Out of the can, into the pan brown bean Chili

This is the easiest chili ever.  If you can fry beef and open a tin can, you my friend can make dinner!

My Aunt Mere is the originator of this recipe - hers has a bit more variety in beans so change it up if you got a love fest for beans.  Personally I think beans and lentils were put on the earth just to torture me so the lack of beans here makes me happy :)

First up : Ingredients

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of brown beans in tomato sauce (don't get the pork or molasses)

1 lb of beef

1 onion

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Corn - I used frozen because I had that but canned works too.

Seasonings - I dumped one pack of chili seasoning, a few teaspoons of the tupperware chipotle seasoning, a teaspoon of beef/steak spice, and some fresh ground pepper.

Method :

Throw the beef in a frying pan, while this is frying, chop up the onion.  

In a bigger pot dump in all the canned goods and corn. 

Look at that can opening madness!!

Beans beans the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you...

When beef is looking mostly cooked, drain off excess fat, and season the snot out of it - I didn't add the chipotle seasoning to the meat - I added that later.  Seasoning is 100% to your taste so go wild if that floats your boat.

When onions are softened up and translucent dump them in the pot of goods(aka the tomato etc.) and giver a stir.  Taste.  Add a bit more seasoning & brown sugar.  Stir.  Taste.  Let simmer while you heat up some buns and yell for your kids to come set the table.

We thrown sour cream, grated cheese, green onions, and french's fried onions on top.  We've also been known to toss some cooked rice into the bowl.  The occasional tortilla chip makes a crunchy topping too!

Now let's eat!

Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff

Quick!  I have 5 minutes to write this before my next batch of the best ever Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are coming out of the oven!


I want to know - what is YOUR go to recipe if you are in a quick jam to get some supper on the table?  This "recipe" was given to me when I was first married and I invited my aunt to hang out at our house in between work and her next activity.  I didn't have any plans for supper so she said that as long as she didn't have to move from the couch and make it, she would tell me what to make - and it was a hit!  I've made this as a meal to drop off at people's houses, and given the recipe to friends with the instructions "it looks disgusting, but tastes so good!"  And they agree afterwards!


Ready for this?  I call it...


Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff


- Brown 1 lb of ground beef
- Add 1 can of mushroom soup (no water) to the cooked brown beef & mix
- Boil a pot of water and cook a bunch of broad egg noodles.
- Add salt & pepper, the cooked egg noodles and a bunch of frozen peas (or in my case, corn, because I think peas are disgusting).


Wha-bam!  Dinner is served.  Cheap and easy.


And my cookie timer went.  So easy, it took less than 5 minutes to type!  Try it out!

See my fantastic web-cam picture?  I'm too lazy to upload from a real camera.  I didn't add peas/corn this time and boiled peas separately as having food not mixed together seems to better my odds in having the kids eat it - and it worked!  They asked for seconds of boiled peas!

Black Bean & Sausage Soup

Mmmmmm....my favourite soup of all time, from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

I introduced one of my best friends to this soup, and she fell in love with it as well.  It's our comfort food.  If we're down, one of us will whip it up for the other.  This soup makes me happy - I could eat it and eat it and eat it...hence why I double the recipe. 

My friend uses a can of mixed beans instead of black beans, which can be a nice colourful variation.

(Don't let my poor webcam picture throw you off!)

I use the quick version, with the black beans already cooked from a can (just remember to always rinse your beans & the extra salt off before adding them to your soup!).  Quick and easy!

2 - 15oz can Black Beans  (Canada, ours comes in 19 oz., so I use 3 cans when I triple the recipe)
1.5 c. chicken broth
2 c. water
1 c. chopped onion (one large)
1 c. chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp red pepper *
4 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp. already diced garlic)
8 oz cooked, smoked, Polish or turkey sausage (I usually can't find this, so I use garlic sausage)

*If you don't want it too spicy for your kids, omit this the red pepper or use black pepper, or add only little bits at a time until it's how you like.

Combine everything (except sausage) in a large pot, bring to boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes until veggies are cooked.  Add sausage and heat through.  Serve with dollops of sour cream (optional, but ever so yummy!).