1 (24 oz.) jar dark red kidney beans (Randall)
1 (24 oz.) jar northern white navy beans (Randall)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1/2 lb. bulk pork breakfast sausage
6 to 8 tomatoes
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 (8 oz.) can tomato paste (optional)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced into rings
1 large sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup honey
8 to 10 strips bacon

Rinse and drain the beans. Combine them in a large mixing bowl. Brown the ground chuck and pork sausage together, drain and allow them to cool.

Boil the tomatoes until skins split then drop them into iced water; the skins will easily peel off. Peel the tomatoes and dice them, and add to the beans.

Add the can of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce to the beans. Crush the garlic clove and add it to the bean and tomato mix and stir. Add the browned meats, sliced mushrooms and molasses and thoroughly mix. If this mixture seems to be too runny, add the tomato paste and stir to thicken the sauce. If the sauce doesn’t seem too wet, you can skip the tomato paste.

Pour the mixture into a large glass baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the top. Arrange the slices of green bell peppers and onions over the top of the brown sugar and drizzle the honey on top of that. Lay strips of bacon across the top to cover the surface.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 325°F for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 1/2 hour at 350°F.

Submitted by: Jeff Clark