Delicious: Charlotte's Sausage Jambalaya

Matt will be the first to tell you he is NOT Cajun. He is from northwest Louisiana, and people from those parts are Rednecks not Cajuns. So now that we have that settled, I can explain why I call this Charlotte's Sausage Jambalaya (Charlotte being my mom-in-law). It's because, although the Beasley clan is from northwest LA, they're not afraid of Cajun food. In fact, they embrace it. They even spent a few years in Lafayette, which is not northwest LA. Over the years, Charlotte has picked up some pretty tasty recipes. When Matt and I got married, she gave me one of her Cajun cookbooks, complete with her very own notes and substitutions. Her jambalaya is one of Matt's favorites from this cookbook. So that is why this is Charlotte's Sausage Jambalaya (even though she puts shrimp in it sometimes - I won't here because there is no coast in the Czech Republic and I feel funny buying seafood in a country with no coast, even if it's frozen).

1 1/2 lb smoked beef or pork sausage (about 4 large links)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup choped green onion
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 can tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 black pepper
3/4 tsp thyme
(feel free to add shrimp or chicken, also, but I've been advised to put seafood only in the portion you'll eat that day and not save it for leftovers)

In a deep skillet, slice sausage and pan fry.

(my skillet is too small to cook all of the sausage at one time so I had to do it in two parts)

Remove sausage, leaving the grease in the pan.

Now it's time for the veggies! Here you have some options. Charlotte had a few *ahem* picky eaters sit around her table over the years so she used to pulse the veggies together in a food processor to make them less obvious. My picky eater grew up and decided he didn't mind veggies so I don't have to do that anymore. I just chop 'em up and throw 'em in.