Shrimp jambalaya and New Year's...

Okay, I didn't make that jambalaya on New Year's Day. I hadn't made it to the store and I'd had such a week that I didn't even make it there until Saturday afternoon. Thursday night I could have gone but I was rushing so much that I didn't even make it to the New Year's party I was invited to until it was an hour past the start time (and picked my friends up late too, natch). The good thing about parties though is that no one really cares when you show up-just that you made it. It was a fun party though, and I'm told we got home around 3 AM-the last few hours are a little blurry (as New Year's parties ought to be). Special thanks to M & K for throwing a great bash.

Unfortunately, the key to a great bash is how you feel the next morning. I slept until noon (which never happens) and I stayed in my pajamas all day at my friends' house until we decided we needed more to eat than pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs, so we decided collectively to go and get burgers-although I was excited to try jambalaya on Friday I was in no mood to go to the store and then sit for 8 hours while it cooked in the crockpot. Burgers and beer was a much more desirable option. :)

So on Saturday, after the gym I rushed off to the store. I bought stuff for jambalaya and for the week (since I had slim pickings in the fridge). I got home, threw it together in the crockpot, and ran to my sister's to babysit. This was helpful because I had dinner there and when I got home I had everything almost ready to go. Hot diggity.

I had it for lunch yesterday (because Sunday was out for dinner and the Amazing Race to 2010 with friends) and it was good, but it didn't blow me away. I'd have it again (I have to, what with an entire pot of it in the fridge to go through) but I don't know I'd crave it that much. Not like something like chicken pot pie or something chocolate. But it was tasty. It had some good spice to it, and it was meaty, though it had the consistency of soup-I'm not sure that's what was supposed to happen. Maybe I'll try a different one next time. But if you're looking for something quick, easy, and, for the most part, pretty tasty, give this one a shot.

Crockpot Shrimp Jambalaya (obtained from www.cdkitchen.com)
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken breasts -- cubed
1 pound smoked sausage -- sliced (I used turkey sausage-pretty decent)
1 pound cooked shrimp
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion -- chopped
1 green pepper -- chopped (I used a green and a red pepper because I wanted to use both)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons parsley
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (I didn't have cajun seasoning so I used a combo of red pepper flakes, spicy salt, and extra cayenne)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups rice -- cooked (I used brown rice)


Directions:

Place all ingredients except shrimp and rice in crockpot. Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Stir in rice and shrimp; cover; cook on high for 15 minutes.

Up next...what to make this weekend!