MadMania

It might surprise you that I like to cook. I’m not the best, but I do all right. Here is my recipe for turning a box dinner into an awesome dinner:

Ingredients:

• 7 oz Box Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Black Beans and Rice
• 8 oz (1/2 package) Johnsonville New Orleans Andouille recipe spicy smoked sausage
• 7.5 oz (1/2 package) of  Hormel thick cut bone-in smoked pork chops
• 10 oz can Ro-Tel
• 1 large onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 TBL butter
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 3/4 cups water

Hardware:

• cutting board
• sharp knife
• 2 quart pot
• skillet
• cereal bowl

Instructions:

1. Put water, butter, bay leaves, Ro-Tel, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce in pot to simmer
2. Cut the sausages in half lengthwise and then cut into bite-size pieces and add to water
3. Chop onion into small pieces and put into one of the cereal bowls
4. Cut the celery stalks lengthwise and then into bite-size pieces and add to onions in cereal bowl
5. Heat up your skillet on high heat with a blob of bacon grease or olive oil in it
6. Cut up pork chops into bite-size pieces and put in the skillet
7. You just want to brown the pork chop pieces, then drop them into the pot
8. Turn up the heat on the pot to high
9. Now brown the onion and celery, and drop them into the pot
10. Once the pot is boiling, add the package of beans & rice, stir it in, and turn the heat to low
11. Cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If after 25 minutes it is still kind of soupy, I would cook it some more.
12. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, then serve.

Notes:

1. You can use less meat to save money. You can also use ham, if you like. I have used caribou once, but it wasn’t as good.
2. You can make the dish more spicy by using the Ro-Tel with habaneros.
3. You can omit the celery if you wish
4. You can also just combine everything without browning any of the ingredients; it’s up to you.
5. Be sure not to eat the bay leaves.
6. Andouille is pronounced “AHN-doo-ee.”