A Simple Sausage and Chicken Gumbo

 A simple Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe          

A nod to Emeril and The Collins for their unwitting input.

Ingredients

·      1 tbs and ½ cup, vegetable oil

·      1 lb, smoked sausage, sliced into ½ inch coins.  

o   Andouille if possible, but any good kielbasa will work.

·      3 lbs, chicken thighs, with skin, rinsed and pat dried

·      ½ lb, cubed, cooked ham

·      ¾ cup, all-purpose flour

·      2 cups, chopped onions

·      1 cup, chopped celery

·      1 cup, chopped bell pepper

·      3 tbs, chopped garlic

·      1 lb, okra

·      2 tbs, fresh parsley

·      8 cups, reduced sodium chicken stock

·      1 cup, water

·      3 tsp, sea salt

·      1 tsp, black pepper

·      1/8 tsp, cayenne pepper

·      1 ¼ tsp, thyme, fresh, if you can get it

·      3 bay leaves

·      1 tbs filé powder

·      Scallion tops

1.     Prep the “Holy Trinity” and put in a bowl, ready to use, (it’s the onions, celery, and pepper), with the parsley, garlic, and cubed ham. 

2.     Prep your spices, too.

3.     Preset your oven to 200°.  Trust me on this one…

4.     In a heavy stockpot, heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil on medium heat and add the sausage.  (We have a cast iron pot that we have dubbed “The Secret Weapon”.  It’ll totally kick your pot’s ass.),

a.     You want to brown the sausage and render a little of the fat into the pan.

5.     Once browned, remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.  You’ll be re-adding it again soon.

6.     Add the chicken thighs and brown them nicely, about 10 – 12 minutes.

a.     You’re basically rendering the fat from the thighs to add to the roux.

7.     Once the chicken has been browned, place them in an oven-ready dish and place in the oven to keep them warm.

The Roux!

Ok, here’s the tricky part.  The roux is basically a stock, simple, but at the same time crucial and easy to screw up. 

8.     Turn the heat down to medium / low

9.     Add the remaining ½ cup of vegetable oil to the sausage and chicken renderings.  Careful!  Don’t splatter…

10. Slowly add the ½ cup of flour

11. Stir constantly, but slowly.  

a.     If you don’t take your time with this, you can burn the roux and it’ll taste like you’ve burned the roux.

12. After about 15 – 17 minutes, the roux should be about the color of milk chocolate.  This is good!

13. Add the bowl of vegetables and ham that you had set aside earlier.

a.     I have tried to chop the vegetables while making the roux.  It doesn’t work out well…for anyone.

14. Cook the vegetables, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.

a.     The vegetables and ham should be cooking and coated with the roux.

15. Re-add the sausage

16. Stir in your spices

17. Slowly add your chicken stock and water, stirring them in.

18. Bring your concoction to a boil

19. Re-add the chicken

20. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let go for 1 ½ hours.

a.     If you want to add shrimp, you can do this with about ½ an hour left in the boil.

21. Remove from heat.

22. Remover the chicken and allow to cool on a plate.

23. Remove the bay leaves

24. Debone the chicken, remove the skin, and shred the meat.  (heh-heh, just sounds terrible.)

25. Reintroduce the chicken to what is now, technically, gumbo.

26. Stir in your filé powder

27. Allow the gumbo to sit for 5 minutes and you’re ready to serve this over rice!

Not super difficult, and there are a few hours out of your life, but you have to trust me that this is a very good gumbo and you’ll be happy you made it.

I'm a newb when it comes to volunteering, but so far, I dig it...

As many of you know, I have been in between jobs for a couple of months, now.   As I have been searching for an opportunity I’ve been lucky enough to have time to volunteer for a few causes; Autism Speaks, Celebrate Media!, (a Borough of Media initiative that will be providing funding to borough-based non-profits), Philabundance, and Widener University’s Homecoming Weekend. 

Traditionally, I have not been much of a volunteer, much, as I am learning now, to my own detriment.  “Never give it away” and “Don’t let anyone make money off you” are two of the axioms I remember from my developmental stage.  Wow, were these ideas shortsighted!  I am fortunate enough to have a great number of friends, and some of these friends are inveterate volunteers.  By talking to these great people, getting some idea about what they get in return for their efforts, they have illustrated the benefits of involvement; whether its charitable or community-based, their lives, and the lives of unknown others, have been enhanced because of their efforts.   This is all new to me, but so far, I like it…

Every one of these opportunities has left me with something positive; whether it’s a feeling of thankfulness for what I do have, a sense of community, or, as in the case of the Widener Homecoming, an appreciation for what people can do for themselves and others.

