Kidney Bean Stew

Unless you're the progeny of Amy Devereaux, aka "Grandma Amy," you've probably never heard of Kidney Bean Stew. At least that's what I've come to expect. I think when I first realized that most other people don't know what Kidney Bean Stew is, I was shocked. For us, it's a staple. I'm not certain, but I suspect that it's the first meal I made all on my own for my family. For one thing, it's very easy, and yet, despite it's ease, it's also very tasty. It's a dish that really warms you up in the winter, and yet, the ease makes it an ideal dish for a busy, summer supper. It's great with corn bread, but it's outstanding with cinnamon rolls. I think it's comparable to chili, but where it differs is that it includes potatoes.

A few years ago, my cousin Toni Vitzthum Stenshoel put together The Devereaux Cookbook. She did a valiant job of getting us to send her recipes. This cookbook included five different versions of Grandma Amy's Kidney Bean Stew. And that's only from those of us who sent this recipe to Toni. I suspect there are many more versions out there. My version varies even from my Dad's. Dad likes his Kidney Bean Stew thin and soupy. I prefer mine thicker and with more tomatoes. And mine can vary from time to time depending on my mood or even what I have on hand. But here's my recipe for it:

1 pound of hamburger (When we were kids we made it with 2 lbs.)

1 chopped small onion

chopped mushrooms (optional)

1 can tomato soup

1 small can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans kidney beans

2 or 3 potatoes cut up and boiled

Add water as needed

Both Dad and I like to add a lot of chili powder individually to our bowls. Mom would always have a fit when she saw how much we'd add. Which, I suppose, is why we never added it to the kettle as it cooked.

This is one of those dishes that is a lot better the next day. Initially, it doesn't have to cook long, which also makes t easy, but no amount of cooking is going to make it any better than it is the next day. It doesn't freeze well. But we've always gone through it so quickly it didn't need to. It's one of my absolute favorite breakfasts, but I'm weird, I like soup for breakfast. I'd like to think it isn't some sort of genetic flaw, that only someone with Devereaux genes likes this stuff. I'll let you out there be the judge of that.