I finally realize why the women in my family didn’t use standard measuring in the majority of their recipes. I’m starting to just go by the ‘rule of thumb’ lately myself.

1 handful pinto beans

1 handful black eyed peas

1 handful kidney beans

1 handful black beans

1 handful great northern beans

2 small cans choped tomatos and chilis

1 package spaghetti seasoning

1 package chili seasoning

1 to 1 1/2 pounds turkey

to taste:

cracked peppercorns

sea salt

tarragon

onion powder

fresh minced garlic

1) After sorting, picking through and washing beans place them in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes with a bit of the sea salt added in during the boil.

2) Place beans and some of the hot water in to the crockpot. Add extra hot water if needed for the beans to be covered. Cook on low setting for 8 to 12 hours, depending on how tender you want the beans.

3) Once the beans are to taste, brown the ground turkey on the stove until crumbled and done through. Add to beans.

4) Stir in to the mix the tomatos and chili and spaghetti sauce. Set to high for about an hour.

5) When the hour’s up add the chili seasoning and spices to taste and let simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring well before serving.

Remember that dried beans will expand 2 to 3 times their size when they’re cooking, so don’t fill your crockpot up from the get-go! This made almost an full 5 quart’s worth of soup. So be ready for leftovers or better yet, invite over some friends for dinner.

We love this for the taste. I especially love it for the budget. A good plate of this with a salad and some tortilla chips and toppings makes a good filling meal. A nice alternative to the usual tacos or burritos, plus the leftovers are great for making a base for casseroles and add-ins for soups. Plus, it’s usually quite cheap.

1/2 cup pinto beans

3 cups ham stock/broth

1/2 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped cooked ham

1/2 cup raw rice.

Cover the beans with water and soak overnight or 8 hours. Drain water and discard. Put beans, ham stock, garlic and onion in soup pot and cook over low simmering heat for 30 minutes. Stir in the chopped ham and rice and cook 15 more minutes or until rice is ready. Season to taste.

4 cups cornmeal

2 cups cooked colored beans

1/2 tsp soda

2 cups boiling water

Put the cornmeal in to a bowl and mix in bans that have been drained. Hollow out a well in the meal and place in soda ad water. Make a dough stiff enough to form balls.

Drop balls into a pot of boiling water and cook about 45 minutes or until your preferred doneness.

Best served with greens and pork.

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound bacon, cubed
2 cups catsup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard
1 can kidney beans
1 can pork and beans
1 can butter beans

1. Saute ground beef, onion, and bacon separately. Mix ingredients all together in a large pan and bake at 350F for 1 hour. Serve.

1 pound navy beans, dried

2 onions; small, chopped

8 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

3 cup beef broth

1/4 teaspoon pepper, white

1 carrot, chopped

6 frankfurters, sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 tablespoon parsley, chopped

4 bacon; strips, cubed

1) Soak beans overnight.In a 3-quart saucepan bring beans, water and beef froth to a boil. Cook for about 1 hour. Add carrot and celery and continue cooking for 30 minutes.

2) In a separate frypan cook the bacon until transparent. Add the onions; cook until golden. Set aside.

3) Mash soup through a sieve or food mill. Return to pan and add the bacon onion mixture, salt and pepper.

4) Add frankfurters; reheat about 5 minutes. Sprinkle soup with chopped parsley and serve.

A quick note on this one: Frankfurters means frankfurters, NOT hot dogs. Trust me, big difference in this dish. If you can’t get true frankfurters then use those nice thich polish sausages or extra plumb hot dogs.