Found

WANTED:
The perfect family meal.
Cost effective. Broadly appealing.
Minimal prep. One pot ideal. Easily doubled.
Slow cooker adaptability a plus. Keeps well.
Exceptional on a cold night. (think Halloween)
Great when spouse is working late,
Daughter needs to be picked up from a play date,
Quickly growing middle schooler is "hanging out" with friends,
Youngest is accompanying you to a cross country meet
you cleverly volunteered to work,
while cheering on dedicated runner.
(said runner will dilly-dally endlessly after meet)
Homework must be done.
The clock is ticking.

If you are expecting lots of pretty pictures and interesting ingredients you'll be disappointed.


Apparently, the less prep the messier I am. I could blame it on the time crunch? Easy pantry ingredients. Few things to wash.


Dump it all into a slow cooker and set to low. See to-do list above.


When most everyone is home, serve with cornbread and fried apples, if you have the time.

You can thank me later.

Old Fashioned "One Pot" Bean Dinner

1# lean ground beef (try grass fed)
1/2# sliced bacon, cut into 2" pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2) 28oz. cans pork and beans
1) 20oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups frozen lima beans
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 T. cider vinegar

In a medium sized saute pan, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until browned. Drain off the fat and dump meat into a 4 quart pan or slow cooker. In the same skillet cook the bacon and onion over medium heat. Bacon should still be limp, about 6-8 minutes. Drain off the fat and add to the beef.

Dump in all beans, ketchup, brown sugar and cider vinegar. Stir well.

Cover and cook on extra low simmer on the stove top or in a a crock pot on low until hot and bubbly.

Serves 10