Red Beans and Rice *Crockpot*

Hello?  Anyone still there?  I'm sorry; I've been gone a looooong time.  Life has been pretty busy.  The busier it gets, the less I cook pretty food.  Sad fact.  BUT - I have been using my crockpot a LOT.  Like at least twice a week.  So I thought I'd share some red beans and rice with you.  This is a family favorite, comfort food at its best.  My kids will eat beans and rice without fail.  They would eat it every night if I would allow.  And it is so nice to come home to a meal that's ready to go and waiting on you.

You actually start this the night before you cook it.  Open up your beans, rinse them and put them in a pot.  Cover the beans with water.  Make sure there's a lot of water in there (at least 2-3 inches over the top of the beans).  Put the lid on the pot and leave it just like that on the counter over night.  This softens the beans so you'll get a better consistency when you cook them.

When you wake up drain your beans in a collander, rinse them (I'm told this removes the gas from the beans) and put them in your crock pot.

Add your liquid.  Best case senario is stock.  If you don't have any, you can use water.  If I use water, I usually add bullion or brown gravy mix.

Add onions, garlic, bell pepper (you can buy this pre chopped, or chop them the night before when you put your beans soaking) and seasoning.

You can either add your sausage straight from the fridge, or cook it first.  I've done it both ways with no complaints from the crowd.  It really depends on how much time you have.  I prefer the taste and texture of browning it on the stove first, but some days I'm short on time and I throw it in the crock pot without even bothering to cut it.

That's really all there is to it.  Put the lid on your crock pot and let it do it's thing.

Serve over rice (which can also be made the night before if you know you'll have a hungry crew when you walk in the door).

When All Else Fails...

Life is busy.  It's been so very busy.  I could list all the reasons why, but I bet one thing: we all have busy lives.  Everything's been so crazy around here that I decided to skip bible study tonight and just stay home.  I was all the way home, with all 3 kids unloaded from the car before I stopped to think about the fact that I had no clue whatsoever about what to do for dinner. 

We had a pack of chicken tenderloins in the fridge.  There were some sweet peppers left from the market this weekend.  I found some evaporated milk in the pantry (don't wince, it's the perfect substitution for cream).  I decided to go with what I know.  When all else fails butter + cream will save the day.

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a reminder.  You can probably make a meal with what you have on hand if you just get creative and confident.

So here's what I did:  I melted some butter in a pan and added in the chicken (tenderloin strips), straight from the package.  I sprinkled on some Tony's and threw the bacon press on top.  After a few minutes, I flipped the chicken.  I added some onion and sweet peppers, because I had them and they would probably go bad in a day or two.  While that was all cooking {and smelling pretty good} I poked around the fridge for more ideas.  There was a little bit of the chili paste I'd used making Citrus-Chili Chicken, so I decided to add that.

In a bowl, I whisked a can of evaporate milk, what was left in the jar of chili paste and a little flour.  I poured that in and continued to add a little bit of this and that.  We ended up with a nice, quick meal that I didn't have to think about or plan.

Don't be afraid of your kitchen.  Melt some butter in a pan then add cream and flour (whisk this in a separate bowl first) --- you just made cream sauce.

Too thick?  Thin it our with a little chicken stock.

Too thin?  Add more flour - or cheese(!)

Bland?  Add in some vegetables, the end of a jar of something that's in the fridge, lemon juice, a seasoning packet... whatever you want!

Just remember: Butter + Cream + whatever flavorings you've got lying around = easy weeknight pasta.  And who doesn't need a good cream sauce after a busy day?

Linking up at Tidy Mom

Easy Quesadillas

Did I say easy?  I meant super-fast-and-easy-and-every-body-loves-them!  For weeknight dinners fast is an absolute MUST.  The entire mood of the house changes once the bellies are full (kids and adults)!

Here's how we do quesadillas on-the-quick.

Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (leftover chicken from the fridge works great, too!).

And some black beans... we used Bush's Grillin' Beans this time, they're tasty and it was faster than heating up beans and corn separately.  Use whatever you've got on hand that looks yummy to you!

De-bone the chicken and shred the meat.

Throw the shredded meat in a deep pan on the stove and heat it up with a packet of taco seasoning mix and water.

Grab a small skillet, spray with cooking spray and throw on a tortilla.

Add shredded cheese, seasoned chicken, beans and (you guessed it) salsa

Fold it over and smash it down with a spatula.

Flip to the other side for even heating/browning.  The one below is not brown.  The kids kinda freak out at the grill marks, so I try not to get theirs brown.  I like them, so I leave it a little longer.

Try these today.  You know you don't feel like cooking on a Friday night....it's been a long week!