Jambalaya

If you notice, jambalaya seems to be a base and two meats/seafoods. Sure, you can put anything you have in the refrigerator in there, but it does seem to work best with two contrasting/complementary tastes. Up to you. Chicken/ham/smoked sausage. Shrimp/crawdads/lobster/scallops.

I prefer using crawdad tail meat to shrimp in most things...just a preference. If shrimp is easier to find where you are, have at it.

Last summer at a branch party one of our friends picked up a lobster on the way out. Turned it loose in one of the small pools in the creek and then just stood back. The kids thought Godzilla had come to Alabama! Even funnier was standing there, counting the college-educated ADULTS who fell for it!

Crawdad and Ham Jambalaya

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package frozen seasoning blend (onions, peppers & celery)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 bay leaves
1 pound ham, cubed
1 pound crawdad tails
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes w/juice
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cayenne
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Heat the oil, add the seasoning blend and garlic and saute about five minutes or until soft. Add the ham and bay leaves, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add crawdads, tomatoes, water and spices and cook for ten minutes, stirring often. Add the rice, stir to mix, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the rice is tender. (Sometimes I have to add more water if it gets too thick before the rice is done.) Let stand about five minutes, stir in the green onions and serve.