CROCK POT RED BEANS AND RICE

1 pound red beans

7 cups water

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

2 cans Campbell's chicken broth

1-1/2 pounds sausage (I used Richards)

2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning (I use Tony's)

Hot cooked rice

Southern Living, November 1997 (slightly adapted)

How to make it:

Sort your beans taking out the halves or pieces and check for small rocks or pebbles.

Rinse the beans thoroughly and pour into crock pot.

Add water and chicken broth to beans.

Add your chopped vegetables.

Note:  I love that I can buy garlic that has already been peeled.  That takes so long and this just makes cooking faster and easier (and you know how I feel about easier!)

Slice the sausage into bite size pieces.

You can skip this step and put the sausage directly in the crock pot but I like to boil the sausage for about 5 minutes to remove some of the grease.

Add the sausage and the Creole Seasoning to the other ingredients in the crock pot

Cook for 7 hours on High Setting.

Put desired amount of rice in a bowl

Ladle in the beans and......

ENJOY!