I bought a can of beans today.

Hey! Now wait a minute. Give me a chance. It looks like a very special can of beans. I wasn't really looking for beans. It just sort of appeared on a special shelf right in front of me. So, that makes two reasons it is a special can.

Okay! Okay! Don't be so impatient. I'm getting to it. The brand is S&W, and this is a brand that is highly respected by a lot of people. It's a can of "S&W Premium Pinquitos", and the ingredients are Pinquito Beans ("pink beans"), Chili Peppers, Onion, Cumin & Garlic. Now, admit it. Those are pretty standard ingredients in Southwestern cuisine in the U.S., and to me it sounds like a great combination. The pinquito beans may not be quite as well-known as pinto and black beans, but I trust S&W to use premium beans that taste great.

I got to thinking, "I wonder how many other varieties of chili-infused beans they pack, if any", and, naturally, I went to their website to find out. Here is a partial list of other beans all of you chileheads might find interesting.

1. Chili Beans - Santa Fe Sauce (Pinto Beans & Chipotle Peppers in a Zesty Santa Fe Sauce)
2. Chili Beans - Tomato Sauce (Pinto Beans, Chili Peppers, Onion & Garlic in a Zesty Tomato Sauce)
3. Chili Makin's - Black Bean (Black Beans, Sauce & Seasoning [Sauce & Seasoning includes ground chili peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano and cayenne pepper])
4. Chili Makin's - Homestyle (Kidney Beans, Sauce & Seasoning [Sauce & Seasoning same as Black Beans])
5. Chili Makin's - Original (Pinto Beans, Sauce & Seasoning [Sauce & Seasoning same as others] [This variety also includes Masa (stone ground corn).])

Wow! Finding that can of beans is a little like finding a small gold nugget. When you find a small nugget it makes you want to look for the motherlode upstream. Perhaps I found a motherlode of chili beans. Right now, I'm going to try the beans I have, and then I will look for the others. If you want to see the complete list of beans offered by S&W, use this link. Maybe you will want to go out and look for some, too, especially if you are thinking about making a pot of chili. Good eating!

www.swfinefoods.com/products/beans.html