Do You Hear the Supper Bell Ringing?

1 Timothy 6:8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Our preacher often preached about growing up during the Great Depression.  He said that they were very, very poor.  He joked that one night they would eat beans and rice and the next night they would eat rice and beans.  He praised God that they never went to bed hungry and that growing up in the country on the Cajun prairie of Basile, Louisiana, God took care of his family.

Last week I posted about picking and shelling a good mess of purple hull peas from the garden.  They were in a big bowl in the fridge.  Yesterday Tricia mentioned that she has meals all lined up for the week.  I knew that meant she was going to be cooking my favorite meal this week - peas and rice.  The boys and I love this meal!  Tricia always says we're easy to please.  During lunch today, I drove to a meat market and purchased a pound of smoked tasso to cook with the purple hulls.

When I drove home and opened the door, I knew that Tricia was way ahead of me.  I smelled the smoky aroma of purple hull peas flavored with smoked sausage simmering on the stove top!  I hurried to do the chores of moving cows from one pasture to another, milking cows, and harvesting ripe stuff in the garden.  Finally done, we gathered to say grace and eat!

A simmering pot of purple hull peas with smoked sausage, onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes

The okra are just starting to come in, while the tomatoes are starting to peter out.  We still have a few tomatoes to "cook down" with some okra and onions and that makes for a mighty fine side dish.

Now a non-negotiable in this meal is a good piece of homemade cornbread.  Cornbread compliments peas and rice in so many ways.  My bowl was overloaded with this delicious, simple country meal. 

I used the cornbread to sop up the last remaining fragments of peas and rice left in my bowl and then pushed the bowl out of the way.  But alas!  The meal was not done.  Benjamin and Russ pick blueberries from our bushes each day.  The harvest has been tremendous this year with nice plump berries.  For dessert, Tricia made a blueberry tart with homemade coffee ice cream.

I think I hurt myself eating this meal.  I'm going to bed with a tight belly!  Believe me, I'm not going to bed hungry.  The meal is nothing fancy.  It is made with simple ingredients grown right outside the back door.  The Good Lord indeed takes care of us and we truly thank Him for letting us eat like kings.