Jambalaya

{ingredients}
3 lbs pork sausage {we used Johnsonville bratwurst cut into slices. it was about 1 1/2 lbs}
2 lbs chicken (boneless skinless) {make sure you boil it in enough water... you can use is for the chicken broth}
1 onion- chopped {I used 1/2 of a larger-medium one...}
2 c. celery {I don't like cooked celery, and neither does my husband so I opted out of this one...}
1 c. green pepper- chopped
4-5 garlic cloves- whole
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes- do not drain
1 TBSP brown sugar
3 bay leaves {if you don't have whole leaves... just guess with the crushed stuff... its okay}
3 TBSP dried basil {I only used 2...}
4 c. chicken broth {it is important that you have 4 cups... we tried it with 2 and ended up needing 2 more cups, we used water and it turned out okay}
1 1/2- 2 tsp salt
6-10 shakes hot sauce (Tobasco) {now for those true southern people, we didn't use Tobasco, we used Tony Chachere's seasoning to give it the spicy kick}
3 1/2 c. instant rice

{directions}
{you will want a very large pot or pan with taller sides for this recipe}
1. Using a large pot brown sausage, remove and set aside.
2. In same pot, lightly brown chicken, remove and set aside {we boiled our chicken to get the chicken broth... and we did not brown the chicken. It tasted great, but I would be interested if it makes a big enough difference}
3. Wilt onions, celery, bell peppers, and add garlic cloves at end of cooking {wilt: put in the pan and let it warm up a little... its not quite browning... but somewhat close. As for the garlic, just drop them in, the sauces and spices all merge together.}
4. Melt brown sugar on top of veggies- be careful not to burn
5. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, hot sauce {or Tony's}, salt, and basil.
6. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Adjust seasonings- salt and hot sauce
8. Add rice, stir and turn heat to very low, barely simmering.
9. Cover and cook until rice is tender and most of the juice has been absorbed by rice- adjust with more or less rice or chicken {honestly... I have no idea what the adjusting means... so after I added the rice I added the chicken and sausage to my liking and simmered it with the rice. It gives the flavor a chance to soak into the meat as well.}

{Serve with anything. Particularly delicious is a side of corn bread and honey butter... but if you choose to serve it with a soup you can turn it into gumbo if you'd like! }

Bon apitit!

{This honestly makes a lot of stuff, I fed five and we only touched about half. It took about 45 minutes to make and its ready to serve right out of the pan!}