Multi-Tasking: Cook While You Write Without Burning Anything

*waves* Hi there!

I know, it's been a while since I've been over here, but I'm super excited to be back! Things have just been crazy busy, and I think we all suffer a bit from being stretched too thin. What with kids, work, writing, pets, you name it!

For me, cooking is fun, if it doesn't become work. Especially if I can get oodles of other things done while I'm cooking. The easiest, least work, most multi-tasking enabler out there I've found is the slow cooker, aka crockpot.

I've made a lot of easy things in here before, pulled pork, bbq ribs, pot roast ... but when the family wanted something a bit "out of the box" for dinner the other night, and I had some serious writing goals to accomplish, I knew the crockpot was the way to go.

It was a cold wintry night and I wanted something with a little kick to keep us warm. Here's what I found to "make" all day, took me less than 30 minutes to prep, and left me with 8 hours to write, get the house cleaned up, and even sneak in an episode of Supernatural on Netflix:

Jambalaya: Slow-cooker Style

Into the pot you throw

1 box of chicken broth (you know, the tallish ones?)

1 tbls of Creole seasoning, more if you like extra spice, less if you don't

1 Kielbasa sausage, diced

3 cloves crushed garlic, more if you want

1 big green pepper, diced

1 big onion, diced

4-5 celery stalks, diced

1 can 10ish oz of diced tomatoes (my family likes extra tomatoes, so I use 2 cans)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, diced (I used chicken tenderloins, but breasts or thighs would work fine too)

1 cup of long grain rice*

Then

You stir everything together, put the lid on, plug your crockpot in, and turn it to high for 8 hours.

Do some writing. Clean, if you're feeling extra motivated. I'm always pro-napping with the kidlets. Oh! And you can never go wrong with some quality time with Dean Winchester.

Then ten minutes before you serve....

Toss in 3/4 lb of peeled, deveined shrimp

Stir, replace lid, turn crockpot to Warm.

A few serving suggestions for you ... and especially involving the * above.

1) Serve in a bowl with some yummy French bread for dipping (we had a bunch of leftover crescent rolls, so I made those instead, still YUM!)

2) Serve over rice (helps with the spice for younger kids)+

*3) Add another cup of rice to the original recipe and serve up like a stew

+4) Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top also helps with spice for the kids (accidental discovery thanks to my 7yo)

I know it's not totally authentic, but my family loves it, and it gives me time to get tons of stuff done (i.e. word goals for the day!!) without having to worry about making dinner!

Hope you enjoy!