Mom's Baked Beans

One of my favorite summer dishes is baked beans and whenever I think of baked beans, I think of my mom’s baked beans. Why it’s only in the summer that I think of these I’m not sure, unless that’s when Mom usually made them. Kind of like her chicken and dumplings, we only had those at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I like just about any kind of baked beans, but Mom’s always stand out….I’m not sure if it’s because she didn’t use doctored up pork and beans or what, but I’ve always thought they were better than most. I’ve actually heard people at our family reunions tell her that they didn’t normally like baked beans but did hers. This is another recipe that she didn’t have written down, but I helped her make them enough that I knew what the ingredients were, not difficult since there were only five, I  just wasn’t sure of measurements. After a little trial and error, I think I’ve come up with her recipe.

Mom's Baked Beans

Print Recipe

1 lb Navy beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tsp.
1 lb. bacon

1. Overnight soak: Rinse and sort beans in a large pot, add 6-8 cups cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Drain water and rinse again.

2. Cooking Directions: Add 6 cups of hot water to rinsed and drained beans. Simmer gently with lid tilted for 1 hour or until desired tenderness is reached.

3. Cook beans until done, but not soft (Should smash, with very little resistance, when squeezed between thumb and finger. It's easier for me to test the doneness by eating one.).

4. Preheat oven to 350

5. Mix beans with onion, brown sugar and ketchup. Place in a 9x13 pan. Cover with strips of bacon. Bake until bacon is crisp (about 30 min), stir (may want to taste and add more ketchup and/brown sugar, if needed). Add more bacon and bake again, follow above procedures until all bacon is used. I always remove any bacon that is kind of soft. If beans get a little dry, just add a little water.

Tips

For quick soak method, see instructions on bag of beans.

Equivalency: 1 cup of dry beans is approximately 2-1/2 to 3 cups cooked beans.

Author Notes
I cooked the beans for 1 hour may need to cook longer next time.
Make sure beans are done before adding ketchup...once ketchup is added the beans will stop cooking.

Use one pound of Navy Beans, that's what Mom always used. Can substitute Great Northern Beans.

Soak overnight in cold water.

Drain, rinse and drain again.

Simmer gently for 1 hour or until the beans reach the desired tenderness, then drain. It's important to make sure the beans are completely cooked at this point because once you add the ketchup, in spite of being in the oven for several hours, they will not continue to cook.

 Combine, beans, onion, ketchup and brown sugar.

Slice one pound of bacon. Yes, I said one pound. I know that sounds like a lot, but that is the secret to the wonderful flavor of these beans. You aren't going to eat the whole pan (even though you may want to) and this is a dish that you probably won't prepare often, so just eat and enjoy. If you don't want to use a whole pound, you can probably get by with using 1/2 pound. I've always used a pound so don't know if this would change the flavor much.

Slice bacon into small pieces. My mom used to use the whole slices, but I find that the bacon cooks up better when in smaller pieces. To make cutting the bacon easier, wrap bacon in plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes. This makes the bacon hard enough that it can be chopped with a chefs knife, as finely as needed.

Place beans in a 9x13 inch pan and layer bacon on top.

Bake until bacon is crisp (approx. 30 minutes), stir bacon into beans, add another layer of bacon and bake, continue doing this until all the bacon is used. At some point during the baking process, you may want to taste the beans and add more ketchup and/or brown sugar according to your taste. My mom used a lot of brown sugar, she liked everything sweet. If the beans get too dry, mix in a little water. What I like to do is if I have an empty ketchup bottle, I keep that, add water to the bottle, shake and use that to thin out the beans.

 If you don't have the time, or don't want to bother using dried beans, you can buy beans in cans or jars that are already cooked. Once in a while, in the days when it was just Mom and me living in the family home, she would get a craving for baked beans and she would whip up a batch using the canned. They were still good.

Whenever I make and eat these beans they remind me of Mom and how the house used to smell when they were baking away in the oven. They were always a must have at all our summer family gatherings.