My friend, Meghan, is one of the leaders in Widener’s Alumni Relations department.  Her responsibilities tend to focus around building engagement between the university and its alumni.  She is accountable for relationships with regional alumni groups, homecoming, events and so forth.  Meg is a good friend, so, when she asked me to help out with the event, I was happy to help, especially when she told me that my job would be to drive a golf cart around campus, giving rides to some of the more “seasoned” alumni between events. 

You may not know, my gentle snowflakes, that Widener has not always been Widener.  Between 1892 and 1972, what we know now as Widener University was called The Pennsylvania Military College.   During its lifetime as PMC, the school produced some real military heroes as well as well known men of other sorts, including Cecil B. DeMille and Leslie Quick, Jr.   The alumni of PMC are fiercely proud, and to some extent, protective, of their legacy…and understandably so.  A great number of these men took what they learned and used it to serve their country, in times of peace and war, in the military, public service, or private business. 

All of this helped form my initial impression of what I would be doing; basically driving older gentlemen who had graduated from PMC through a Widener campus that they might not recognize any more which housed a university that they absolutely did not.  I had resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be the framework for all of the conversations that I would have that day, until Ann asked for a lift.

I was just heading back to Old Main in the leased golf cart, which, by the way, I suspected to be the loudest golf cart on the planet…imagine trying to talk about changes to the campus to an Octogenarian Veteran over the growl of a Harley-Davidson…something like that, a distraction…I was heading back to Old Main when a woman flagged me down and asked if I could give her a ride to the top of the hill to her car.  “Of course”, I said, “saddle up!”

The woman, who introduced herself as “Ann”, said that being given a lift up the hill was a “Godsend”.   She appeared to be around 50ish, maybe slightly younger, and talked about all of the folks who were attending homecoming.  “Didn’t expect this many people for this.”  “Yeah,” I responded, “pretty good turnout.  We’ve (meaning the myself and the other volunteers) been moving pretty well all day.  Great event and good weather will bring folks out, I guess.”  She agreed.  I asked if she was an alum, and she surprised me by saying “No.”  My brow must have furrowed at that, as it does frequently when I am confused, which is also frequently, because she soon offered, “I’m a nursing student.”  I was momentarily struck.  I asked her what year she was in and she told me “I’m a sophomore.”  I told her I thought that was awesome, as I am quick to describe everything that I like as “awesome.”  “Yeah, thanks!” she told me.  “I just transferred over from Delaware County,” referring to Delaware County Community College.  “I got straight A’s and I was offered a scholarship to come here.  Not doing quite as well here, I did get one C in chemistry, but overall it’s great.”  Ann went on to tell me that she was a single mom and had 4 kids and was looking to do “something great” with her life and decided to go back to school and try to become a nurse.  By this time we had gotten to her car, which was parked in the “tailgate” section.  She thanked me for the ride and I told her, “Don’t sweat the C, Widener has some great programs in mentoring and tutoring.  Take advantage of them.  You’ll do great!”  I hope she does…

I’ve thought about that short ride everyday since.   I could not help but be impressed, affected, touched, whatever you want to call it, by Ann.  She could very easily have let herself become overwhelmed by her situation, but she didn’t.  She could have just accepted everything, but she didn’t.  She has taken ownership of her life and has taken advantage of an opportunity to improve the situation for herself and her family.  And not enough can be said for Widener, either.  By giving someone like Ann, a non-traditional student, an chance to excel by granting her a scholarship says a lot about the character of the school and its vision.  I hope that this is a relationship that bears a lot of fruit for both partners.

Please, gentle snowflakes, don’t misunderstand me, I am not fully altruistic in my approach, and I am very new to this.  I have also volunteered for the connections and networking opportunities that these events provide.  By participating in these activities, I have been able to meet folks that I may otherwise never had a chance to talk to…some of them may change my life, some won’t, most however, have been leaving an imprint, giving me the gift of their experience and their stories.  Had I not agreed to help Meghan, and by proxy, Widener’s Alumni, I would never have had this experience.  I would never have met Ann, or any of the other great folks; alumni, parents, staff, and a few students.  Pretty valuable stuff…

So, if you can, get out and volunteer.  There are a lot of causes out there that need you more than your money.  You don’t know who you’ll meet or how they will impact your lives.  But, if you don’t have time, your money works, too.   Right now, I’ve got more time than money, so…

Why do I keep coming back to you when I know it will hurt?

