Every jambalaya is different—this one has sherry and lots of mushrooms. Use wild mushrooms, like morels, if available.

1. Finely slice the onions; sauté in butter in a pan over medium heat until browned. Chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and rice to the onions and continue to heat for 5 minutes.

2. Slice the ham. Brown the ham and sausage in butter. Drain; slice the sausage into bite-size pieces. Cut the ham into strips.

3. Combine the meat, rice mixture, and broth in the slow cooker.

4. Cover and heat on a high setting for 1 hour, then on low for 3 to 4 hours.

5. Slice the mushrooms. Braise the mushrooms and shrimp in the sherry and butter in a pan over medium heat. Half an hour before serving, pour the mushroom and shrimp mixture over the other ingredients. Do not stir.

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Start a collection of antique cookbooks. In them you can find unique and fabulous menus and recipes. Look for these at used bookshops, rummage sales, swap meets, and library clearance sales. You might just find a new secret family recipe.