Top 20 Albums

Like virtually everyone, I like music. I can’t say that it drives my existence, but a great song can really spark or cement a wonderful memory. Recently, Mental Floss provided a list of the top 20 selling items in history (I believe this is US only but don’t know for sure). They are:

20. Elton John – Greatest Hits: I have this album.

19. Eagles – Hotel California: I don’t have it but do have a few songs from it in my iTunes library.

18. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti: Nope. Never thought of buying it.

17. Metallica – Metallica: A few songs.

16. Hootie and the Blowfish – Cracked Rear View: Really? Hootie and the Blowfish?? A few good songs, but this really surprise me.

15. Garth Brooks – No Fences: Not a country fan so can’t comment.

14. Boston – Boston: Every friend of mine had this back in the day, but I never did.

13. Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard: Great songs, bad movie.

12. The Beatles – The Beatles 1967-1970: My parents bought this album and it was the first picture I ever had of the Beatles in my mind.

11. Guns ‘n Roses – Appetite for Destruction: Best friend in high school got it the first year in college and the first summer back played it incessantly. At first I tolerated it, then liked it and then bought it myself.

10. The Beatles – The Beatles: aka The White Album. I haven’t bought it.

9. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours: A few good songs here.

8. Shania Twain – Come on Over: Again, not a country fan.

7. Garth Brooks – Double Live: This Garth guy must have made a lot of money!

6. AC/DC – Back in Black: This was probably a bit heavy for me in the day, but I was a convert in my late teens.

5. Billy Joel – Greatest Hits 1 & 2: Love this double album. Billy Joel is the snowman of my life.

4. Pink Floyd – The Wall: The story about watching the Wizard of Oz while listening to this….you have to be really high for it to make sense (which I wasn’t).

3. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV: Don’t have it.

2. Michael Jackson – Thriller: I bought this after the first hit from the album.

1. The Eagles – Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975: Good, but I’d put it lower on the list.

See the albums here.

Creole Black Beans ‘n’ Sausage

This dish is music to my ears.

Your typical creole dish ingredients.

Used my split pan to cook the sausage.

Everything in the slow cooker.

Doesn’t that look great?

And tastes that way too!

Creole Black Beans ‘n’ Sausage

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 360 min | Servings: 10 servings.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Johnsonville® Smoked Sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
3 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups each chopped onions, celery and green peppers
1 cup water
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the beans, onion, celery, green pepper, water, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme, bouillon, white pepper, cayenne and bay leaves.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve with rice. Yield: 10 servings.

Nutritional Info: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 344 calories, 25 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 61 mg cholesterol, 1,312 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/creole-black-beans–n–sausage