I have a confession to make…I have an addiction.   I know you find it shocking, and so did I when I realized it.  Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of thing where I’ll be breaking into your house and stealing your PS3 in order to hock it for some quick cash.  It’s a little more mundane than that, but still embarrassing.  

I…I’m addicted to the comments section…

OK, all together now, “We Love You, Tom.”

Thank you, (sniff) thank you.   Your support means so much to me…and with you supporting me, I think I can get through this and come to terms with my personal demon.

I just cant stop reading the comments section of basically any online publication.   It doesn’t matter which.  Delco Times, Philly.com,  The Economist, The Atlantic, Fark, Fast Company, others...it really doesn't matter.   I always promise myself that I am through with it, but I always come back to it...and I always feel a sense of regret afterwards.  I feel...slightly dirty. 

Now, I don't know why I care what other folks think about the events of the day.  Frankly I find it frustrating as all hell.  Nothing torques me like folks who have no understanding of the topic harping on about whatever the article is about...any review of the comments regarding a political issue will demonstrate to which degree that happens. 

Inversely, (or some may say, perversely) I actually get twinge of satisfaction by “tossing grenades” into a conversation, just to get the loonies fired up.  Oh yeah, regardless of how sophomoric it is, I love to agitate.  Anyone who has known me for more than five minutes is aware of that particular character flaw.  And I do admit it’s a flaw, much like referring to others as loonies.  

 The federal spending debate is my cause du jour.   I am really excited about the Tea Party folks talking about not spending what you don’t have...they really should talk to their darling Donald Trump about that concept.  We constantly hear about how this concept is absolutely well understood by anyone who runs a household budget.  Really?  Seriously?  The comparison of the US to a 4-person household is tragic.  Understandable, but tragic.  Its what folks can understand...the average American cannot fathom funding a $685 billion military as well as infrastructure and regulation.   Not much different than managing food and cable bills, is it?

My major concern with my fellow posters is that when you look at the comments and really read them, you see how much we actually hate each other, and to a certain extent, by proxy, ourselves.  (and that “we” is in a very general sense.  I am not talking about you, dear reader.  Not you...) When you read an article about someone else’s personal tragedy, it doesn't take long within the context of the comments section for some poster or another to start blaming the victim, calling them any number of epithets, or generally celebrating that this happened and wishing that it would happen to more of their ilk.  Oftentimes the proffers of these thoughts are nothing more than trolls, looking to get a reaction from the audience, some desktop Gilbert Gottfried, but more often than not, there is a person at that keyboard with some extremely scary perspectives about their fellow man.  A quick perusal of the Delaware County Daily Times, (I know, I know...it’s Delco) will show you more racism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, ageism (although more in the reverse of what we hear about in legal discussions), and other negative social attributes than you, my gentle snowflakes, should be able to stomach.

Where has civility gone?  Where has general concern for each other gone? (Not implying that these are the same thing.  You can be a raging tool and still be quite civil.)  My greatest fear is that they haven’t gone anywhere...it’s that it never truly existed.  It’s always been us and them, but now, “us” is no longer a family, a village, an ethnic group, subscribers to a specific religion; “us” are those folks who subscribe to similar points of view.   “Us” are conservatives., “them” are liberals.  “Us” are agnostics; “them” are evangelicals.  “Us” are real republicans, “them” are socialists, commies, progressives, democrats, RINOs.  “Us” are union members, “them” are the greedy corporate elite.  Got the picture?  The visibility of the online forum has just made this delineation more apparent, and easier to subscribe to.   Prejudices which where not tolerated in public can now be spewed in response to stories or columns that either support the posters position or somehow refute it.  Those comments, formerly whispered to those closest, are now being shouted from our windows in a state of semi-anonymity.  Submitters to these forums seem to be individuals who feel they have some point of opinion that is under-represented.   My feeling is that this is participation of the fringes; those who had felt marginalized in the past by the majority who rejected what they  had to say.  Who knew there were so many of them?  

