Chilled Aparagus Recipe

This is my favorite way to make asparagus, its so simple and fresh. I cannot believe I have not shared it on the blog so here goes. Its perfect for summer since its chilled or for a party since you can make it in advance. I love it and so does my 3 year old.

1 bunch asparagus
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Clean and trim asparagus, making sure to trim off all the woody end. Steam asparagus until tender, remove and toss in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, about a half tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cracked salt and pepper. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, most likely longer. You want it chilled.

Roasted Golden Beets Recipe

I am absolutely in love with golden beets. We planted then in the garden and enjoyed the beet greens and now I am enjoying them roasted. I went out a grabbed a pack of seeds so I can plant more. I love the lighter flavor they have compared to red beets and the fact that they don't stain everything. I keep it simple...

2 medium sized golden beets
2 carrots
olive oil
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop beets and carrots into chunks, toss in olive oil and a dash of Italian seasoning. Place on a baking pan and cover with foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Delicious, simple and healthy.

Vegetarian Chili with Lentils

We had an amazing friend over awhile ago who is a vegetarian, this is what I came up with for our dinner together. I love chili and making veggie chili makes it easy to adds veggies for the kiddos.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried beans
1/3 cup dried lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
3 med tomatoes, diced
2 1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup beer
2 1/2 tsp homemade taco seasoning mix (click here for the recipe)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Soak beans overnight in plenty of water. Place rinsed beans, lentils, chopped carrots, veggie stock, and beer into a large pot. Bring up to bubble and then reduce to simmer until beans are cooked and carrots are tender, usually takes about 25-40 minutes. Then throw in the bell pepper, onion, corn, and tomatoes, these only take a few minutes to really cook. At this point add your spices, I usually add the the chili powder, and cumin and then 1 tsp of the taco seasoning. Then taste and add 1/2 tsp by 1/2 tsp until the flavor it just right. If it seems soupy or still has to much liquid, reduce until desired. Then take a taste and see if it needs more salt or flavor. Serve over rice with some cheese, sour cream or guacamole. Serves 4.

Today we are linking up with The Gardener of Eden for Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so go check out others wonderful recipes.

Cheesy Veggie chowder with Sausage

I used these recipes to create a new recipe...it came out amazing! I love it!
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from lulu the baker
Cowboy Potato Chowder from tastykitchen

Ingredients:
2 mild sausage
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3.5 cups chicken stock

for the roux:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour

1.5 cups broccoli, in bite sized pieces
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Start by pre-steaming the broccoli until barely tender, not quite done. Then saute onions, and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot until tender. Add sausage, breaking it up as you brown it. Toss in the carrots, celery and potatoes for a few seconds and then add the chicken stock. Bring up to temp and then reduce to a simmer until all the veggies are tender.

Now to make the roux...Start by bringing your soup back up to a bubble. Then heat up the butter in a large skillet and add the flour, whisking continuously over medium high heat until the mixture starts to turn a golden brown color. You will know when it is ready but be careful not to scorch it. Then carefully add the roux to your bubbling soup and stir it in well, this will thicken it up quite a bit.

Now for the last couple steps, throw in the broccoli and cheeses, stirring well so the cheeses melt. Then add the milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Now enjoy a yummy bowl with some crunchy bread!

DIY Stir Fry Seasoning Mix

3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp paprika

Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container, we used a canning jar. It nice to know that there is not MSG in it, and we will never be out of it when we want stir fry on a whim. It is much less salty than the store band, and I think it tasted much better.

Mix 1 Tbsp of dry mix into 1/2 cup chicken stock, plus 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Make sure it is cold. We also added about 1/16 tsp of sesame seed oil but that is optional.

Then saute up your veggies, meat, etc and near the end pour over sauce and saute on med/low heat until sauce thickens. Enjoy!

Using the silicone baking cups freezer trick is a great way to have the right amount of chicken stock frozen. Then just pull out what you need and defrost, instead of opening a whole jar of chicken stock.

