Red beans and rice

I love the Cajun recipes on Gumbo Pages. All reliably delicious and flexible. This one I had to adapt to our pantry, but still turned out great. The original recipe can be found here (also a vegetarian option). My version is below... and yes, I'm sure using dried beans would have been better, but this was still really good!

1 lg can red kidney beans, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thym
2 dashes Scotch Bonnet hot(!) sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
dash liquid smoke
Creole seasoning to taste
black pepper
(salt if needed at the end, but be careful - the Creole seasoning can be pretty salty)

The meat options are bvery flexible. I just used a little of everything I had on hand.
1 thick slice of a small ham, chopped
1 Chipolata sausage, cooked and sliced
5 thin slices of spicy paprika smoked sausage
1 thick-cut slice of bacon, cooked and shopped
1 bratwurst sausage, cooked and sliced

Sauté the Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. After the beans are drained, add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, then add the meats, seasonings, and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for two hours or until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. Stir occasionally, making sure that it doesn't burn and/or stick to the bottom of the pot.

Serve over hot white long-grain rice.