The average person, those who represent the solid center, do not seem to be participating.  Where are  the rational voices?  Are they too busy creating lives for themselves?  That would be my guess...  Other possibilities would be apathy, also probable, or fear of exposing themselves as idiots.  This is not to say that they are idiots, although I am sure some of them are, but they believe that because they may not be as up to speed with some of the issues as some other posters, they would get called out and mocked in a public forum.   I can assure that this would happen.  But that’s ok.  Everybody gets called out, even when they make a logical, well thought out point...as a matter of fact, that is when folks tend to get called out the most.  Well thought out arguments and rationality doesn’t tend to mix well with ideology.  

So, obviously, this drives me to fits of lunacy...but I can’t stay away.  It’s my reality TV, leaving me feeling somewhat ashamed.  I am a poorly treated lover, knowing what awaits me when I return, but unable to stop myself from returning anyway.  Damn you, Comments Section...damn you.  I hate you...I love you....

Let's have a conversation about Leadership and Team Building...

One of the things I want to do with this blog is to begin to engage in conversation about some of the things that I have observed as lacking in a few organizations currently; leadership, team building, and a willingness to take ownership of problems and obstacles and address them.  Although I am currently in between positions, I keep an ear to the tracks, keep up on publications, and listen to people as they talk about their work.  

A recurring theme seems to be that very few organizations have been built, specifically on the management side, to deal with the organizational stress that comes with maintaining a business in a challenging economy.  Many managers who have been able to reap the benefits of an economic growth cycle are either unskilled, under supported, or under trained to continue to lead under stress.  It is my position that these are the times that organizations should be preparing for by training managers to lead effectively, especially when they are succeeding.  

In the July 18 edition of Newsweek, Jack and Suzy Welch authored an article called "How to Build a Winning Team."  In the article, the Welches provide their observation that "winning teams" adhere to 4 very basic axioms;

1. Leaders of winning teams always let their folks know where they stand.

2. Winning teams know the game plan.

3. Winning teams are honest.

4. Winning teams celebrate.

It is and always has been my position that effective leadership consists of a relatively few things; establishing a vision for the team, communicating expectations (axiom 2) and establishing an environment in which your team will achieve it, (axioms 1, 3 and 4).   These ideas seem to be right in line with what the Welches are saying.

These sound like very simple concepts, but like I have heard about playing the blues, “it’s simple, but it ain’t easy.”

Establishing a vision is probably the most sensitive part of the leadership equation.  Most frequently in business, the vision you are charged with executing is not your own, but that of the organization for which you work.  It is incumbent upon you as a leader to be able to translate an organizational mission into a vision for your team.   This vision will help the team know what it is that they are working toward, other than their paycheck at the end of the pay period.   The vision, when broken down, also translates in expectations, and those expectations into metrics, and those metrics into actions.  That is tricky…how can you make actionable plans for your team which seem vague and overarching?  As a leader, you need to embrace clarity and simplicity.  Don’t overburden the team with multiple, misunderstood, and often, conflicting metrics.  Focus on the mission at hand.  We now see where every job description includes “Additional responsibilities as necessary.”  We might as well just say, “You’re responsible for everything.”  Expectations like this cause confusion…confusion leads to lack of confidence, which leads to mistrust and fear.  

Creating an environment where your team will achieve success, regardless of the task, also has many facets.  Chief among these is establishing a dynamic within the team where dialogue and discourse are valued and rewarded.  This is a function of trust.  Tying into the Welches’ first axiom, this trust is fostered by 2-way communications.  By letting your team know where they stand on an individual basis, and taking time to either recognize or coach them, you as a leader can take steps to ensure that there will be no surprises to either the organization or the team members.   Only once this communication rich environment is created will you as a leader have a level of understanding what impediments your team faces that you will be able to address with them.  

One important aspect that most aspiring leaders fail to recognize is that all great leaders had one thing in common…great followers.  If you cannot inspire people to follow you, you are not a leader.   If you cannot provide people with a reason to follow you, you are not a leader.   There are many individuals who think of themselves as leaders, by nature of position, who lead by dictate.  Telling subordinates that they must follow because their job/raise/promotion/etc. is on line might work…temporarily, but anyone can do that, even a machine can be programmed with if/then logic.  The Welches, in the 4^th axiom, talk about celebration.  I don’t know if “celebration” is too strong of a thought or not, so I will say “recognition”.  I have worked with managers who have completely disregarded this aspect of leadership, often stating something along the lines of “I don’t need to recognize someone just for doing their job.”   You don’t need to buy them a cake for showing up in the morning!   But as the Welches say, this is how you condition a team for success, but letting them feel what winning is.   After a certain point, if you, as a leader, condition your team that they won’t gain from winning, they wont know the difference between success and apathy, or worse, you’ll lose these folks, you’ll lose your opportunity to earn what could have been your greatest asset; a loyal team with which you can overcome most challenges.