For the original recipe click here

DIY Taco Seasoning mix

1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container, we used a canning jar. It nice to know that there is not MSG in it, and we will never be out of it on taco night. I think it tastes way better then the packets.

Substitute 2 rounded tablespoons for 1 packet of taco seasoning.

I found this recipe on Smashed Peas and Carrots website.

Stay tuned by following our blog for more fun recipes. We have a Stir fry seasoning mix coming soon.

Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna, one of our favorites of all things layered (from terrines of Fois Gras to Tiramisu) can be an incredibly healthy meal. We have been playing with recipes for awhile and finally created a favorite. We recently invited a guest to share a vegetarian version of the classic. We pulled alot of the ingredients out of our backyard (the veggies, herbs, sauce, and eggs).

Here is the list of our ingredients:

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Marinara (1 to 1 1/2 Quarts).
Fresh Kale
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Swiss Chard
Home made Ricotta cheese, we used the recipe in Sunset Magazines  "One Block Feast""
1.5 cups Cheddar cheese
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
1-2 Eggs
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
9 Lasagna noodles (3 per layer)

Now, here is how you do it:

Pre-Heat the oven to 375 degrees and get a piece of foil large enough to seal your baking dish.

For a 9X13" baking dish you will need perfectly cooked lasagna noodles. If you use fresh noodles the same applies, cook them, then cool them and toss with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).

Mix 1 (or 2 if you want it more firm) egg with 3 cups of ricotta cheese, the herbs, salt and pepper to taste. You may want to thin it with whole milk or heavy cream. We like ours to be thick.

Now mix the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses and reserve. The parmesan is to be dusted in with the cheese to your liking; too much will make the dish too salty so beware.

Now we layer layer layer.

Start with marinara. Then layer 3 lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with the ricotta and then the other cheeses. Then layer the Kale, Spinach and Swiss Chard.

Cover this with sauce and repeat.

The last layer of lasagna noodles goes down and is simply covered with marinara and topped with the shredded cheeses. In other words, use the home made ricotta for the inside 2 layers.

Wrap tightly with the foil and place on center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil at 375 degrees until the cheese starts to caramelize.

Salt, Pepper and Parmesan the top.

Let stand 5 minutes, then serve with warm homemade bread and homemade butter.

This is how much Kale, Spinach, and Swiss Chard we used, but I would recommend a little more.

We are linking with with The garden of Eden's Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so check out other recipes from the week.

Thanksgiving feast 2011

Better late than never...

Top left- corn, edamame, and sun dried tomato (from the garden) salsa.
Top Right- stuffing
Bottom left- Mashed parsnips and potatoes
Bottom right- Green beans from the garden (recipe below)
Photo by Mike Z

Everything...including the homemade chive/sage cheese, crusty beer rolls and the Cornish game hens we raised.
Photo by Mike Z

The Cornish game hens wrapped in bacon.
Photo by Mike Z

Candied pumpkin, with candied pumpkin seeds, dehydrated vanilla beans and creme fraiche.

Home made raw butter

Chicken stock from the leftover bones.

Thanksgiving is a time to bring in close friends and family to share a little something to show an appreciation for their friendship and help throughout the year. This year we hosted a renegade Thanksgiving, we invited those who had no place to go. This turned out to be one of the most satisfying Thanksgivings in recent history. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to celebrate the harvest and bring the community together...that is what we celebrated this year.

Firstly, our plan was to use our own garden and poultry as the base for our modest feast. We planned ahead and saved some of our late summer crop. Believe it or not, freezing things like beans doesn't ruin them. They tasted like we had just made the harvest. That was the whole point; to give back to our little community with things that we spent the year nurturing, whether it be plant or fowl.

Without question the most difficult part was dressing the Cornish cross breeds. Leaving the skin on didn't work out so we skinned them. As a result I thought they would dry while roasting, but we solved that problem by flattening out bacon and wrapping the entire bird in it. We actually cut them in half, and the portion size was perfect. I believe in making each apart of the dish separately. So the stuffing and sides were not cooked with the birds.

