Ashley’s Jumbalaya! {Naptime Tales from the Trenches}

This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat. If you are interested in contributing a story and recipe please feel free to contact me. Today Ashley is sharing a simple recipe for authentic jambalaya that is easy to make while juggling life with twins!

With two 18-month old twin boys, we find ourselves entertaining at home a lot. This is my go to dish that works for anytime of the year. It is an inveritable crowd pleaser and can be prepped well in advance. The beauty of this dish is that it bakes for over an hour giving you ample time to be with your family and your company while entertaining.

Typically, I prep all ingredients during nap time and store them in Ziploc bags in the fridge. Once your oven in pre-heated, the only work left is to dump everything into one pot and bake away.

This recipe was shared by a family member from New Orleans and has certainly made its rounds through my group of friends. It is one of those recipes that you will have memorized by the second or third time you make it. It is best accompanied by a simple green salad with French vinaigrette (La Martinique is my favorite) and French bread with a great butter.

Typically, when someone makes this dish for the first time, they will have the following reservations:

1)   Can I really put all of the meat in raw? Yes, you can. I change up the meat combination frequently. Most often, I use two to three pounds of sausage (smoked, turkey or venison) depending on what I have in the house.

2)   What sort of pot should I use? I have a wonderful Le Cruset pot that is actually a wide, shallow Braiser with a lid. All you need is a sturdy, large pot with a lid.

In addition to entertaining with this dish, it is a great meal to drop off and share with other family and friends. It keeps very well, freezes even better and tends to taste better the following day after I make it.