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Notes -
You can go a bit darker if you're gutsy - I now use the heat-your-oil-until-spitting-hot and then dump in flour speed method instead of the slow one, although there's no difference except a saving of time. Add trinity to roux when the roux is dark enough, it'll hiss and sizzle and bring down the temp so let that go for a bit BEFORE adding garlic (garlic can burn quite easily).
Spring for the good stock, you can get some good chicken stock that isn't garbage at reasonable prices these days. Tabasco is slightly worthwhile as a finishing agent for the slight acid kick that really livens up the dish, you can use any other hot sauce with a vinegary component. Spices, you can use some prepackaged cajun stuff if you're cheap but it's just garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, thyme and oregano in various ratios. Salt and pepper are musts.
I tend to keep my land and my sea a bit separate, for seafood based gumbo I add a can of crushed tomatoes. For chicken and sausage I dump in some amber ale before adding the rest of my stock. If you're lazy look out for the cooked food aisle at supermarkets, premade discount rotisserie chicken or turkey wings work a treat. I've occasionally used even the packaged smoked duck breasts you can get at Japanese or Asian supermarkets after trimming the skin a bit.
You will get a grease slick after long cooking, skim it if you want but don't skim all of it. If you're truly frugal you can save what you skim off for some other cooking, it's delicious and will work in other savory dishes fine. One thing I used to do is use some of it to stir-fry my okra a bit before adding.
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