We took the opportunity to use The One-Block Feast, by Sunset Magazine to influence the candied pumpkin desert, the creme fraiche, butter and cheese. We already shared the recipes for the mashed parsnips and potatoes, Cornish game hens and corn salsa on the blog.

So I've decided to let you in on an old German secret for presenting green beans...a staple during the holidays.

Steam the beans until just about perfect. Place in a saute pan with butter and finely chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic is moments from turning color, then crack saltine crackers over the entire dish and saute until some of the crackers looked toasted and golden brown. You only need to season with pepper if desired, the salt is in the crackers. This is always the first dish we run out of . It is a major hit.

The master chef (the Doctor) getting everyones plates ready.
Photo by Mike Z

How to make refried beans: updated

Refried Beans. A staple in our home and a personal favorite. We used to buy canned, thinking they were inexpensive. Then I started making them at home and the difference in overall price is astonishing, and worth the few minutes of work it takes to prepare them. The taste is amazing compared to store bought...they taste like something, not just paste.

The following is my recommendation for excellent refried beans.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried pink beans (any bean will work, if you use pintos expect the refried beans to look grey)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
salt
1/2 cup bacon grease (you can also use lard, we just prefer the taste of bacon grease, so we save all our bacon grease. We also use it to make masa for tamales instead of lard)

Here is how to do it:

Cook the pinto beans in a crock pot until the are very tender. We soak ours overnight first, then rinse, drain and place in the crockpot with water. Reserve the cooking liquid in order to make adjustments to your final product.

In a large skillet, heat your bacon grease on medium heat until rendered and hot. Then add your finely diced onion and your finely chopped garlic.

This is important. Add the salt now. I usually use a couple of teaspoons at least. This helps to bring out the juices in the onion and garlic without browning them. Don't let them brown. When they are translucent and extremely aromatic, add the cooked pintos with a slotted spoon. Stir constantly.  Then add the reserved cooking liquid in order to bring it to a good consistency. You will know how much liquid to add after you start smashing them with a potato smasher.

Turn the heat down and continue to make adjustments. Smash as much or as little as you prefer. I like mine chunky. You also need to taste to see if the salt content is right on.

Bon Appetite!

Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes Recipe

Mashed potatoes, a year round blessing but an important part of any Thanksgiving meal. This year we have chosen to make an addition of parsnips to our potatoes for a number of reasons:

They are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, they are also high in folic acid and potassium. Even better the light hint of apple shines through the potatoes making them a surprise for everyone.

Cook them separately. I like to boil the potatoes cut up in small pieces with the skin on.

The parsnips need to be peeled, cut into small pieces and STEAMED. Make sure they are tender enough to mash with the potatoes. Steaming them, instead of boiling, will help retain their medicinal qualities.

When both are done and HOT, I mix them and smash them. The ratio is 1 medium parsnip to 1 large Russet potato. I slowly add a bit of heavy cream and lightly salted butter.

There is nothing better on this earth.

I do not like smooth potatoes, I like them smashed.  If you like then smooth then you will have to mill both the potatoes and parsnips with a rice miller and then follow your heart with the rest of the process.

If you have a favorite way to process your mashed potatoes...do it, just make the addition of parsnips as I have outlined and its all good!

I will post another article on phenomenal gravy to add to this.

Bon Appetit.

A preview for Thanksgiving

After having gone through the process of dressing our Cornish Game Hens we decided to do a Pre-Thanksgiving run on our meal and this is an outline of what we did.

Stuffing a bird and cooking it is not only difficult but can be dangerous, so we decided to take a different approach for the meal we prepare for our actual Thanksgiving Day meal. Looking at the photo you see we stuffed then wrapped the buttered hen in bacon. I am going to outline a different way to do it. The following are the things we used to make our wonderful tester for the Holidays:

1 Cornish Hen cut in Half
Bacon rolled very thin inside a plastic bag to cover the hens completely
Chicken stock to help with the cooking and retention of moisture

For the filling, which we did separately, we used the following:

Fresh sweet corn cut off the cob uncooked
Finely diced yellow onions
Sliced carrots
Garlic
Paprika
Oregano
Plenty of sage (this makes a huge difference in the over all flavor profile of the dish) we used about 10 leaves

How did we do it?

