Sausage bean chowder (feeds 4-6, unless you're real hungry...)

I cook this up the day before a camping trip:

2 cans kidney beans with juice
2 cans ground tomatoes with juice
2 medium potatos
1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb pork sausage
2 bay leaf
2 cloved garlic - minced

Brown and drain the meat. While the meat is browning, dice the potatoes, onion, and green pepper. In a stewpot, dump in the beans and tomatoes, juice and all. Mix in the meat, potato, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. If there isn't enough juice from the canned beans and tomatoes, add some water. Reduce heat and let stew until the potatoes are about half cooked. Add onions and green pepper and stew for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Let the whole mess cool down, put it in a freezer bag, and freeze it overnight. Then you just drop it in a pot of boiling water until hot, usually takes about 30 minutes. No dirty pots to clean up.

Some variations I've tried include using all sausage (not bad, but a little greasy), topping with diced scallions and jalapenos (outstanding if you like it hot!), and using different mixes of spice during the cooking. I usually add some Italian seasoning, seasoned salt and pepper to taste.

I serve it up with cheese on top and maybe some sour cream, great with crusty rolls on the side. Perfect when it's a bit cold out, but beano is a must....