Ingredients

　　4 strips bacon

　　1 medium onion

　　1 small green bell pepper

　　1 cup raw rice

　　One 14 1/2-ounce can whole tomatoes, with liquid

　　1 cup water

　　One 6-ounce can tomato paste

　　1 teaspoon sugar

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 teaspoon hot sauce

　　Fry the bacon in a heavy saucepan; remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Sauté the onion and bell pepper in the bacon fat. Add the rice and stir until it is coated with fat; crumble in the bacon. Add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, sugar, salt, and hot sauce, and bring to a boil. Cook covered over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes longer. Do not peek!

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.