Angies Pangies » Beans http://www.angiespangies.com Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:43:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The recipe that was once lost, but now is found: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice http://www.angiespangies.com/the-recipe-that-was-once-lost-but-now-is-found-slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice/ http://www.angiespangies.com/the-recipe-that-was-once-lost-but-now-is-found-slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:13:23 +0000 Angie Pangie http://www.angiespangies.com/?p=1791

You know what drives me crazy? It drives me crazy when I make a great dinner, but don’t write down what I did.

I only remember exactly what I did for about 12 hours. After that, it’s a crapshoot. I think it’s because I’m getting old I make so many new and interesting things that I purge the memories as I go along to make room for more ideas.

Exactly.

That’s what happened with this red beans and rice dish (RB&R). I made it. We loved it. I apparently didn’t write it down. I remembered to take the pictures though! When I sat down to write this post a few weeks ago I looked through my notebook and … nothing. GRR!

I shuffled the photos to the “future” folder and figured the next time I made RB&R I’d write it down. For sure! I love RB&R so it’s no big deal to make them again. And again. And … well, you know.

Then, as I was sitting on the couch contemplating how many hours I’d spent laying on the couch over the last week I looked down next to me and saw this note wedged between the couch cushions.

 

It’s the RB&R notes!

Yay!!! I totally did the happy dance while sitting on the couch and not putting any weight on my foot! Good news for everyone!!

RB&R are a Creole thing. They’re from Louisiana, and up here in the Midwest, they’re hard to find. When you do find them, you often wish you hadn’t – if you know what I mean? All the reason more to make your own.

Start out with a pound of small red kidney beans. Sort out any broken beans and soak them overnight in a covered container. I use a big gallon pitcher to soak my beans and I just leave it out on the counter until the next morning.

In the morning, drain the beans (this is why I like to use the pitcher – I just use the strainer option on the pitcher to pour out the water), rinse the beans and put them in the crock of your slow cooker.

Add 2 quarts (that’s 8 cups to you and me) of plain water and a couple of bouillon cubes (I have pork flavored cubes, which are delicious, but chicken stock or chicken bouilion in water will work, too.)

Put the lid on the crock, set it on low and cook for 4 hours.

After 4 hours, add onion, bell pepper (I used a combination of red and green bell pepper) and celery. Mix in the seasonings and add a bay leaf. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 3-4 hours on low – until the vegetables are soft.

Remove about 1 cup of beans and broth from the crockpot and smash the beans with a fork. Return these to the crock and stir gently. This helps give it a creamy texture – but you can skip this step if you prefer. This really should be the only time you need to stir the beans. Excessive stirring will give you cloudy, yucky mush because it breaks the beans apart too much. It still tastes o.k., but it sure doesn’t look too great.

I added smoked turkey sausage that I grilled cut into 1 inch slices and added them to the pot. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!

Serve this over white rice. Try not to overeat. They’re that good. I like them with cornbread – holla!

: Red Beans and Rice
  • 1 pound of red kidney beans
  • 2 quarts of stock or water mixed with bouillon
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 medium bay leaf
  • 1 pound of smoked sausage, cooked and sliced into 1 inch pieces
  • White rice, steamed

    Instructions
  1. Sort, rinse and soak the beans in water over night.
  2. Drain the beans, rinse and place them in the slow cooker. Add 2 quarts of water or stock.
  3. Put the lid on the crock, set it on low and cook for 4 hours.
  4. After 4 hours, add onion, bell pepper and celery. Mix in the seasonings and add a bay leaf. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 3-4 hours on low – until the vegetables are soft.
  5. If you want thicker beans, remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Remove 1 cup of the beans and mash them before returning to the pot for a creamier dish.
  6. Add sausage and heat through.
  7. Remove the bay leaf and serve over white rice.

