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“First you make a roux.”  That was the sentence that most defined my memory of the preparation of gumbo, a Louisiana soup/stew that warms the body and the soul.

This past week, with all of the sub-zero temperatures we had been having and a season in which we often remember those that we know and love, I made a pot of gumbo in honor of my Louisiana family and friends – and for my own tasty benefit!

For me, it was a venison and turkey gumbo and with every bite came the memory of gumbo lovingly made by others who even took my special diet restrictions into consideration.

While I could spark a debate about whose grandma (or grandpa) has the best gumbo recipe or what should or shouldn’t go into a true pot of gumbo, I will suffice it to say that gumbo is as much about family and tradition as it is about what goes in it.

What is one of your favorite winter-time meals that warms body and soul?

Yesterday, while on the phone with a friend, she mistakenly thought that I offered to give her a slap in the face.  She laughed and wanted to take me up on the offer.  After clarifying that I meant to give the holidays a slap in the face, she explained that the slap in the face might serve us better - as a wake-up call of sorts, a "snap out of it" from the stress and pressure of various things that have come to consume us, especially at this time of year.

It is a blessing to have friends we can offer to give a "slap in the face," or a gentle reminder of what's really important and how blessed we are.

What wake-up call are you needing today?  Do you need a slap in the face reality check or a gentle reminder about what's truly important?