Beans and Rice

I know this dish is not the most appetizing food you will ever see on a blog. This is brown food, the food of children, the food of happy husbands. This dish takes 5 minutes of effort, so Momma is happy because she gets to play with her family.

I got the original recipe from my mother in law the day after we brought the boys home from the hospital. We changed it a bit because Big Daddy Awesome and I are carnivores.

The exceedingly simple ingredients:

1 cup of rice (we use brown rice)
2 cans of original Ranch Style beans (I don't think there's even a comparable store brand version)
1 1/2 - 2 cups of salsa (we use the bottled type, medium heat, because this is not the kind of recipe you'd waste homemade salsa on)
4 bratwurst (We use Johnsonville, either all beef or the Beddar Cheddar varieties. Any type will do, even plain hotdogs.)
Cheddar cheese

Put the rice and 2 1/2 cups of water on to boil. Cook per directions on the bag.

In a seperate pot, turn the heat on to medium and add in the Ranch Style beans. I always skim off any fat that has accumulated at the top because it grosses me out. Add in the salsa and stir. The mixture should not be too thick. Slice the bratwurst or hotdogs vertically in half and then slice into discs. Add the bratwurst into the beans. Cover the pot and cook on medium while the rice finishes cooking.

Go play with your kids and deny that laundry is your responsibility until the rice is finished cooking.

Check on the beans after about 15 minutes and stir to keep anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat on the beans down to low.

Add the cooked rice into the bean mixture, stir well, and put the lid back on. Cook on low to medium low for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Lie profusely to your child who doesn't like cheese, telling him there is no cheese stirred into his beans and rice.

My in laws like to saute onions in olive oil until softened and put them on top of the beans and rice.

Bask in the glow of your children's love while they are eating beans and rice and telling you how wonderful you are!