Seamus and I hadn't had friends over in a long time; the past two weeks we were out of town, and before that we were both bogged down with work and school. Now that it is time for the playoffs in football, we figured it would be the perfect time to whip something up and have friends over to watch the game.

Neither Shea or I had ever made paella before, but we both love it. We thought we would give this recipe a try because it had the combo of sasauge, chicken, and seafood we were looking for, but wasn't as complicated as some of the other recipes we looked at online. We added pimento peppers at the end for extra flavor and color; this was a huge hit!

Seafood-and-Chicken Paella with Chorizo

Courtesy of Food and Wine at http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/seafood-and-chicken-paella-with-chorizo

1. 4 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed
2. 1 small onion, thinly sliced
3. 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
4. 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
5. 1 cup arborio rice
6. Pinch of saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
7. 1 1/2 cups water
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
10. 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
11. 1/4 cup dry white wine
12. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
13. 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
14. 1/2 pound cockles, scrubbed and rinsed
15. 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, preferably dark meat (8 ounces)
16. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
17. 1 scallion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a 10-inch paella pan or ovenproof skillet, cook the chorizo over moderate heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until some of the fat is rendered and the chorizo is browned, 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened and just beginning to brown, 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, saffron with its liquid and the 1 1/2 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, without stirring, until the rice is al dente and the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning once, until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the rice. Discard the oil.
3. Wipe out the skillet. Pour in the wine and lemon juice. Add the mussels and cockles, cover and cook, shaking the skillet, until the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Pour the mussels and cockles and their cooking liquid over the rice.
4. Stir the cooked chicken into the rice. Cover and cook in the oven for about 5 minutes, until the paella is just heated through. Garnish with the parsley and scallion, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and serve.