Jambalaya recipe

We've sorely neglected this site lately, um, OK, we've neglected it since I started it, but now it's time to put it into use with the menus, recipe postings and such. Last night's meal included a semi-Cajun theme -- we wanted to do an Oscar night tonight, but with work and children and life, Saturday night plays better with the schedule. So even though R & I were AWOL, the rest of us punted and came up with this:

S & J -- appetizers and hosts -- she had a great spread of cajun crab dip, crackers, cheeses, olives, peppers and little quiches. We spent the first hour gathered around her great big ol' kitchen island continuing the bad movie discussions from last month and oohing and aahing over their little princess in her bunny ears.

Me -- entree -- I did jambalaya and boudin, mostly because my oven is still out of commission and I couldn't think of anything else that didn't require baking. I used the crockpot for the jambalaya, so it was easy (recipe below) and we nuked the boudin last minute before sitting down to dinner.

D & P -- drinks -- Hurricanes. Of course, to go with the cajunish theme. S found some extra rum for those who wanted them a bit stronger than usual.

A & R -- dessert -- mini-cupcake cheesecakes. Delish. I've got to get the recipe from her, but she said it was easy and quick. Chocolate chip cookie base in a little muffin/cupcake thingy, with the cheesecake layer, covered with caramel and chocolate chips. Good eating, I tell you!

The jambalaya came together very quickly, which was good, since I'd been on my feet most of the morning at the half-marathon. I had to just chop the pepper and onion, chop the sausage -- you could just slice it, but I wanted it in smaller bits -- and cube the chicken. I used breast pieces that were partially thawed, so they cut very quickly and easily. The hardest part was the shrimp at the end. I'd gotten raw in the shell, so I had to boil it quickly, then peel it and de-vein it before I could throw it in the crockpot about half an hour before we left our house.

The main entree last had most folks at the table wiping their brows. I think I overdid it with the cayenne pepper, since I can't handle a lot of heat in my food. But I was assured that it was spot on, and that it was just as spicy as they would have expected. We topped it off with a bit of file seasoning at the table, and that provided a nice touch. We paired it with boudin and a nice fresh batch of cornbread. No vegetables to speak of outside of the corn in the cornbread. And it was good! So without further adieu:

Jambalaya

• 1 lb Boneless chicken breasts; cut in 1" cubes
• 1 lb Smoked sausage; sliced
• 1 lb Shrimp; cooked
• 28 oz Crushed tomatoes
• 1 md Onion; chopped
• 1 Green pepper; chopped
• 1 c Chicken broth
• 1/2 c White wine
• 2 ts Oregano
• 2 ts Parsley
• 2 ts Cajun seasoning
• 1 ts Cayenne pepper
• 2 c Rice; cooked
  

Cut chicken and slice sausage. Chop onion and green pepper. Put all in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except shrimp and rice. Cook in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before eating, add cooked shrimp and cooked rice; allow to heat. Can be cooked on high for 3-4 hours instead.