Chicken and Sausage Gumbo--Family Favorite

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Recipe taken from: Better Homes and Gardens New Crockery Cooker Cook Book (and modified a tad by Kyra)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cooking oil
3 cups water
12 ounces fully cooked sausage links (summer sausage), sliced and quartered
*I use the 16oz package*
2 cups chopped cooked white chicken
*I will sometimes use more or less, depending what I have cooked up*
2 cups sliced okra or 10oz package frozen whole okra, sliced ½ inch thick
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper (bell pepper)
½ cup chopped celery
**I usually use more of all the veggies than recipe calls for, but the correct amount is very good as well**
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
Serve with hot cooked rice

**Roux-In a heavy 2 quart saucepan stir together flour and oil till smooth. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir constantly about 15 minutes more till a dark, reddish brown roux forms. Cool.

**In a 3 ½, 4, 5, or 6 quart crockery cooker (crock pot) place water. Stir in roux. Add sausage, chicken okra, onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper. This is all ingredients except rice. Cover; cook on low heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high heat setting for 4 ½ to 5 hours. Skim off fat (if there is any). Serve over rice. Makes 6 servings.

**Helpful tip**Making your roux-A heavy saucepan and a long handled wooden spoon will make it easier to cook and stir your roux. When the roux matches the reddish brown color of a tarnished copper penny, remove it from the heat. Because the mixture is extremely hot, let it cool before combining it with the other ingredients. Since making roux is a lengthy process, consider doubling the ingredients and storing half of the mixture for a future gumbo. Cover the roux and refrigerate it up to 2 weeks or freeze it up to 6 months. ~I always make up some extra to freeze.

I have a big crock pot (5 quart), so I ALWAYS double this recipe. It's too deeeelish not to. ;)