Ole!

i'm really enjoying our new kitchen and all the fun toys we received from the wedding and love making all these "fancy" dishes that i used to always reserve for special occasions...like paella!

though i gotta say, part of the problem is that some of these dishes loose their "specialness" and paella is one of them. don't get me wrong, it's still yummy, but definitely doesn't feel "fancy" anymore. oh well, at least i get to eat it more often now!

Ingredients:
- Saffron threads or turmeric
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 diced onion
- 2-3 minced cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of white wine
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- chorizo sausage
- 1 grilled chicken breast
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- diced bell peppers (1 red and 1 green)
- various seafoods (shrimp, squid, mussels, clams, etc)
- peas
- *any other veggies/meats you feel like tossing in

Directions:
* Boil saffron threads (optional, you can use turmeric instead if you want. honestly, the saffron didnt have much fragrance or flavor, so turmeric will work just fine for color purposes) and shrimp peels in chicken stock (for extra flavor).
* Saute onions in oil until soft, then add garlic, then bell peppers
* Saute chorizo sausage to release the oils and get a bit of char and squid if desired
* Saute rice until coated with oil
* Add in cubed grilled chicken
* Add wine and chicken stock and tomato puree (optional)
* Salt and pepper as needed
* Boil until most just slightly more watery than you like it (and bottom is starting to crisp)
* Sprinkle shrimp, mussels and other more delicate seafood/toppings and peas
* Cover and steam the toppings
* Open and enjoy!