Cleo Coyle’s Twilight Cauliflower

 Did I hear you ask…..who in the world is Cleo Coyle? Cleo Coyle is a writer of culinary mysteries. If you aren’t familiar with them, culinary mysteries are really pretty cool. They are mysteries whose main character is in some way, involved with food, caterers, bakers, etc.,......and most of these books also have several recipes included. I’ve been a mystery lover ever since I picked up my first Nancy Drew book at the ripe old age of about nine. I even wanted to be Nancy Drew, sports car and all…..I think a lot of us who were fans wanted to be her. Anyway, I read a lot of culinary mysteries, I get to mix my love of mysteries with my love of food/cooking. It’s amazing how many culinary mysteries are out there and Cleo Coyle’s, Coffeehouse Mysteries series, is one of my favorites. Ms. Coyle’s main character, Clare Cosi, manages a family owned coffeehouse in New York City and blends coffee, food and murder in each book. Cleo Coyle has her own site, Coffeehouse Mystery and also contributes to the Mystery Lover’s Kitchen site. This recipe for Twilight Cauliflower is posted on both.

Now I’m not a cauliflower fan, I think I’ve mentioned that before,…I’ve tried it several ways but have only really been able to choke it down raw and with a lot of veggie dip. One day while reading my favorite blogs, I came across Cleo Coyle’s recipe for Twilight Cauliflower. I was intrigued….I love garlic and know that roasting vegetables gives them a slightly different taste and texture and this recipe did sound good so decided…..why not.

Twilight Cauliflower - Cleo Coyle
20-Clove Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
Print Recipe
1 average head of cauliflower (about 25 florets)
20 whole cloves of garlic (about 2 heads)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon water
Salt to taste

Total Cooking times:
Garlic roasting time - 30-35 minutes
Cauliflower roasting time - about 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small baking dish, place 20 whole garlic cloves (with skins removed). Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of water (about 1/2 teaspoon). Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake about 30-35 minutes. Note: garlic should be cooked soft enough to easily smash with a fork.

Oil will be bubbling hot when you remove the foil. Allow the dish to cool a bit then use a fork to mash the garlic into the warm oil, making a thick slurry.

When the slurry has cooled enough to handle, place clean, dry cauliflower florets into a large bowl. (Keep the number of florets to around 25 for the best flavor results.) Pour the slurry over the top of the cauliflower and use your hands to coat the slurry over all of the florets.
Turn up the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large baking dish or roasting pan by coating the bottom and sides with olive oil or lining with aluminum foil. (During roasting, pieces of garlic will bake onto your pan or dish, and this step will help with the cleanup.) Now transfer the slurry-coated cauliflower into the pan and pour any remaining slurry over the top.

Using aluminum foil, tightly cover the baking dish or roasting pan. This will create steam within the dish, which will soften and relax this cruciferous vegetable as it cooks.

Bake for 30 minutes and then remove the foil. Stir the florets and continue roasting (uncovered) for another 30-35 minutes, until fork tender and nicely carmelized. Remove from oven and salt to taste. (I added salt and pepper before returning pan to the oven and then didn't salt later.)

I loved the fragrance that wafted through the apartment while the garlic was roasting. When I took the cauliflower out of the oven, it looked wonderful… a nice, caramelized color. Then, I tasted it……delicious! I finally found a way that I can truly eat and enjoy cauliflower.

I served this with grilled beef brats on toasted New England style rolls and Garlic-Herb Mac and Cheese. As Michael and I were putting away leftovers and cleaning up the kitchen, he asked what I had planned for the leftover cauliflower. I said nothing really; just reheat it for another meal. He decided that he would like to just finish it off, now….and that he did. He said it even tasted great cold. Looks like this recipe meets with his approval as well.

Carrot Orzo

I came across this recipe while searching for a Saltimbocca recipe. I thought it looked interesting and would make an excellent accompaniment for the Saltimbocca.

Once again, I have to apologize for the lack of pictures....I get so carried away with the cooking that I forget to photograph the different steps. I hope I get better at this soon...

6 ounces peeled baby carrots (about 1 1/4 cups -- from 16-ounce package)
2 tablespoons butter -- (1/4 stick)
1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta -- about 8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 large garlic clove -- minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

The ingredients on the plate are, from top going clockwise: butter, green onion, fresh rosemary, minced garlic, parmesan cheese and orzo.

Place carrots in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop carrots.

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo and carrots; sauté until orzo is golden, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups water, broth, and garlic; cook uncovered over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

Stir in cheese, green onions, and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

I don't believe I've ever had orzo before and I know I've never used it in a recipe. It was very good...nice and creamy. A nice change of pace from rice and potatoes.