One of the challenges associated with leadership is that people will consider themselves leaders by virtue of a title, position, rank, even birth…but this is not leadership.  Leadership is earned from your followers.  This is accomplished, primarily, by trust.  Do what you say you will do.  Be accountable for your team, but also hold them accountable for themselves, their own actions, their own results.   If your team trusts you and knows that you will “take a bullet” for them, they will reward you with their loyalty and effort in attaining your team goals.

Barbeque'd Chicken

The problem with roasting an entire chicken on the barbeque is that you tend to have alot of leftovers.  Don't get me wrong, the chicken was great, (I'll share the process at the end), but a 7+ lb. bird for two people might be a little overkill.

Barbeque-roasted whole chicken with Van's BBQ Rub.

In one of my roadtrips for a previous employer, I had the opportunity to go to Norman, OK, the home of the University of Oklahoma.  (I'm not sure why, but for some reason the school name is shortened to OU, not UO, or U of O, which would make more sense. But hey, I'm an East Coast guy, I look at these things...)  While down there, beautiful place by the way, I had the chance to eat at a place called Van's Pig Stands, www.pigstands.com.  Van's a family owned (I think) small chain of local BBQ pits.  They have, without a doubt, the best barbeque sauce and rubs in the entire world.  The whole world.  All of it.  They have a limited selection, but I guess when you do something really well, you don't need to overly diversify your product mix.
I think that really is what this post is about, doing things well and simply.  By doing something well, rather simply, and on a limited scale, Van's has created something fantastic.  The company has been around for over 70 years and still only has 4 locations and small online shop in order to accommodate those of us who happen to live outside of the Sooner State.
Too often, we feel this "what's next" inclination that pushes us on to move past what has worked.  A type of restlessness that can sometimes come with success. That is not a bad thing.  Most advances, whether they are in technology, business, or the arts are created by restless people.  Sometimes, however, learning a craft, learning it well, and executing it perfectly are just as important as creating advances.  I think of the katana makers of Japan, (well, I did just watch Kill Bill Volume 1), and the stories of how some of the most revered of them would only make one sword per year...not what we would really call speed to market, huh?
I promised you I would share my simple process, and it is that...simple.
For a normal 6 lb. chicken;

1. rub down and rinse the bird, inside and out, patting it dry with a paper towel.
1. if you want to rinse it with white vinegar, that works and is recommended.
2. truss the bird by folding the wings under the back and tying the legs together, overlapped by "the pope's nose"
3.  liberally rub the bird with your favorite barbeque rub, (as mentioned above I prefer Van's, when i can get it), and let it sit for few minutes
4. In your charcoal grill, (Did I not mention that you needed one of these? Oops...) prelight a normal amount of coals (I know normal is vague...use whatever you would use for normal grilling purposes.)
5. Once sufficiently lit, circle the outer rim of the grill with the coals
6. Place an aluminum drip tray in the center of the grill, surrounding it with the lit coals
7. Place the chicken directly over the drip pan
8. After approximately 1/2 hour, rotate the chicken 180 degrees
9. After 1 hour has passed, check your chicken to make sure its cooked through.  (I dont want to be the cause of a salmonella poisoning...)  Depending on the size of the bird, you may want to give it another 15 mins.

There you have it...my thoughts and a quick how to...

New beginnings have to start somewhere...

Hi.  My name is Tom Bates and I, like many others in this economy, am currently in between jobs. I have experience working as a manager both in the for-profit, corporate arena as well as non-profit.  
If you have been directed here via my website, thank you for your interest.  If not, thanks anyway, and please check out my site.  It's cool.
As part of my networking strategy I have created a website, www.tombates.us.com, and will also be posting information here in regards to my thoughts and ideas regarding business management, leadership, team building, mountain biking, beer, cooking or any other issue or initiative that might require some comment.  
I really don't know anyone who keeps a blog, nor do I routinely read anyone else's, but I do have a personal perspective on leadership and management in the workplace.  Let's get this conversation started!