Bad Blogger.

Yep. That's me. I'm a bad blogger. I have to give MUCHO credit to all the food lovers who manage to post on a regular basis.

Anyways, yes, I have been cooking, eating, and enjoying life in general. It's been a busy year and it's only 19 days in. Work has been....work. I've been enjoying many weekends in the Napa Valley, mostly hanging out, watching tivo'ed episodes of "No Reservations", and cooking with my man.

An update on what I've made in the eons since I've last posted:

More Pomegranate Chicken ( you HAVE to try this recipe, which is by Gluten Free Girl....who is fantastic!). I sprinkle my pistachios and cashews at the end after everything is cooked and on a serving platter, which adds a nice crunch.

A whole leg of lamb with lemon risotto. This came out pretty nice. I misread the directions and anticipated it cooking much faster than it did. The risotto didn't hold up as well as I'd hoped while waiting for it's friend, but everybody enjoyed it.

The BEST macaroni and cheese that I've ever had in my entire life (ok, I may be a bit biased), but it was fantastic...Again, other's agreed. I'll post that recipe in the next few days.

BUT!

The recipe I'm gonna post today is for Red Beans and Rice. I cobbled this together using a bunch of recipes I'd read online. It came out spicy and delicious....and it made so much that the leftovers fed several people for quite a few days. There is still some left, I think.

This is a good thing...because like most people, my New Year's resolution was trim down on spending. The beans are cheap, and really, so are most of the vegetables. The andouille sausage may be the most costly thing in it....which can be left out if you are a vegetarian or very frugal. The rest of ingredients were laying around my veggie drawer waiting to get used. No picture because, honestly, it's not that pretty. It just tastes good!

Kami's Red Beans and Rice:

Prep the beans:

I bought a 1lb bag of red beans and soaked them overnight.

The next day, I boiled them in water and leftover white wine with bay leaves until they were soft but not mushy.

To put it together:

1 T. olive oil
1 small green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small red pepper, 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow pepper, 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
(aka the "holy trinity")
1/2 lb of okra (I saw these in the store and couldn't resist them)
8 cloves of garlic, chopped (yes, I love garlic)
1 jalapeno (mine beans and rice were SPICY)
1/2 lb of andouille sausage (any smoked sausage will work, I think)
a chunk of ham, or whatever salty smoky meat you have laying around. ( I used a bit of salt pork)
2 heaping tablespoons of cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste ( I used some applewood smoked seasalt)
1 small can of tomato sauce
Water to cover the whole mess

To cook:

1. Saute peppers, onions, and celery in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and jalapeno, and stir until garlic fragrant.

2. Add sausage and brown it a bit. Mix in the cajun seasoning and cook for about or minute. Stir in salt and pepper.

3. Add the beans and cover by a few inches with water. Add tomato sauce. Throw smoky meat in, and cover.

4. Stir on occasion for as long as it takes to get the whole to desired consistency (mine cooked for about 2 hours).

5. Serve over cooked white rice. The leftovers are good.

YUM!