Jambalaya

The lovely and creative doo dah asked for my recipe for jambalaya. I have more that one. There is the easy one, and the hard one.
The hard one involves making stock and roux and doing everything from scratch. The easy one is a lot, well, easier. I will post here the easy one. If you want the hard one, I will have to swear you to secrecy and sign blood oaths and make you learn the secrete handshake and promise not to just give it away to any unworthy.
I know it is cheating, but I don't care. Go buy a couple of boxes of Zatarain's boxed mix. it is cheap and easy, but only the starting point. They have gotten the spice mix just about right. The have the regular stuff and they have Jambalaya with cheese. My family likes the stuff with cheese, but I don't. The cheese is dried powdered orange stuff. I don't count that as cheese. I'm not sure what it is, but I know what it ISN'T, and it isn't cheese.
According to the directions, just add meat, and voila' you have Jambalaya.
Not so.
Instead of adding water like the directions say, use stock. If you are making chicken and sausage Jambalaya, use chicken stock. If you are making seafood Jambalaya, use clam juice..
I always make a double batch, because I love me some leftovers.
The box says add a pound of meat for a box of mix. Since when did you follow directions?
The more meat you add the better. For a double batch, about four pounds of meat is about right.
Add a big green pepper and a big sweet onion, diced in fairly large pieces. And don't forget the garlic. I like things in chunks so you can taste the individual elements.
I like it a little spicy, so I always add some of my special ground chili's to give it s little sweat, and a little white pepper to give it a little hot pucker power.
Throw it in a big pot, bring it to a boil, and then turn down to simmer.
Cook it until the rice turns soft.
I know purists are turning over in their grave if dead, turning and saying my name and spitting if they are alive, but it is an hour as opposed to one long day, or two shorter days the long way.
Although I like doing it the long way, I work, so it has to be a REAL special time to get me to drag out the stock pots.
The family doesn't seem to mind.
I guess they just don't know any better.
To me it is paint-by-the-numbers as opposed to the real thing.
But sometimes you gotta compromise.