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Convenience Foods

© Pier Jones

School has started here, and that always gets me in gear to start canning our favorite "convenience foods" for rushed evenings. Of course, on the to-do list for this week is Seasoned Ground Beef, and here are two more of my family's favorites: (both these recipes, and many more, were published in May/June issue of Home Food Preservers Magazine).

Chili Beans

Pinto beans

salt

chili powder

Wash and pick over your pinto beans, place them in a large kettle, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 1 hour. Drain the beans, cover again with about 2 inches of water, and boil for 30 minutes.

Ladle hot beans into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder to each pint, or 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon chili powder to each quart. Seal and process Pints for 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes), Quarts for 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes), at 10 pounds pressure.

Chili Mac

Makes 6-7 pints.

1 pound lean ground beef

1 C chopped onion

4 C uncooked macaroni

2 quarts tomato juice

2 t salt

2 T chili powder

Lightly brown meat and onion. Cook macaroni in salted water for 5 minutes, drain, and add to the meat mixture, along with the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, Ladle hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Seal according to manufacturer's instructions. Process Pints for 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes), Quarts for 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes), at 10 pounds pressure.

If you have questions, please post to the discussion area, or join our Preservers egroup at http://members.aol.com/preservers/group.... , where you will meet a lot of very helpful canners.....both experienced and not-so-experienced. And look for tasty recipes in which to use your garden produce in the other topic areas at www.suite101.com.