Of all places to find an awesome recipe, whodathunk it would be in an Ellery Queen novel?  The original for this is for a much larger portion, but not having loads of freezer space, I've trimmed it by a bit in places.  It turned out WONDERFULLY!

The story it's from is The Devil's Cook which doesn't actually feature Ellery Queen, Inspector Queen, Velie, or any of the other characters that we've come to know and love over the decades.  I've got to say that the story is "fluffier" than most Ellery Queen stories, but it's still a fairly enjoyable read, even if the ending is dishearteningly weak.  It lacks the usual Queen punch and logic.  However, it does have the recipe, so I can forgive it the weak ending.

What is this recipe?  Well, okay, if you insist.  It’s more like a set of guidelines than an actual recipe, but here it is for what it’s worth (feel free to adapt this wildly to suit your taste):

In a large skillet, layer:

• bacon
• cubed steak
• 18-bean mix from SaveOn bulk section (optional; soaked overnight to soften)
• 1 thinly sliced onion
• 2 thinly sliced carrots
• 1 thinly sliced potato
• sprinkle with spices (can sprinkle in middle, too)
• enough water to come up to the underside of the potatoes

Simmer over low heat for about 2 hours or until the potatoes are cooked through.  Wolf down (carefully, it stays hot a very long time).

I suppose people who don’t eat “swine” could leave out the bacon, but that’s akin to sacrilege in my world, so I don’t want to know about it, ‘k?    Many more dinners like that and I won’t be able to reach past my tummy to the keyboard for these updates.