Red Beans and Rice #recipe @vmburns

 VMBURNS: It's a new month and I'm still feeling the New Orleans vibe. So, I tried Red Beans & Rice. This is NOT an authentic, Cajun recipe. It's an EASY recipe for red beans and rice that I found online and tweaked. The house smelled WONDERFUL. It tasted pretty darned good, too. What changes? I reduced the amount of cayenne pepper a smidge from 1 Teaspoon to 1/2 Teaspoon. I  increased the amount of smoked sausage from 8 oz. to 12 oz. I added Paprika because I like the flavor. Oh, and I reduced the amount of garlic from 3 cloves to 2 cloves because garlic doesn't love me anymore. I used smoked sausage because that's what I had in the fridge. I almost ordered Andouille sausage, but decided to keep things simple. Again, this isn't an authentic recipe, but it had the same vibe as the traditional meal I enjoyed at Bouchercon. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried red kidney beans
• 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz smoked sausage
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme, dried
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 Cups chicken broth
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Cup long grain white rice
• 
  

Instructions

1. Rinse the dried red beans under cold water and soak them overnight in water.
   
   
   
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery until softened (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
   
   
   
3. Stir in sliced sausage and cook until slightly browned.
   
   
   
4. Add cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper; mix well.
   
   
   
5. Incorporate soaked beans and chicken broth into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour or until beans are tender.
   
   
   
6. While the beans simmer, cook the rice according to package instructions.
   
   
   
7. Serve warm red beans over rice and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
   
   
   

• READERS:  What foods make you think of New Orleans? Red Beans and Rice? Jambalaya?  Gumbo? Crawfish? Po Boys? Beignets? So many choices. So little time. Let me know in the comments below. 

ICING ON THE MURDER

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder . . .

Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success, and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be better: the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.

Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.

While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.

BUY LINK