wonderful way to make beans and rice!

This applies to any kind of beans and rice, whether it's red beans, white beans, black eyed peas, or butter beans.

I used to make beans and rice back in my "pre cooking" days, when I didn't cook much at all.

I'd make the rice, open a can of beans, heat it up, and mix it in with the rice. Very dry and bland, which is why I had not made beans and rice since I started really cooking.

But, I learned a new way to make beans and rice, that not only is NOT dry and bland, it's great!

Heat up some olive oil or butter in a cast iron skillet. Add some cut up smoked sausage, chopped onions, minced garlic. Cook until the onions are soft. Add some thyme.

Then add your pre-cooked beans. Canned will do, or you can have dried beans cooked ahead of time.

Along with the beans, add 1 cup of UNCOOKED rice and 2 cups of chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer until rice is cooked.

OK, I just heard my grandmother yelling from the grave... "You don't mix the rice in with the red beans! You'll ruin it!"

So if you prefer to keep the rice separate, pouring beans over the rice when you serve...

Just omit the uncooked rice and chicken stock from the main pot, and cook it separate. Yes, you boil the rice in the chicken stock-- it's good that way!

In Low Country, they call black eyed peas and rice "Hoppin John." In Cajun country, we just call it black eyed peas and rice!