Number of servings (yield): 8

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]]> http://www.angiespangies.com/the-recipe-that-was-once-lost-but-now-is-found-slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice/feed/ 0 Baked Beans from scratch from not-a-MommyBlogger http://www.angiespangies.com/baked-beans-from-scratch-from-not-a-mommyblogger/ http://www.angiespangies.com/baked-beans-from-scratch-from-not-a-mommyblogger/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:23:05 +0000 Angie Pangie http://www.angiespangies.com/?p=1352

In case you were wondering, Angie’s Pangies is not a Mommy Blog. It is true that I am a Mom and it is also true that this is a blog (or at least it plays one on the internet), but other than sharing the occasional story about Katie, Lily and Babs it’s really not intended to be a Mommy Blog. Having said that, please forgive me as I momentarily pretend I am a Mommy Blogger.

I was reading something over on a another blog about parenting and I got a little crabby. This particular flavor of rant was just one of those “How could you even THINK about having children if you don’t do things the way *I* do things.” Maybe I got crabby because I have special needs kids or maybe not, but I left the conversation feeling very defensive.

Sad thing is, as funny as it is to say “Don’t you judge me!” I’ve had my inadequate parenting skills constantly scrutinized. Fact is, and I’ll be the first to admit it, I often really stink at parenting. I started too young. I didn’t really like kids to begin with (hey, just keeping it real here) I absolutely detest playing with dolls and toys and I do LOTS of other stuff WRONG. I let too many things go, I try to be a friend when I need to be a parent, I let my kids deal with natural consequences when I should probably be doling out groundings and penalties and taking away privileges.

Every single time I’ve had to carry a screaming Lily out of the restaurant potato-sack-style while leaving behind a table of uneaten food I’ve felt the knots in my stomach begin. I’ve gotten everything from really incredulous looks to comments like “Give me a week with her and I bet she wouldn’t act that way!” Can I tell you how badly I just want to make it to the car with her so that we can get out of the public spotlight and regroup?

Goodness gracious, don’t even think about it letting it slip to folks how many hours of computer, video games and/or television my kids are allowed to watch. And – do you know what it’s like to have someone cluck their tongue at you at the grocery store when you agree to let your slightly overweight child pick a chocolate bar from the candy shelf at checkout? Yeah. I do.

I try every day to get better at parenting. I want to learn to like to play with my girls. I try to be firm and am learning when I’m being a push over. Ultimately, my girls  know I love them immensely and unconditionally and I tell them so every chance I can.

I’ve written all of this wondering “What is my point? Why am I putting this on my food blog? Why am I boring my readers to tears when all they want to know is how to make real baked beans?”

Here’s the scoop. Why do I love cooking and baking so much? Because I am good with food. Because I totally rock the kitchen scene. I can’t think of one person out there that would disagree with that statement. (I’m quite sure there is someone out there who would, but I don’t know them. Just sayin’.)

And, that is what I want to tell all of you. It is never too late to become what you might have been. I want to be a great parent and I’m going to keep working at that. If you want to be a great cook or writer or even a dog groomer – I want you to keep working at that. Leave the haters behind, because it can happen. I have faith in you.
xo,

AP

Oh, and also, here’s how to make those baked beans. I like mine just the way they are, but my family likes to squirt ketchup all over the top. Either way, they are delicious and [bonus!] not only do they taste better, but they are way cheaper to make than the canned variety.

: Delicious Slow Cooked Baked Beans

: Adapted from Woman’s Day

  1. 1 pound pinto beans
  2. 1 medium onion, diced
  3. 1/2 cup brown sugar (I use 1/4 cup of brown sugar Splenda blend – and am very happy with the results.)
  4. 1/4 C molasses
  5. 1/4 C cider vinegar
  6. 2 tsp. dry mustard
  7. 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  8. 1/2 tsp. salt
  1. Wash and soak beans overnight, or use the quick start method of boiling the beans in water for 10 minutes.
  2. Add all ingredients (except the salt) to the slow cooker and cover.
  3. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Before serving, stir in salt.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hour(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

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