Mardi Gras means red beans and rice are a must

1 pound red beans (Any red beans will work, but Celie says Camellia's are the best)

1 pound andouille sausage and/or ham diced (Celie likes to use a half-pound of each)

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped yellow pepper

1 clove garlic, chopped, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's)

2 teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine, or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

5 shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce

10 cups of water

1 dried bay leaf, crushed

• Rinse and sort beans, removing any stones. Place beans in a large pot with 10 cups water over medium heat. Stir in Cajun seasoning, paprika, bay leaf, hot sauce, garlic and parsley. Cover.

• Render the meat in a medium-heat frying pan, draining on a paper towel when done. Pat extra grease off with a paper towel and discard. Stir meat into pot.

• Using residual grease in pan, saute peppers over medium to medium-high heat until softened. Stir peppers into beans.

• Reduce heat to low and simmer beans, stirring occasionally, until beans can be mashed easily, 1 to 3 hours. The longer they cook the better.

• Once beans have softened, remove 1 to 1½ cups of the beans and place in a mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until they look pasty. Stir back into the pot. You may also do this with an immersion blender.

• Uncover the pot and simmer beans until you get the gravy thickened to your liking, mashing more beans if you desire.

• Serve over steamed or baked white rice and crusty French bread.