Jambalaya

I have a serious addiction to Cajun food. Especially if it has seafood involved. My Uncle moved away from North Carolina to Mississippi. However, he usually brings up a big bag of craw-fish when he comes during the summer. The Gumbo his wife makes is amazing. Jambalaya and Gumbo are different. Gumbo being more of a soup or stew and Jambalaya being more rice based. Here is my recipe. This is a Non-slow cooker recipe. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredients list, this isn't to hard. If you're not one for spicy food, go easy on the cayenne pepper and the hot sauce. This recipe calls for Multi-tasking. Chop your veggies first and then work on your meat while the rice and vegetables are softening.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pkg Smoked Sausage (2 cups)
1 pkg Shrimp 1-2 lbs (De-veined and tails off)
2 Chicken Breast (diced)
Jambalaya Rice Mix - 1 8-oz box
Water - 2 1/4 cups
Brown Rice 1 cup
Chicken broth (homemade is best) 2 1/4 cups
Onion - a mix of yellow, red, and green onions (tops included), all chopped - 2 cups total
Bell peppers a mix 2 cups total
Celery, chopped - 1 cup
Garlic, minced - 1 heaping Tablespoon
Diced tomatoes - 1/3 of a 14-oz can
Sugar - 1 pinch
Hot sauce - several sprinkles
Oregano - 1 teaspoon
Cayenne pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Cajun Seasoning to Taste

Instructions (Grab a large Stock Pot)
1. Start off with chicken broth steaming in stock pot. 2  1/4 c
2. Thinly slice sausage and then brown it in batches in a skillet (DO NOT DRAIN). Pour remaining fat into the stock pot with Chicken broth. After, use the same skillet to cook your chicken breast.
3. Add Cajun Rice and brown rice to pot with 2  1/4 c water on Medium Heat. 
4. Add chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery to pot. (If you want softer veggies cook them in a skillet first for about 5-7 minutes on HIGH heat.)
5. Next Add diced tomatoes and spices. Make sure your mixture doesn't try out but you also don't want it to be to liquidy.
6.  Stir Often and cook for an Hour as the rice absorbs the liquid. Taste it as you go! Make sure the rice and vegetables are as tender as you would like. If not then add water.
7.  When the rice has absorbed as much moisture as it can,  slowly add in the cooked shrimp.  Cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and you're done.