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to this link to let me know which of the five books in the series you would like to receive and where you want yours sent.

2. Go to this link and donate at least $20. 

3. Once you get the receipt for your donation via email, forward it to my assistant, Tara, at Tara@mindystarnsclark.com.

That’s it! Once she verifies that your donation has been received, I’ll autograph and send out your book. 

Learn more about the run and the cause it supports here.

A Few More Links and Some Graphics For You to Share

• Get all the details and sign up to participate in the Joy Run 5K Race/Walk.

• Volunteer to help out at the Joy Run 5K Race/Walk.

• Learn more about Operation Joy, the organization in charge of the walk.  

• Learn more about Child and Family Focus, the company sponsoring the walk. 

• Visit the Facebook page of Child and Family Focus.