Bastardized Black Beans and Rice

This is a Shelley creation and it is one bastardized (read: Midwestern) version of black beans and rice. But Ryan liked it and I haven't cooked anything original in a while, so I thought I'd add it to the mix here.

First and foremost - here's an easy way to cook an arse load of brown rice. (Leftover rice is very good for fried rice and let's face it - who has time to cook rice? But who really wants to eat instant rice - hence the leftovers.)

Easy Brown Rice
This makes about 6 c. of rice

3 c. brown rice
4 1/2 c. water (or some sort of stock)

Put rice and water/stock into a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Do not stir. Turn off the heat and place the cover on the pot. Let sit for an additional 15-20 minutes (I've found that it's better to let it sit even longer ...) Refrigerate leftover rice and use in soups, fried rice, snacks, etc.

Shel's Black Beans and Rice
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
Italian Sausage (I used turkey sausage, three brats worth in this recipe)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves

Toast the cumin seeds in a skillet until they are fragrant. (Don't ask me what that means, all I know is that while I was doing this, Ryan came upstairs and said that something smelled really spicy. So toast these babies for about 1-2 minutes.) Add Italian sausage (I sliced it into small pieces), add chopped onion and garlic - brown until turkey sausage is no longer pink.

Add one 14-oz can of black beans that are rinsed and drained. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and liberal dashes of Tabasco sauce.

Add 1/2 c. of beer. I used Busch Light because my dad just sent a ton of it home with me the last time I saw him. Never mind that I drink ... well, Busch Light is perfect for cooking and that's about it.

Cook until this is heated through. Mix with 2 c. of the hot cooked brown rice that you just made a ton of. Mix. Eat. Enjoy - with some proper beer.