Savoring--Favorite Baked Beans Recipe

For the Fourth of July gathering at our friends' home, we were asked to bring baked beans because all our friends love our family recipe. My sister-in-law gave me this recipe years ago (thank you, Betty), and my husband, a connoisseur of baked bean dishes, prefers it to any other. Since it calls for canned beans, it is relatively easy.

If you try this recipe, I know you will probably end up modifying it to your family's taste. We have made a few changes to Betty's (also yummy) original recipe. We leave out the 1/2 pound ground beef that the recipe said to brown with the bacon, and instead of partially draining the cans of beans, I fully drain them and even rinse them in a colander (except for the pork & beans). This will eliminate a lot of the salt--we think it also eliminates some of the sulfur compounds that build up in the can and make canned beans extra gassy.

You can use between 3 and 5 cans of beans in the amount of sauce given. Of course, fewer cans of beans make for a juicier dish. And you can use your family's favorite types of beans. For nice variety in size and color in the dish pictured, I used 5 cans total--one very large can of pork & beans (a 2# can, I think) plus 2 one-pound cans each of butter beans and black beans.

MIXED BEAN BAKE

1/2# bacon, cut in pieces (I use Gwaltney's 40% lower fat bacon--it's delicious.)

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. mustard

2 tsp. cider vinegar

3 - 5 cans of beans, including one large can of pork & beans, partially drained

and 2 - 4 other types, well drained and rinsed

Brown the bacon, adding onions once the bacon starts to crisp. Drain well on paper towels when done to your liking.

Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar in a large bowl and mix well. Add all beans and mix well. Finally, stir in bacon and onion and turn into a large casserole (3 quart size if you are using 5 cans of beans).

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly (from about 40 minutes for 3 cans of beans to about 50 minutes for 5 cans.).

Enjoy!

Question of the day: What are your favorite summer party side dishes?

Savoring the Holiday Season--Easy Entertaining and Hummus Recipe

Once again I am repeating an older post for the sake of newer readers--and truthfully, to keep the blog going when I don't have time to write an entire new post. I hope you enjoy it.

What is better than laid-back time with friends? Here Maggie, our shih-tzu, enjoys having a couple of buddies over.

My husband and I also enjoy entertaining friends at home. It can be relaxing and budget-friendly. However, since I enjoy digging through recipes and planning special dishes, I sometimes make too much work of entertaining. That has its place and time, but can get in the way of fun and spontaneity. We also have some favorite, well-worn, quick and easy recipes. During the holiday season, especially, we rely on these favorites to make getting together easy.

The first step is a well-stocked kitchen, I think. Who wants to hunt store shelves for obscure ingredients just to have an informal gathering? All Maggie needs are a few milk bones and a big bowl of water, and she is ready to party. For us, homemade hummus is a favorite snack, so I keep the ingredients on hand. It is simple, healthier than cheese, and feels festive to me.

Instead of dinner, sometimes we invite people for wine and snacks (plus maybe beer and/or iced tea or soda, depending on their preferences). Late Sunday afternoon is a good time to hang out and graze. Among the easy snacks on the coffee table would be roasted almonds, fresh pears, apples or grapes, and homemade hummus with raw vegetables and grainy crackers (or pita, if it happens to be around). We are seldom without baby carrots and bell peppers--jicama sticks are also yummy with hummus.

My friend, Sarah Bayley, wins the prize for best quick hummus recipe, and I almost always serve hers--sometimes with a different twist, depending on my mood or what is in the kitchen or herb garden. You can either prepare it ahead or serve it immediately. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your recipe with all of us.

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained & rinsed

3 - 4 green onions, in two or three pieces

2 small cloves garlic, in big chunks

1/4 cup olive oil*

2 Tblsp. bottled lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

a few shakes of hot sauce

For extra flavor, add either

1/4 cup fresh cilantro or

2 Tblsp sun-dried tomato pesto or

2 Tblsp. sun-dried tomatoes, cut in chunks, plus a couple of fresh basil leaves

*I use sun-dried tomatoes in herb & garlic flavored oil and add 1 Tblsp. or so of the oil from the jar in place of some of the plain olive oil.

Puree all in a food processor until creamy. If the mixture is too thick & stiff, you can add a small amount of water (a tsp. or so at a time). Careful--it should be about as firm as a spread.

That's it--instant party--and people always love it, even when we have served it to them a number of times before.

Question of the day: What snack or appetizer do you rely on for informal entertaining?

Savoring Our Friendships--Easy Entertaining & Hummus Recipe

What is better than laid-back time with friends? Here Maggie, our shih-tzu, enjoys having a couple of buddies over.

My husband and I also enjoy entertaining friends at home. It can be relaxing and budget-friendly. However, since I enjoy digging through recipes and planning special dishes, I sometimes make too much work of entertaining. That has its place and time, but can get in the way of fun and spontaneity. We also have some favorite, well-worn, quick and easy recipes.

The first step is a well-stocked kitchen, I think. Who wants to hunt store shelves for obscure ingredients just to have an informal gathering? All Maggie needs are a few milk bones and a big bowl of water, and she is ready to party. For us, homemade hummus is a favorite snack, so I keep the ingredients on hand. It is simple, healthier than cheese, and feels festive to me.

Instead of dinner, sometimes we invite people for wine and snacks (plus maybe beer and/or iced tea or soda, depending on their preferences). Late Sunday afternoon is a good time to hang out and graze. Among the easy snacks on the coffee table would be roasted almonds, fresh pears, apples or grapes, and homemade hummus with raw vegetables and grainy crackers (or pita, if it happens to be around). We are seldom without baby carrots and bell peppers--jicama sticks are also yummy with hummus.

My friend, Sarah Bayley, wins the prize for best quick hummus recipe, and I almost always serve hers--sometimes with a different twist, depending on my mood or what is in the kitchen or herb garden. You can either prepare it ahead or serve it immediately. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your recipe with all of us.

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained & rinsed

3 - 4 green onions, in two or three pieces

2 small cloves garlic, in big chunks

1/4 cup olive oil*

2 Tblsp. bottled lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

a few shakes of hot sauce

for extra flavor, add either

1/4 cup fresh cilantro or

2 Tblsp sun-dried tomato pesto or

2 Tblsp. sun-dried tomatoes, cut in chunks, plus a couple of fresh basil leaves

*I use sun-dried tomatoes in herb & garlic flavored oil and add 1 Tblsp. or so of the oil from the jar in place of some of the plain olive oil.

Puree all in a food processor until creamy. If the mixture is too thick & stiff, you can add a small amount of water (a tsp. or so at a time). Careful--it should be about as firm as a spread.

That's it--instant party--and people always love it, even when we have served it to them a number of times before.

Question of the day: What snack or appetizer do you rely on for informal entertaining?