Bean Stuff

Bean Stuff is a family tradition. I believe it's the only recipe my brother ever asked my mom for. Well maybe the meatloaf. Oooh I should give you guys the meatloaf recipe... Anyhow-I have never made Bean Stuff before. For one thing it's something my mom has been making for years and I have trouble leaving a recipe alone-there's a real danger I'll fancy it up too much. I also know from experience that there are many things I just can't do as well as mom so it's best to just let her have it. I don't know why but I thought of making Bean Stuff for the neighbourhood Chili Night I attend almost-monthly. That's why I made it tonight.

A word about beans before we begin. I have been trying to use fewer canned beans and more dried beans lately because the cans are lined with the kind of plastic you don't want touching your food. (Read up on BPA's.) So even though the original recipe calls for a few cans of different kinds of beans I used mostly navy beans because that's what I had on hand.

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
19 oz. can tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can lima beans, drained
(I didn't use either kidney nor lima beans-that's where I used the navy beans. You could use 2 cans of what ever kind of beans you want)
14 oz. can pork & beans (I did use a can of pork n beans
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a large dutch oven, add the beef, onion and green pepper and cook until the beef is brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer. If you have time, throw a lid on it and put it in the oven for 2 hours at 300F.