It is pretty nice here today and.....the days are getting longer! We're having a rigatoni casserole. For most people that with a side salad should be enough but DH will ask where is the meat so I'm making a side of sausage and peppers to please him. DS is still visiting so that should make him happy, too.

We're having a lovely afternoon, about 68 degrees, but it will be freezing tonight. Perfect for sleeping.

Dinner will be a green salad and a spinach/cheese lasagna - leftovers from Christmas Eve. Yum.

I don't know how I pulled it off, but we had a meatless meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and Creamy Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup.

I've been soooooo very bad eating my goodies for the never happened Christmas, and feel stuffed all the time.

Ended up a Burger King, it is rare that I go fast food, and had their mushroom swiss burger. Pretty good, but small. No fries.

Think my pb butter fudge is getting the best of me.

Pot of red beans and sausage and rice. I have been craving red beans and rice.

Georgysmom, I always look forward to Dec. 21 knowing the days will start getting a longer. Even a minute a day makes a difference, doesn't it? I love Nita's recipe for rigatoni with sausage recipe. I need to make that again soon.

Mary c, do you have the recipe for the spinach/cheese lasagna? I sure would love to have it. I try to have a meatless meal every week, but it has to be special--and that sounds really special!

Raven, I was thinking about red beans/sausage/rice today. Something a little spicy sounds good after all the rich stuff.

Tobygirl, I bet your dinner is/was delicious. The soup sounds wonderful, but the grilled cheese sounds even better.

Glenda, I've had to put some of the goodies in the freezer (even though there is no room). I know what you mean about feeling stuffed--and I have only had one (maybe 2 or 3) pieces of peanut butter fudge.

Raven, a recipe for Red Beans and Rice caught my eye last week and I posted it on the daily recipe thread. It made me think of you, and I wonder if it's similar, or at least Cajun in flavour. I should hunt it up and have you critique it.

It sounds tasty to me.

I forgot to post our dinner.

I remembered to have the leftover stuffing today. So I heated that with hashbrowns made out of yesterday's boiled potatoes. BLSL chicken breasts with herb goat cheese in the centre and breaded. DH is really full, he says, as he's doing the dishes. Apple cobbler warming in the oven for later.

Cheryl and I picked up lunch today and took some to Amber's and ate. I had a plate of fried fish, home fries, cottage cheese and a whole wheat roll, so not too hungry this evening. I will probably just have a pint of milk. Having a heat wave here today, it got up to 33 in my neck of the woods and now it is 29 out. It is really to warm up tomorrow to 45, have a tiny bit of snow left on the ground.

Sue in Indiana

RC, this is the red beans and rice recipe I posted. Does it sound good to you?

Louisiana-Style Red Beans and Rice (Kalyn's Kitchen)

1 large onion, diced small
2-3 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp creole seasoning
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste --salt isn't necessary because of the Creole seasoning
4 cups cooked small red beans (or use 3 cans red beans, rinsed and drained and add 1/2 cup more chicken stock)
3 cups diced lean ham or Louisiana Hot Sausages (dice into pieces about the size of the cooked beans)
3 cups homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. green Tabasco (or use a smaller amount of red Tobasco)
2-3 bay leaves
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

3 cups cooked white or brown rice for serving

If using dried beans, soak overnight and cook on stove until they are fairly soft, or cook in pressure cooker about 25 minutes. Drain beans. If using canned beans, rinse with cold water until no more foam appears, then drain. You can also cook them in the slow cooker the day before.

Cut ham or sausage into small pieces, about the size of cooked beans.

Heat olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then saute diced onion about 5 minutes, or until onion starts to brown. Add garlic and saute 1 minute, then add Creole Seasoning, dried thyme, and dried oregano and saute 1-2 minutes more.

Put onion mixture into small crockpot. Add cooked beans and diced ham or sausage. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, bay leaves, and red wine vinegar, and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 4-8 hours, until the beans are dissolved as much as you prefer. I like this best when the beans are at least 3/4 broken apart and dissolved into the liquid. Canned beans are usually softer and will break apart more quickly. An immersion blender works great to thicken the beans.

Serve hot, topped with white rice. In New Orleans this is usually served in a bowl filled about 2/3 full of the soupy bean mixture, then topped with a scoop of rice.

I added some protein to my diet tonight and a vegetable... along with my boiled, no seasonings added potato. I will be so glad to get off these high powered antibiotics so I can resume eating my usuals.....2 more wks to go.

Shirley

Didn't get the soup made, my boss is on his honeymoon and was on the phone with me about a hundred times today. When we weren't on the phone he was emailing! Some honeymoon! LOL

So I defrosted some ham pot pie soup that I froze last year and stumbled upon, made a tossed salad with fruit added to counteract the heaviness and the salt, that hit the spot!

I was going to say the same thing Lynn......Some Honeymoon!! I'll bet his bride wished he left his %*$*# phone at home!!! LOL

Jasdip it sounds passable, it would be well worth a try. One thing I insist on is using actual small red beans Not red kidney or some others the true red bean has a very different taste and texture than a kidney bean but many places serve kidney beans as red beans and rice. I d o not care for kidney beans. I was impressed to see it called for the real thing.

I also do both dry and canned depends on how long I have to cook. I add a can of rotel to mine and use Tonys seasoning, no vinegar, I like mine pretty thick tnot soupy.