Here we go...

We proceeded with preparation as follows:

Cut the hen in half lengthwise.
Bathe in butter.
Salt and pepper the hen.
Wrap in very thin bacon or, as I said, roll the bacon between plastic and carefully peel off and wrap the hen with it.

Cook the two halves in a nice dish, something you can present it with. I like to cook at a fairly high heat 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 min. Internal temp 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Now the hens are done.

During the cooking process you have plenty of time to make your festive veggie salsa with the ingredients above. I like to saute the carrots first in a mixture of butter and high quality olive oil. Once they come close to tender, the rest goes in, save for the sage which will be the last to add. The mixture will then be hot enough to bring the oils in the sage out and really marry with the rest of the vegetables. The same goes for the oregano and the paprika.

Beets.  Beets.  Beets...

Boil them until tender. Peel and if small enough serve whole with just a taste of the stem still attached. It's very Haut Cuisine to leave these attached and they taste wonderful. I don't actually suggest spicing them. I like them plain, but olive oil of high quality in a small amount does wonders.

Salt potatoes are small red potatoes that are boiled in HEAVILY salted water. When they come out of the pot the skins are covered with crystallized salt. You should always serve these with HOT drawn butter.

Now you can assemble the dish by placing your hot veggie stuffing in the center of the plate, resting the bird on top of part of it and dressing the rest of the plate with the beets and potatoes with drawn butter over them.

The reality of raising your own fowl brings about taste and texture and portion sizing. We chose our smallest hen weighing in at 2lbs 3/8 oz. It fed my wife, my son and myself. We also made stock with the carcass. (I'll write about that and sauces later). Tender, Juicy, Delicious. Absolutely fabulous and better than any hen I have ever purchased. So there you go...it does pay off to do it yourself.

Bon Appetit!

If you have any questions about this recipe or amounts please feel free to comment or email us.

Simple smoothie recipe

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Are we the only ones with lots of fruit and veggies left over from the 4th of July celebration? My mom brought a flat of peaches, and a watermelon. We were busy all weekend and kind of forgot about harvesting zucchini, so we have four huge ones that are not going to taste the best. They would be perfect for bread or grilling but we don't have grill and its to hot to use the oven. The little guy loves bananas or as we call them bugabugas but he doesn't always eat the whole thing, so I have been putting them in a freezer bag so they don't go to waste. All of this adds up to this mornings inspired idea...

I was searching for zucchini recipes to use this stuff up in a different way then plain old steaming and I saw recipes for smoothies. What a great way to sneak in more veggies, use them up and have a yummy breakfast. The little guy is really great about eating veggies so I never worry much about that but I figured the more the better.

4 strawberries
1/2 banana
1 peach
1/4 c or so watermelon
1/8 c or so zucchini diced
blend and splash in some juice or water if needed. We found this great juice that the little guy loves it has cranberries, banana, strawberries, sweet potato, carrot, and beets.

It made enough for the little guy to have some with his oatmeal, I had a small glass and I made a popsicle with the rest. Perfect breakfast treat for both of us, plus no sugar added!

Mexican Lasagna

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I decided to try and whip up something new yesterday for dinner with stuff I already had on hand. I also knew it was the last chance to use the oven for awhile...it gets really hot here and I almost never use the oven during the summer.

a little over a cup of pre-baked chicken cut into chunks (I used the leftovers of a roasted chicken)
12 or so corn tortillas, cut in half
a little over a half of a cup of fresh or frozen corn (we had some frozen from the farmers market)
1 1/2 cups cooked beans (we used our recipe for salad beans)
1 1/2 cups refried beans
about 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
10 oz or so enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix chicken, corn, beans, refried beans, and about one ounce of enchilada sauce. In a round baking dish place 6 half pieces of corn tortilla covering the bottom and spoon enchilada sauce over them. Then spread half of the chicken/corn/bean mixture, and cover with cheese. Layer more corn tortillas with enchilada sauce over them. Then place the remaining chicken/corn/bean mixture on top and cover with more tortillas and enchilada sauce. Cover with cheese, I like to crack some salt and pepper over the top and bake for 25 minutes. Set oven to broil and cook for 3-5 more minutes. Serves 2 adults and one toddler. :) We loved it..the little guy could not get enough.

