Outside of smoking meat, are there and amateur chefs on here. We rarely go out for dinner and prefer to cook at home. Only special occasions do we venture out.
Both wife and I cook. I do a lot of Chinese dishes and make stuff up based on what we have.
Recently, the wife was in Orange tending to her mom in hospice. No leftovers available. I took olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes chopped and sauteed them up. After they were pretty well cooked I added a cube of frozen pesto and frozen shrimp we bought in Port Isabel. Added the mess to spaghetti. It turned out great.
It seems like you cook like I do. A little of this, of that, I wonder if this will work? Onions, garlic and pesto never hurt anything, and usually helps.
Hereâs the red beans recipe (originally from Treebeardâs Restaurant in Houston). Iâve edited and commented where necessary.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb (I make 2 lbs at a time â they freeze well and make a good, quick meal)
dried [red kidney beans]
(use Camellia red kidney beans if you can get them, otherwise use the best looking beans that you can find)
2 quarts [water]
(Just cover the beans with about 1 inch of water. If it cooks down, just add a little at a time. Donât let the beansget exposed or they will not cook properly)
2 medium [onions], chopped (I use large, white onions. Chop all vegetables into 1/2" or smaller pieces.)
2 stalks [celery] chopped (I use ½ of a bunch per lb.)
1â2 (I use 2 bell peppers per lb of beans)
Large green [bell pepper] chopped
(Onions, bell peppers, and celery are collectively known as âthe Trinityâ in Louisiana. To lower vegetable liquid levels, some people put all 3 in a large skillet at cook them down at low-med heat for a while before adding to red beans.)
(in addition to the above vegetables, I mince 1-2 large cloves of garlic and throw it in. Skip this if you donât like garlic)
2 1â2 teaspoons [salt (I donât measure salt, just salt to taste. I use garlic salt, but we like garlic.)
Skip the below thyme, oregano, garlic powder, and cayenne. Online, you can buy Morton & Bassett â Cajun Spice Blend - HEB usually has it. I use about 1/3 of jar for each lb of beans. Add when initially bringing beans to boil and keep adding to taste.
1 1â2
~~teaspoons [thyme]
1 1â2
~~teaspoons [oregano]
1 1â4
~~teaspoons [garlic powder]
3â4
~~teaspoon [cayenne pepper]
I also use tabasco (real Tabasco, no substitutes!). 4-5 good squirts at the beginning of the boil and then add to taste. Iâd err on the light side as you can always add it when served if needed. Donât want to burn out any loved ones!) (side anecdote: my uncle in Louisiana would take a plate of white rice and make it red with Tabasco, then eat it with a spoon. Cast iron stomach)
2-4
[bay leaves]
1
lb [smoked sausage] cut in 1/2-inch slices (I use andouille if available. If not, a good lightly smoked pork sausage works.)
DIRECTIONS
Sort and wash red beans. In a large soup pot, add 2 qrts cold water and red beans. Let soak overnight. (To speed up the process, you can bring them to a boil, simmer 2 minutes, remove from heat and let stand 1 hour before the next step.) ~~DO NOT DRAIN WATER!~ (I strongly disagree. The soak water contains much of the beanâs âgastro-intestinal potencyâ if you catch my drift. I always drain and use new water to boil.)
Add onions, celery, and bell pepper to beans and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. DO NOT STIR MORE THAN NECESSARY. (and take care to not scrape the bottom where beansmight have burned in place. Simmer at as low heat as possible. We have a thick walled large deep pot that works better for heat distribution than a thin walled gourmet pot)
Stir in seasonings and sausage. Simmer 30 minutes more. (see above for seasonings instructions.)
Meanwhile cook a pot of rice, and serve the beans over the hot cooked rice, garnished with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onion. (very untraditional, but weâve come to love jasmine rice instead of standard white rice)
Note: Donât stir more than necessary - you donât want mushy beans. If you want thicker beans, remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time, or remove 1/2 cups of the beans and mash them before returning to the pot.
