So I don’t know about you guys, but I had a lovely Christmas. I found my jambalaya recipe the other day and wanted to post the recipe.

For New Years dinner, some people make “lucky” dishes. For example, ring shaped cakes are considered “lucky” because it is a symbol of coming full circle. Also popular is beans because they can be cooked in a round dish, which also is a symbol of coming full circle as well, and because they resemble coins. Greens resemble money too. They ensure a prosperous year. Another thing is pork because pigs root forward and are rotund. As my jambalaya is cooked in a round dish and contains sausage, I thought it’d be great for New Years. So here it is:

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp salt         2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 tbsp olive oil          1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cooked and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped          2 large celery stalks, chopped

1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped          1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped         2 cups uncooked white rice

1 cup canned chopped tomatoes, undrained         4 cups chicken broth

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce         1 tsp hot pepper sauce

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or pot over medium-high heat. Saute the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Sprinkle on the salt and ground black pepper, and stir again. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the uncooked rice. Then stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer the jambalaya until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire and hot pepper sauces.

Enjoy!

Another thing to try is a Mexican tradition. Mexicans pop a grape for each stroke of midnight. Each stroke represents a page of the calendar ahead. If one is bitter, watch out for that month.

Have a happy New Year!

The Owler