Ingredients:
One 3 to 3-1/2 lb. whole chicken
1 1/2 lb andouille sausage, sliced
1 cup white onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 gallon water
Salt and pepper to taste
File powder

Cooking Instructions:
In a 7-quart stock pot boil whole chicken until meat separates from bone. Remove meat
and return bones and all organs except liver and simmer 1/2 hour to make stock. Strain
and skim fat. Return stock to pot. Heat butter in cast iron skillet and add flour. Stir with
wooden spoon until roux becomes dark brown. Add onions, celery, scallions and bell
pepper. Sauté for five minutes, then add to stock. In skillet, lightly brown chicken and
andouille with garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Drain off fat from sausage and add meat
to stock with one bay leaf. Simmer for one hour at a very low boil. Immediately before
serving sprinkle with file powder and serve over bowl of rice.

Ingredients:
2 lb crawfish tails
1/4 cup oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons crawfish fat (or more)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup parsley, chopped 1/4 lb margarine
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
Salt, red & black pepper

Cooking Instructions:
Season crawfish and set aside. Melt oleo, add seasoning, stirring constantly. Add
crawfish and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil, lower heat and cook slowly 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup water. Add to mixture.
Add onion tops and parsley. Cook for additional 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
3 lb Red kidney beans, dry OR light red beans OR cranberry beans
Water to cover
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoons (or more to taste) cayenne pepper, ground
3/4 lb ham trimmings, lean OR 6 ham hocks
1/2 teaspoons black pepper, ground
1/2 teaspoons (or more to taste) tabasco sauce
6 cups water (more as needed) 2 lb spicy sausage sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups celery, finely chopped
2 cups onion, finely chopped
2 cups bell pepper, finely chopped
5 bay leaves
2 teaspoons white pepper
8 cups cooked rice (or more)
2 teaspoons thyme

Cooking Instructions:
Empty the beans into a 6-quart saucepan. Run water over them, washing them with
your hands and picking out any stones or bad beans. Drain and repeat until the water
runs clear and has no sand in it.  Add water to the pot to cover the beans by about 4 inches.
Place on a large burner and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat slightly, boil gently
for 3 minutes, remove from burner and cover. Let the covered pot sit, unopened, for an hour.
Drain and reserve the beans, discarding the juice. Place the ham pieces, 2 cups of water, the
chopped vegetables and seasonings in a 12-quart saucepan or large dutch oven. Stir well,
cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is fork
tender, about an hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat from the pan and tear it into
small pieces. Set it aside. (If using ham hocks, cover with water to cook. The beans will
have to cook down longer to reach their normal consistency. You may not need to add
any extra water.) Add the drained beans and 2 cups water to the pan with the ham broth
and vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add the sliced sausage and 2 cups more water if the beans are not
covered with liquid and continue simmering until the beans start breaking into pieces,
about 35 more minutes, stirring often to the bottom of the pan. If the beans start to scorch,
do not stir. Instead, immediately remove them from the heat and transfer them to another
pot without scraping any scorched beans into the mixture. Add the ham pieces or hocks
and cook about 10 minutes more, stirring often. Do not let the mixture get dried out like
refried beans, but keep it thicker than cream soup.

Serving Suggestions:
Mound 1/2 cup cooked rice in a bowl and cover with beans, ham and sausage pieces.

Ingredients:
1 lb (2 cups) dried pinto beans
4 cups uncooked rice (Medium or Long Brown)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green pepper
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, optional (according to taste)
2 teaspoons thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
6 oz tomato paste

Cooking Instructions:
Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse before cooking. Combine beans
with 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour,
stirring occasionally. Add another 4 cups water and add celery, onion, bell pepper, bay
leaves, and remaining ingredients. Cook until beans are tender and begin breaking up.
Cook rice.

Serving Suggestions:
Mound 3/4 cup rice on plate and spoon generous serving of beans over the rice.