Leftovers are for lunches: Oh oh it's magic... you know...

Alrighty, so the clock is ticking towards a vacation. (A kid-free vacation - WHEEE!). My goal is to simply use up what I have on hand, freeze what can be frozen, and make like a bunny and disappear.

I also just bought my next kitchen trick...

An electric pressure cooker! I hope "cutting cook time by as much as 70% isn't an illusion...

It was on clearance at Walmart, my least favorite place on Earth... I consider it my consolation prize for having been there. Why hate on Walmart? I could give dozens of reasons but I think this picture sums it up:

After the cashier totaled up her items, she said, "I have to go to the ATM." Then she walked away and over to the ATM machine... and proceeded to get cash... after what seemed like 3 days but I think, in reality, was 10 minutes (an eternity in a checkout lane, after work, with a 7yo with adhd meds worn off, in cute shoes.) This is the type of nonsense that goes on around me every time I shop at Walmart. This never happens to me at Target. Why not just PAY with debit card instead of separate ATM transaction? Why not get cash first?

Back to dinner and this pressure cooker voodoo...

Assembled a hodge podge of ingredients... some sad celery, a couple of slightly wimpy peppers, a few pieces of leftover meats, and a partial carton of chicken broth. Hey - jambalaya sounds good... can I pressure cook that? Why yes... yes I can.... diced 2 peppers and 5 stalks of celery. Technically speaking, most cajun cooking starts with "the trinity" of peppers, celery, and onion... I get tired of the "are there pieces of ONION in this?" whining... I used some powdered onion... let them ferret that out. Jambalaya, I believe, is more about the flavors than exact ingredients. You could toss in shrimp, leave out the crab and use what ever meats you have... again, I don't make trips to the grocery store for an item or 2. It isn't worth my time and it's not really necessary to follow a recipe ingredient list "to a T". Improvise with what you have and spend that 20 mins to "run to the store for this ONE thing" to have a cup of tea, put your feet up, or both!

Next I rounded up the flavors. One jalapeno, diced small, salt-free cajun seasoning, and hot sauce for the table.

Gathered up my pantry staples...

and leftover chicken legs, pork chop, and some imitation crab meats.

Diced up the meats... not many ingredients or much prep work.

You could do this on the stovetop... but if you have a pressure cooker... this is now approx 20 minutes, including saute and "de-pressure" time, from being on the table. Not. Kidding.