our first garden bounty...a yummy meal

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I (the Doctor speaking) have been so blessed as to have toured the world.  Each time it was under the guise of the culinary arts.  I have taken so many opportunities to taste, eat, and enjoy.  The most pleasurable was a recent experience here, at home.

We just harvested our first fist full of potatoes (this all happened a couple of weeks ago).  I (the doctor) harvested a few Crook Necks and Zucchini, and ran down to the market for a nice Tomato.  Little did I know I had just started the preparation of the single greatest tasting meal I ever had.

Sautéed in butter and fine olive oil starting first with the potatoes, we added the squashes, tomatoes and the herbs (Savory, French Thyme, Marjoram and Thai Basil). As soon as the aromatics came to, I cut the heat and seasoned with salt and a little pepper.

OH MY GOD.


Perhaps it was the day, my appetite, or longing for that first garden family meal. We think it was finally realizing just how closely tied to the food we are…especially when we grow it.


All the best to you and your food adventures!

Polska kielbasa with beans and potatoes

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Wonderful recipe that is really quick, easy and inexpensive.

1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 or 7oz polska kielbasa, sliced (we usually use turkey kielbasa)
1 c cooked red beans
2 medium sized red potatoes, cut in chunks
1/2-3/4 c marinara sauce (we use our home made roasted red bell pepper marinara)

Boil potatoes until done. Saute onion in olive oil until translucent, add in kielbasa and potatoes and lightly brown. Add marinara and mix until evenly dispersed, then add beans.

fava beans...healthy and yummy

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Really…it is not that much work. That’s the biggest complaint with Fava Beans, but it’s just not true.
Start by bringing a healthy amount of salty water to a boil. Next, chill a bowl of water with some ice cubes.


The rest is simple:
Pull the Fava Beans from their pods. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Immediately place in the ice water. Shell the Fava Beans and you are ready for the final preparations.

We opted to go simple and fresh with our meal, so we started by cultivating a little Savory, French Lemon Thyme, Marjoram, Chives, and Thai Basil.  Finely chop these and set them aside.  Next we harvested a bit of Garlic.  1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic will do, nice and minced.

With medium high heat we brought up to temperature some high end olive oil mixed with butter.  Briefly sauté the garlic and add the Fava Beans.  Sauté until the beans start to color, and then add the herbs.  Finally you can season the beans with a little salt and pepper before serving.

Quick…simple…delicious.

Pasta with polska kielbasa and veggies recipe

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A light summer dish that is quick, healthy and full of favor.

1/2 lb fettuccine or other pasta

1/2 or 7oz polska kielbasa, sliced and cut in thirds

1 bunch asparagus, cut in inch pieces

1 crown broccoli

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 c parmesan cheese

1/8-1/4 tsp paprika

Cook pasta as directed and steam vegetables slightly. Saute garlic in olive oil until tender; add pasta, vegetables and kielbasa. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese and paprika.

How to make one whole chicken into over 6 meals.

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First, off start by cooking a whole chicken. We usually take out the giblets and rinse everything. Then place it all in a roasting pan with a few potatoes, carrots, an onion cut in half and a head of garlic cut in half. We stuff a few tablespoons of butter under the breast skin, and again baste the skin with butter. Its a good idea to season the skin after basting, we use salt and pepper, but the addition of lemon thyme or sage is great. We also pour water or chicken stock into the cavity to make it more moist. Now you seal the top with tin foil, make it a nice seal around the baking dish, it really helps keep the bird moist. We usually bake it at 350 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours covered, and then another 15 minutes on broil. Finally, it's time for dinner (this is the first meal). Then the next two nights (meals two and three) we either re-heat it in the oven and have the same thing or cut pieces off to add to other meals.

