Liv and Belle Cook: Red Beans

With football season here and the hope of cooler weather upon us, it's time to bring out
my favorite winter recipes: gumbo, chili, and our family's all time favorite red beans and
rice.  Red beans and rice are a Louisiana staple, one of those meals that fills your home
with amazing smells and can feed a huge crowd on a small budget.  It's the perfect meal to
make on a busy family day as you literally throw everything into a big pot and let it go,
taking breaks between your favorite football games or around the house projects to stir it
all together.  Here we share our family recipe for red beans and rice.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried red beans
8 cups water
2 large white onions, chopped
1 large green bellpepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Few shakes of Tabasco sauce
1 lb of smoked sausage or 1 meaty ham bone, your choice

Chop smoked sausage into small pieces, brown in a skillet with a few shakes of your
favorite Cajun seasoning.  I love Slap Ya Mama (Yes, that is really what it's called).  You
may also use ham in your beans.  Crack the bone and drop it in the pot: my grandmother
said that the bone marrow added flavor.  You can also leave the meat out all together for
a vegetarian dish packed with flavor.

Chop up all of your veggies.  I just purchased this Vidalia Chop Wizard and LOVE it.  I can
chop up all my veggies in no time and it doubles as a measuring cup.  It's super easy to
clean, too.

Place sausage, veggies, and water in a big, heavy pot.  Bring to a slow boil, stir, cover, 
lower heat.  Let simmer for 6-8 hours.  Stir occasionally throughout cooking time.  Tip: 
you can cut your cooking time in half by soaking your dried red beans in a bowl full of 
water overnight.  Also, you can throw this whole recipe in your crockpot if you have to 
leave home.  Just set on low heat and cook for 8 hours.

{Ask your Cajun Papa to taste test for you for good measure!}

Now serve over a bed of rice with a side of cornbread and enjoy!