Arrr! Mostly pirated Red Beans and Rice

This was my first go at red beans and rice, so I worked off Alton Brown's recipe. Here it is, with a few modifications and limited commercial interruptions.

Note: It takes a while for red beans and rice to cook, so be sure to plan ahead. Give it at least 2 1/2 hours from start to finish.

Here's What You're Gonna Need:

For red beans:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, or mix of orange, yellow and green chopped (I buy a bag of already cut
mixed colored bell peppers at Trader Joe's and keep them in my freezer. They're especially
handy in the winter months, when peppers are expensive.)
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 quarts water
1 pound red kidney beans, rinsed and with any gross things picked out

For rice:

3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or butter-like whatever it is vegan's use-or skip it)
2 cups long-grain rice, white for the real experience, brown for well-being
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

And Here's What You're Gonna Do:

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high in a good-sized pot or Dutch oven.

Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring early and often, until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the bell peppers are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stir, stir, stirring.

Bay leaf, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, water and beans into the pot! Turn up the heat a little so you can get this bad boy boiling. Stir, stir, stir.

Once it's boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and simmer for about an hour and a half, stirring every once and a while.

It's rice time! Here's how Alton Brown does it, but you can always give the rice a little go in the butter then make it like you usually do. Don't forget to adjust the timing if you're going with brown rice.
Place the water into an electric kettle and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil place the butter into a 3-quart saucepan, set over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add the rice and stir to combine. Add the salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the water over the rice and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

When the time's up for the beans, take the lid off and, if necessary, turn the heat up a little to keep it simmering. Let it go for another 30-40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened.

Give it a couple of mashes with a potato masher, but don't go overboard.

Rice goes on the bottom, beans go on top, and wha la! We served it with a side of grilled shrimp seasoned with old bay.

Today's photo taken was taken by Kelly of www.ShootMePretty.com, coming soon. If she can shoot Red Beans and Rice pretty, than she can shoot anything pretty.

Rewrite of Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadilla recipe: Now with measurements! Plus idiotic photos of talking potatoes taken by me!