All day today the weather here was hot and humid.  Clouds rolled in around noon time and the wind
gently started to pick up.By 4pm the temperature was still warm but starting to drop slightly.  The
whole day was weather surreal as after it started to rain the temperature must have dropped 15-20
degrees.  Clearly I must have known this was happening because I was planning on making a
small pot of Red Beans and Rice for dinner.  I really had no idea but the weather turning chilly fall-ish
definitely made a warm pot of rice and beans taste even better.  The Cajun Chicken wings I paired
it with certainly helped as well. 
     Here we have another one of those dishes that for those who grew up with it brings up territorial
do's and don'ts on how to make it.  Since I'm not from N'Awlins, nor pretend to be, let's just call this
my way of making a quick pot of Red Beans and Rice as a nice entree or sidedish.  This is my pre-
emptive strike on the foodie police who may send a S.W.A.T. team over my flatscreen for not making
this "the proper way". There, i've said it.  I'll stand by my little version, we enjoyed it immensely tonight
for dinner.  I think I'm close to proper so here goes:
Dice one medium onion and saute' until soft in 1 tbs. of vegetable oil. About 5 minutes into the saute' add
1/8 cup of finely diced Andouille Sausage and 1/2 of a green bell pepper finely diced as well.  Add 1/2
tsp. of salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Let this saute' on medium, stir frequently for at least 10
minutes. This gives all those flavors a chance to meld.  Now add 1 tsp. of fresh chopped thyme and
one bay leaf.  Cook for another 2 minutes,  Add 2 squirts of Tabasco sauce.  Drain 1can of Red
Kidney Beans and add to the pot.  Fill the can with water and add it to the pot, blend everything well and
bring it up to a boil. Let this simmer
for about 5 minutes, then add 1 1/2 cups of cooked White Rice.  Blend well, add and additional
1/2 cup of water, check for seasoning, you may want to add more salt and pepper, but taste it
first.  Let this simmer down until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes or less.  Make
sure you stir so the beans and the rice do not stick to the bottom of the pan.  Add a few shakes of
Tabasco at the end of the cooking and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. 


serve with whatever you like, I baked some Cajun spiced Chicken Wings to go with it.  Please
take note, it serves about 4-5, and pass the extra Tabasco around the table..!