Plantation-Style
Red Beans and Rice
1
lb. dry red kidney beans
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 - 2 stalks of celery
Water to fill near top of pot
Bay leaves
Cayenne pepper
Parsley
Black pepper
1 Tbsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning
Choice of meat for seasoning - Ham, ham bone, salt pork or smoke sausage
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 - 2 stalks of celery
Water to fill near top of pot
Bay leaves
Cayenne pepper
Parsley
Black pepper
1 Tbsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning
Choice of meat for seasoning - Ham, ham bone, salt pork or smoke sausage
Rice:
2 cups rice
1 Tbsp. butter
4 cups water
2 cups rice
1 Tbsp. butter
4 cups water
Wash
red beans and soak. If I don't soak
mine, I cook them a few hours. If
soaked, they'll cook quicker. Wash and
cut seasonings. Brown or saute
seasonings to taste, including the ones you enjoy and leaving out the ones you
may not like. If using smoke sausage,
you may brown it with the seasonings.
Pour
seasonings into pot with beans. Add
meat. Let come to a boil and then simmer
until done. I recommend cooking at least
two hours. A ham bone provides the best
flavoring in my opinion.
You
may turn the fire to low and let the beans simmer or just keep warm after two
hours. You can also cook using a crock
pot, but you should put them on very early in the morning and let them slow
cook all day. If cooking on the top of a
stove, you will need to continually add water to them as it cooks out until
they are nearly done. Then, let them
cook down so the gravy is thick and red.
Boil
rice about thirty minutes before serving time.
Let two cups of rice, four cups of water and 1 Tbsp. of butter come to a
boil, turn to low and let the water cook out of the rice.
River Oaks
Plantation - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think
With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
River
Oaks Plantation 1856 - The minute the horse and buggy drew up in front of it,
Margaret Jane Turnrow knew she'd found the home of her dreams. In a trance, she sat spellbound and stared. The majestic beauty from the long
white-shelled drive, the huge live oak trees dripped with Spanish moss, and the
white-columned splendor of the large two-story antebellum home made her heart
flutter. She fell in love at first
sight, and that first view of the large white house sitting behind massive oaks
took her breath away.
Margaret
and her new husband Danny have just returned from their honeymoon to their new
thirty-five hundred acre Louisiana home.
Danny's promise to "Maggie" is to become a wealthy planter and
make them rich with the growing of cotton and sugarcane. But then comes the
war. Will they be able to survive the
war without losing everything they have worked so hard for?
River
Oaks Plantation 2005 - On August 29th, Amaryllis Camilla O'Brien eased her red metallic
Chevy Camaro down River Road. After
driving all night in horrible wind and rain, she couldn't wait to reach the
plantation. Her heart thudded against her chest the closer she got. The best summers of her life were the ones
she'd spent under shady oaks with her grandmother. And now with the passing of her grandmother
the plantation was hers.
When
"Cammie" stepped from her car and made it into her home she found
more than she could ever expect. She
found an old friend from the past, but she also found that she had picked the
worse time ever to return to the plantation.
Her return came just in time to experience one of the worse hurricanes
Louisiana had ever faced - Katrina.
River
Oaks Plantations is made up of two stories that become one. The struggles to survive and to keep River
Oaks alive are more than most could possibly endure. But with the help of God, both generations
stand firm, determined to keep going no
matter what. This is one of the most
beautiful books I've ever read. I've
read all books written by this Author and each time I think I've read the best
for her to come through with one that tops the last. If you're looking for a book that will fill
you with love and life, this is the book for you.
This
book actually has an extra treat. At the
end you'll find a recipe for Allie's Famous Louisiana Cornbread Dressing to go
along with the Red Beans and Rice!