Recipes from this morning's show...Jambalaya, my Beer Bread, and White Beans with "Red Stuff Relish!"

JAMBALAYA

WHITE BEANS

“RED STUFF”

BEER BREAD

JAMBALAYA

8 boneless pork chops, cubed

1 lb. pack smoked sausage (I use Hillshire Farm)

1 large bell pepper, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 T minced garlic (fresh is best)

2 cups uncooked rice

Water

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/3 jar of the medium-sized picante’ sauce

1 T each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

2 T Cajun seasoning or to taste

Slice the sausage and sauté’ in a large ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid until browned.  Remove sausage with a slotted spoon, reserving as much grease in the pot as possible, and set aside. (This dish is best in a cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy-duty pan with a lid)  In a SEPARATE skillet, sauté’ pork chops in about 1 T oil over medium-high heat just until pinkness is gone.  Remove pork from skillet and put with sausage to the side.  Now add all chopped veggies and garlic to the sausage grease.  Sauté’ over medium-high heat until the veggies become very dark, stirring often.  This process takes about 15 minutes.  Now place the soup and picante sauce in a 4-cup measuring cup then add enough water until you reach the 4-cup mark.  Add this mixture and all the seasonings to the veggies, and bring to a boil.  It’s important to taste at this point after you have added all the seasonings.  It’s best if it’s a little salty because the rice will absorb a lot of the salt.  Once water is boiling, reduce heat and stir in rice.  Turn the heat down to a simmer and when most of the water has evaporates and the rice starts to come to the top.  Place the lid on the pot and put into a 350 oven for 30 minutes.  Turn the burner as low as it will go, put the lid on and cook for 30 minutes.   After 30 minutes, carefully remove the pot from the oven, remove lid and stir well.  Serves 8-10

BEER BREAD

1 stick butter

3 cups Bisquick

½ cup sugar

1 can beer, room temperature

Place a stick of butter in a loaf pan, and put in a 350 oven for about 5 minutes or until melted.  Mix remaining ingredients.  Pour over melted butter, and do not stir.  Bake for 50-55 minutes.

WHITE BEANS

16-ounce bag dried navy beans or ham beans

½ lb. smoked sausage, chopped

1 small bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 T each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Rinse beans and throw out any bad ones.  Place in a large pot and cover with water; soak overnight.  The next day, rinse beans and drain well; set aside.  In a large pot, sauté’ the sausage, onion and bell pepper together until browned.  Add beans to this mixture and pour enough water in the pot just to cover beans.  Add seasonings, cover and cook on medium low for 1 ½ to 2 hours.  If you’d like the beans to be thicker, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to ½ cup of water and stir into the beans.  Serve with “Red Stuff!”

“RED STUFF”

2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped

2 jalapenos seeded and chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 T sugar

White vinegar

In a bowl, place tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and sugar; stir well.  Cover with vinegar and stir once more.  Place in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.  This is wonderful over beans!