This may be the EASIEST red beans and rice recipe EVER. I adapted it from Southern Living. It’s a one stop, one pot dish.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 Bell Peppers (colors, your choice), diced

1 Yellow Onion, diced

1 Pound DRIED Red Beans, do NOT soak, you may rinse/sort

1 Pound (or more) Sausage, cut

1 Ham Hock, leave this in there because when you reheat it, it’ll keep adding flavor

Spices (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika (all-time fave).)

Cooked Rice

Directions:

Put everything in the crock-pot. Cover with 7-8 cups of water. Set on 6 hours and go about your day. Before you serve it, taste for seasoning. I like to serve it with warm, crusty (terrible description) bread.

So, red beans and rice reminds me of football season, probably because I usually make it during football season. Yes, in the South, football has its own season. Recently, I had to explain to my Yankee…not the baseball team…friend that football in the South is serious business, it’s downright religious.  Bless her heart, she’s from Delaware and just doesn’t know.  If you’re not from the South, let me explain.  College football is every Saturday during the fall, y’all.  Being from the ‘Sip, you’re either a State fan or an Ole Miss fan.  You’re not both.  You can have a house divided, though. Hail State can marry Hotty Toddy. I married an Alabama guy.  Roll Tide….Google it.  But, EVERY social event is planned around football.  She wanted to have us and another couple over for dinner, but it was the Alabama vs. Ole Miss game.  No go.  People will not come to a wedding if there’s a big game scheduled for that day.  Seriously.  If you are missing guests at your wedding due to football, that’s your fault, my friend.  You should have been more considerate and looked at the schedule.  If you’re new to the South…you’re welcome for that invaluable piece of advice.