Mama just made a great gumbo!  That's all there is to it.  She always made a pot when I came home to visit.  I miss this gumbo and I miss her.  I've adjusted and changed the recipe to make it a bit easier.  You don't have to add chicken either, but I love it with chicken!
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Ingredients
1 large fryer chicken (optional - I don't usually bother. I know - bad me.  It's much better with it!)
1/2 gallon shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 c cooking oil  (I use part olive oil and part butter)
salt & pepper to taste
​8 to 12 pods of okra, cut in slices
2 large onions (chopped medium)
6 tbsp flour for roux
4 cups chicken stock
cooked rice
Optional Ingredients that I like to add.  (I like it spicy; Mama didn't.) 
Here's what I use to jazz it up:
   1 large red bell pepper, chopped
   2 stalks celery, chopped   
   2-3 cloves garlic, minced
   cayenne pepper (sparingly)
   cumin
   bit of hot sauce or I sometimes throw in a whole jar of medium-spicy salsa
Steps
  1. Stew one large fryer chicken in a large pot or pressure cooker about 2/3 full of water.
  2. When done, drain chicken - keeping broth set aside; debone chicken, shred, and put in a bowl.
  3. In a large soup pot, fry chopped onions (and celery / peppers, if using) in 1/3 cup oil until just cooked.  Add garlic and okra (if using) and stir for a couple of minutes.  Remove from oil and set aside.
  4. Add a bit more oil and some butter to the soup pot.  Heat up, but don't let it smoke. Add about 6 tbsp flour to the hot oil.  Stir CONSTANTLY over medium heat until milk chocolate in color - do NOT burn!
  5. When the roux (flour and oil mixture) is ready, quickly pour in the onion mixture and stir, stir, stir for a minute.
  6. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and stir.
  7. Add 1/2 gallon of shrimp that has been peeled and deveined and previously cooked, shredded chicken (if desired).  Cook over medium heat until all comes to a boil.
  8. Lower heat, spices, salt, and pepper.   Simmer until right consistency.
  9. Serve over rice.