The next morning we pick off all the rest of the meat and seperate it into meal sized portions in freezer bags. This time I only got three bags (meals four, five, and six). You can skip this step and just move forward to the next if you think its gross. It is gross to pick a chicken but I usually use gloves and I've become used to doing it.

Then you add your mirepoix to a large pot. A mirepoix is a combination of onions, carrots, and celery, I also add three or four bay leaves and ten to twelve whole black pepper kernels. It doesn't need to be chopped perfectly, I just break the celery ribs to fit into the pot along with the carrots (I only had baby carrots on hand this morning, so I used them instead of whole) and cut off the ends of the onion. You are now making chicken stock. :)

Add in the chicken carcass, juices and any other left overs from the roasting pan. Then cover with water and bring to a boil. I really like using my pasta pot to make stock because when your done you can just pull all of the bones, veggies, etc. up and out instead of trying to use a strainer.

Once boiling reduce to a simmer for at least 4-5 hours. I usually cook it all day, the longer it cooks the more rich and healthy it will be. Once it has finished cooking, strain out bones, veggies, etc., cover and place in the fridge over night. In the morning scrap off all fat and taste. I sometimes have to reduce it down even more for a richer stock, which usually means about 2 or more hours of simmering.

We then pressure can or freeze the stock and use it to make more meals, almost every time we make rice we use chicken stock instead of water to cook it in. Voila! You have made one chicken into over 6 healthy home-made meals, now sit back and put your feet up...you deserve it!

Baked Bean Lentils- a family recipe from my Mother-in-law

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The little guy loves these! Besides how much time they take to cook and bake they are really really easy. The Doctor makes these at his work and everyone loves them.


1 c dried lentils
2 1/2 c water
1/2 c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
2 Tb brown sugar
2 Tb catsup
2 Tb molasses
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 slices bacon

Rinse lentils, drain. In saucepan combine: lentils, water, onion and salt, bring to boil. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, catsup, molasses, mustard, and bacon (uncooked).
Turn into 1 quart bean pot and bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Pull out slices of bacon and serve.
Yield: 4-6 servings

Three B's Three Bean and Lentil Soup

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The Doctor and the little guy love this recipe and it is very easy to make. Three b's- bacon, beer, beans but I also like lentils and using a combination of different beans It can easily be converted to vegetarian by not adding bacon and using veggie stock instead of chicken stock. We always have home-made chicken stock, beans and lentils in the pantry, so I make it a lot when I'm feeling lazy. I usually throw in something different every time, most of the time its something in the fridge I need to use up. I cannot wait to make it next fall with everything from our garden! Well except the celery, bacon, lentils and chicken stock. We usually get dinner for three, with leftovers for lunch the next day (sometimes I put it in the freezer so when I'm really lazy I can just defrost it).

4 oz each of dried; lentils, black beans, pinto beans, and small red beans. (use any combination of beans)

6-8 cups chicken stock

1-2 small hot peppers, dried (I think they were Thai chili peppers but they were from the farmers market)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 celery stocks, chopped

1 Red bell pepper, chopped

3 strips of bacon, raw

12 oz beer (we usually use Miller High Life, but any beer will work)

1 tsp or so Italian seasoning

2 dried Bay leaves

Soak beans and lentils over night in plenty of water. Rinse well in the morning and place in crock pot with chicken stock, bay leaves, bacon, beer and dried small hot peppers. Bring to boil and reduce heat, stirring occasionally.

Around mid-day, saute onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper and garlic, until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the veggies, stir and cook about 30 more seconds, then add to the crock pot.

Cook until beans are soft, remove bacon, bay leaves, and hot peppers and salt to taste. I have also added chicken, or polska kielbasa or tomatoes before and they all work well, but its also wonderful just as is. If you add tomatoes make sure to add after beans have cooked.

Here is a picture of the dried small hot peppers I used, they are about the size of my pinkie finger.