Lesley and I spent Christmas in Blizzard City, NJ. This place was known as Wall Township before December 26, when it started to snow and snow and snow. After 32 inches, it stopped. We stayed a day longer than we planned, but had a great time.
There is not a lot of agreement between us about who was in charge of packing my cell phone. The short answer is that it is still on vacation in Blizzard City with a dead battery. Every day or so, I call and get my voice mail. So far I have not missed any really urgent calls. I haven’t made any calls either since the only place I have everyone’s phone number is on my cell phone.
My phone and I will be reunited in a couple of weeks, but until then I guess I’ll just continue to relax and take it easy.
Here is a recipe I made for Lesley last weekend. I stole it from somewhere.
Red Beans and Rice
1 pound dried red kidney beans
2 quarts water
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup bacon fat or lard
1 pound smoked ham or tasso, cubed
1 pound smoked sausages, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon whole fresh thyme leaves
2 level teaspoons salt
Pick through beans, removing all bad beans and any other foreign particles. Wash beans well. Place beans in 5 quart pot. Add the 2 quarts of water. Let sit overnight.
Drain and rinse beans and pot. Put beans back into pot with 2 quarts water. Add the onions and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let beans boil slowly for 1 hour. When beans are soft, stir well, mashing some against side of pot.
Heat fat in a frying pan. Add the ham and sausage and saute for 5 minutes. Then add the sausage, ham, and fat to beans. Deglaze pan with the cup of water, then pour into beans. Add all other ingredients. Let simmer for another hour with the lid on. Remove the lid and let it reduce until it is as thick as you want. Remove bay leaf, correct seasoning, and serve over rice.
Tom
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