I have two wonderful Louisiana girls in my life, my sister-in-law Stacy and my dear friend Faith Ford, and both are extraordinarily good cooks who make red beans and rice that has a similar effect on me. Seconds after the spoon goes in my mouth and the red beans and rice settle on my tongue, I have an almost involuntary reaction. My eyes shut, my brain tells my entire body that something incredible is happening, and I moan, “Oh my God, this is good.” The truth is, this is another one of those easy slow-cooker recipes—more assembly than cooking—that not only saves time but uses that time ever so generously in enabling the ham and the andouille sausage and the spices and the beans and the rice to all mingle and absorb the different flavors, producing that OMG effect. This is like gumbo, but easier. Typically, I will serve this to Tom and myself on Sundays as we watch football. Quite often, we will enjoy this as a meal in itself.