Beans Beans Beans

The boys bought me a pressure canner for Christmas.  I've been wanting one for a couple of years, but hadn't shelled out the money for one.  I finally got around to trying it out yesterday.  My first project pressure canning was beans.  Not overly exciting, but I like to keep some canned beans on hand.  They come in pretty hand in a pinch for a quick lunch or dinner.  I like to mix canned beans with some ground beef and canned tomatoes for an Indian Taco or warm meal on a crazy day.  I thought my beans turned out kind of pretty.

I had a couple cups of dry beans left over so I decided to soak them last night and cook for dinner today. My bean recipe is pretty simple.  Throw soaked beans in the crockpot, at seasonings, meat, and tomatoes and cook until beans are tender.  You can add as you see fit.

This is what I did today:

Before leaving to feed cows, I drained the liquid from the beans I soaked over night.  I added them to the crockpot and covered with a couple inches of water and turned on low.  Around 2:00 this afternoon I browned 1 pound of ground beef until cooked through.  Remember, ground beef needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 160* to prevent food born illness.  I like to cook my ground beef to death, but not burned.  I think it gives a better flavor.

Who doesn't love cast iron?  I have 3 cast iron skillets that I use almost daily.  I read somewhere that they are actually better for you because they can add iron to your diet.  Who knows how true that is.  This skillet is my favorite of the 3, and is older than me.  After my ground beef was cooked to my liking, I added about 3/4's of a cup of onions and cooked them as well.

Forgive the blurry cell phone pictures!  I added the meat mixture, 2 medium sized cans of canned tomatoes, a bunch of garlic, and seasonings to the beans in my crockpot.  

I love crockpot liners.  They make cleaning up so much easier!  I cranked my crockpot up to high so everything will be warmed up by the time we eat later tonight.

I really like Chorizos in my beans, but didn't have any today.  If I'm feeling ambitious, I will make a pan of cornbread to eat with the beans for dinner.  Beans are super easy, a little go a long way, and you can add anything you want to them!  Enjoy.