¡Deliciosa!

Here's something that many of you may not know about me. I looooooove food, but I am not a huge fan of cooking. That presents a problem now that I no longer live with my parents, as I have to make my own meals, in addition to meals for my husband. It also doesn't help that Ryan is a much more picky eater than I am. I often get frustrated and discouraged when I'm planning a weekly dinner menu for us. I feel like I get stuck in a rut with the meals that I make, and I find myself longing for variety.

That's why I was thrilled to hear that some friends of ours were hosting a "Food-from-around-the-World" party. This would give me the chance to make something different and strengthen my culinary skills! I struggled for a long time over what to make. I wanted it to be somewhat appetizing for my picky hubby, but I also didn't want something boring. I thought about Mexican food, since good Mexican food is almost impossible to come by in Florida. I considered making a Swedish cookie that is traditional for my family at Christmas. But then I finally decided on a main dish that stemmed from my fond memories of my family's visit to Spain: paella.

Initially, I wanted to make the paella with chicken, sausage and shrimp, but wanting to appeal to the largest number of taste buds, I chose to exclude the seafood. If you do like shrimp, I would highly suggest using it if you decide to attempt this very yummy, but very easy Spanish dish.

Because I push things to the very last minute, I was lucky to find a quick recipe for paella on allrecipes.com that I altered just slightly (love that website!). And to my pleasant surprise, it turned out quite "deliciosa" and fairly traditional from what I remembered of paella in lovely España.

So if you face the same struggles that I do with your weekly dinner assortment, add some Spanish flair to your dinnertime with this paella recipe.

Ingredients:
4 oz. chorizo
2 chicken breasts (cubed)
1/2 chopped onion
1 cup peas
1/2 stalk celery with leaves
1 clove garlic
1 cup rice
1 can diced tomatoes (juice reserved)
1 or 2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine

Fry chorizo in a skillet and remove. Fry the cubed chicken in the same skillet and remove. Saute garlic, onion, and other vegetables until tender. Then stir in the rice, tomatoes, chopped bay leaves, salt, oregano, and turmeric. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, then add the tomato juice, chicken broth, and white wine. Add the chicken, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the chorizo, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Then....enjoy! (Serves 4-5 people)