What's for Dinner?

After Andrew was born, I started a recipe blog. It is still up but I haven't been able to update it or anything, it's permanently frozen or something.

I love sharing recipes with people so, in order to keep me updating this blog regularly...I'm going to do a recipe post every Friday.

I've shared this recipe EVERYWHERE because it is such a good one.

A few notes before we get started. This recipe is extremely easy, versatile and hard to mess up. It can be a meat lover's best friend or a vegan friendly dish. It can be full of smokey flavor, or mostly just sweetened with brown sugar. Make sure you use the right brand of ingredients, and you can have a very filling gluten free meal. It's also kid friendly...my toddler will eat bowls of this stuff without any pleading or begging from me. We like it as a meal (served with fresh warm sweet cornbread, sweet tea and green beans from the garden) but it would also be a good side dish to take to a cook-out or get together. Enjoy!

Those who are calorie conscious -- it's roughly 6 pts (WW), and I forget the exact calorie/fat/protein count but calories are around 300 and just a few grams of fat, pretty good amounts of protein and fiber though. This is going to depend also on what kind of beans you use and whether or not you just meat. (Venison is healthier than beef.)

Cowboy Chili
Yields: A LOT (One pot feed my husband, myself, husband's best friend, husband's best friend's wife, my SIL, my son and my MIL...and we all had seconds.)


1 (16oz) can Bush's Baked Beans (Homestyle or Original)
1 (16oz) can Navy beans*
1 (16oz) can Garbanzo beans*
1 (16oz) can Kidney Beans*
1 (16oz) can Black Eyed Peas*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1-3 tbsp liquid smoke (really depends on your preference, we like a lot!)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb ground beef (or venison) -- optional


*About the beans...use any kind you want, but the baked beans ARE essential. Bush makes a vegan version of their Baked Beans, I've seen it at HEB and Wal-Mart. 

Brown beef or venison if you use it. Place in crockpot. Add in the rest of the ingredients, stir well. Do not drain the beans, the liquid is needed for the recipe. Cook on LOW for 3 hours.

Really...could that possibly be any easier?? :)


Check after three hours, sometimes it can go a bit longer if you need it too. The longer it goes, the richer the smokey flavor is. Oh yum.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product...we were too busy scarfing it down. 

FYI - The leftovers, if you have any, are great! ;)