Unspicy Red Beans and Rice

COLD! Cold, cold, cold. The low as the cool front came through last night was supposed to be in the mid 50s. Instead in dropped to low 40s with a wind howling rating of 25-30 mph. And guess where the winter gear was? In storage, of course. Needing a warm up from the toes up Louisiana Style Red Beans and Rice was the hot ticket. An all day for warm toast red beans and rice, not the stuff from the can.

Modifications Made:

Beans were not soaked overnight. Not really understanding the need for fresh onion and garlic and powdered onion and garlic. Therefore only fresh was used. Meat was browned into large bits, beans and all other ingredients were added and allowed to cook until beans were tender. Water and seasonings were adjusted as needed. A splash of tabasco sauce was added when beans were just about done. Since the beans were cooked low and slow, smashing of the beans to make a thick consistency was really not needed.

Scaled for Likability:
The splash of vinegar based hot sauce added a nice tang to the pot of unspicy red beans. But it is better to have not spicy beans than beans too spicy to eat. Eating with a running nose is not my idea of fun dinners. For a simple and easy to follow red beans and rice recipe this was a great starting point. However, the lack of a good strong, dark rue is a major element to Cajun food and this depth was clearly missing. Would I eat these again, absolutely. Are they real, not like what we are used to eating at the local Cajun restaurants.

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes for flavored tomatoes, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one can tomato sauce, two low sodium chicken and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots, juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almost tender. Green beans and corn tossed in, heat t

Way Too Rich, Extra Heavy Cheesecake

Pictures are deceptive. What this picture of this recipe does not show is how old and faded the print out paper is, how many stains are smudged across various spots, and the numerous notes written in the top right corner with the first one dating back to college days in 2001. Yikes, twenty years ago makes this paper print out old, no wait, that makes me old. Eek. Sadly, my current living quarters do not allow for cooking of this cheesecake. In fact the last time this recipe has been made have been close to six or seven years. That is just too long. Too long. Luckily, we are spending Spring Break at family with a real oven. A family who will help eat this oh so rich, very decadent, supremely yummy cheesecake. Modifications Made: There are four keys to a successful cheesecake. ONE: all ingredients must be room temperature. If your house is ice chest cold, then warm the ingredients on the stovetop. TWO: do not over mix. Excessive mixing creates air pockets resulting in split mi

The Great Freeze 2021 Vegetable Broth

Good grief, this cold snap. Every year I wish and wish for cold weather so this table can eat soups without melting. Well this year winter came and came with a vengeance. Two days below freezing with no water, no power, no internet/cell service. It's the dark ages. If you need more info just search for Texas Grid Failure 2021 . Yes, this tragic affair has its own wiki page. Good grief. Did you know that if temperatures drop below freezing for too long, refrigerators will not keep your cold stuff from freezing? Well, they don't. And with 17℉ temps, this tables fridge contents froze. What to do with a fridge full of frozen fresh veggies? Veggie stock. No recipe was used, it was just all the veggies in the fridge (white and yellow onions, garlic, jalapeno, green onions, three roma tomatoes, celery, two russet potatoes, seven carrots, and a red and green bell pepper) salt and pepper, and enough water to just touch the top layer of veggies. I did not want the veggies floa

Eating Waffles

Search This Blog