I lived in New Orleans for a little while when I was a child. I was really too young to remember much about it but the experience apparently left me with a fondness for Cajun food. Cajun cuisine uses the humblest of ingredients seasoned just the right way to create a meal that is hearty and delicious.

Tonight I am cooking one of my favorite Cajun dishes – red beans and rice – real red beans and rice – not the kind from a package with the rice already in it. But this can be problematic at my house since my kids absolutely cannot know the ingredients in red beans or they will not eat them. My oldest, in particular, will flatly refuse to even taste something if she thinks it contains onion, garlic or green pepper – I could get her to give up chocolate it I told here there was onion in it. She eats things with garlic and onion and green pepper all the time – as long as she doesn’t know it contains onion, garlic or green pepper. Now you just can’t make a good pot of red beans without some onion, garlic and green pepper. I hate to have to be deceitful with my children but it is ridiculous for them to refuse to eat something they think they don’t like without ever tasting it. So in my kitchen we refer to onion, green pepper and garlic as “seasonings”. When I cook my red beans, I use whole onion, garlic and green pepper instead of chopped and then I remove it from the pot before I serve supper. I usually pull it out when I remove the bay leaf and add the salt. Major pain, I know, but sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.

Just so you know that you haven’t stumbled upon a cooking blog, here is what I was working on while I was waiting for the red beans to cook.

The pattern is called Horcrux socks from the Six Sock KAL. I have tinkered with the design a bit – for one my dd just had to have her Harry Potter socks in Gryffindor scarlet and gold. She has already requested a house scarf and maybe a hat to match them so she can wear them to the midnight release of book seven. What we do for our children. And you wonder why some species eat their offspring.

I have also been playing with a design for a knitted towel and washcloth set. Here is a sneak peak.

I hope to have the pattern ready to share in time for Mother’s day.

Deets
Horcrux Socks
Pattern by Susan Pierce Lawrence for Six Sock KAL
Yarn – Caron Simply Soft in Autumn Red and Lemonade
Needles – Size 5 dpns

Towel and washcloth set
Pattern – my own design
Yarn – Peaches and Creme white
Needles – Size 7