Jambalaya

  I'd never made jambalaya; in fact I'd never even tasted it. The reason for this being that I've always heard that it is spicy, and as anyone who knows me will attest to, I do not like spicy food. But I do like foods that have rice mixed up with a bunch of other stuff, and hubby loves spicy food, so I figured jambalaya could be a spicy food I could at least give a try.
  I will say that is a good food for cold weather; it's one of those cozy foods I guess.
  I got the original recipe from a blog called 'Friday Delights', but of course I changed a couple things. I used white rice instead of brown, Andouille sausage instead of plain smoked sausage, I used only 1 jalapeno instead of 2 to cool it down a touch, and I substituted ground red pepper for the cayenne powder (simply because I didn't have any cayenne on hand).
  This is another recipe with A LOT of ingredients, but I wouldn't leave anything out, for the end result was quite delightful and complex. It wasn't a terribly arduous task to make it either (it only takes one pot, one cutting board and a good chef's knife), so this one might become a regular go-to recipe for us.

So...what are you still here for? Go start making some yummy jambalaya!

Louisiana Jambalaya

Smoked Sausage (I used ground Andouille tore up in little bite-size chunks)
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup green onions
2 jalapeno, chopped (I used one)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. sweet basil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, more if desire (I substituted ground red pepper)
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cloves (I used 1/4 tsp)
1/8 tsp. allspice (used 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp chili powder

4 cups of water
2 cups brown rice (I used white)

Slice the sausage and saute in oil and butter over low heat . Add the onions, green peppers, parsley, garlic, jalapeno, and green onions and saute slowly until vegetables are tender. Stir in the tomato sauce, honey, seasonings, rice, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until rice is fluffy.