Basic Baked Beans

This is my 200th post on my blog! So in honor of that I'll be posting 200 things you didn't know about Jill!

Just kidding!

It really is my 200th post but even I don't know 200 things about me. Instead I'm going to post one of my favorite bean recipes, baked beans.

Baked beans are so versatile. You can use them as a side dish for all sorts of things. We like them as a main dish, either with chopped ham stirred in or served over a bed of rice. Add some cornbread and a crunchy salad and you have a fabulous, healthful, cheap dinner.

I have heard of using baked beans as a bottom layer in a shepherd's pie like dish, or top with cornbread batter and bake and make a tamale pie type of thing. I also read a tip in my More With Less Cookbook that suggests spreading leftover baked beans on bread and toasting with cheese or a strip of bacon on the top.

This recipe comes from the More With Less Cookbook (have I mentioned that this in one of my favorite cookbooks?). It is a nice basic recipe that is fabulous by itself but allows itself to a lot of tweaking if you feel like it. It works great in the crock pot (I never make it in the oven, I only make it in the crockpot).

Basic Baked Beans

Soak overnight or by quick method:

1 lb navy beans (about two cups or so)
2 qts water

Drain the water and add fresh. The bring the beans to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hrs. Drain, reserving liquid

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine in a 2 qt. casserole:

cooked beans
1/2 c. molasses
1/4 c. ketchup (optional)
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 slices bacon, chopped or 1/4 lb salt pork (optional)
bean liquid to cover

Bake 4-8 hours, adding liquid occasionally if necessary. Cover during first half of baking time then uncover.

Notes:

• I almost never use the bacon/salt pork. I usually leave it "vegetarian" until I stir in big chunks of ham (which my veggie kids can pick out). It does need some kind of fat though, so I add a Tb. of so of oil or butter/margarine. It just gives it a smoother, richer mouth-feel.
• You do need to simmer the beans ahead of time. I learned this the hard way when I served my husband's family crunchy baked beans one summer at a bbq. I think it is the salt you are adding to the cooking liquid, it didn't allow the beans to get soft. I usually just soak the beans overnight then simmer them in the morning while I'm getting ready then stick it all in the crockpot and let it cook all day.
  
• I sometimes use prepared mustard and sometimes I use dry mustard, doesn't make a huge difference.
• I sometimes use dried onion flakes instead of a chopped onion.
• I almost always use the ketchup, but that's me.
• You can add a couple of TBs. of brown sugar for a different taste.
• You can add some "heat" ingredients if you like that kind of stuff - I don't. I'm a total "spice wimp."
• If you cook it in the Crockpot, you won't need to add additional liquid, just cook it on low for 6-8 hours and you'll be fine.

Enjoy!

Jill

Using Beans to Save Money

I did not grow up eating beans. Oh sure, occasionally my mom would open a can of pork and beans. And for summer pot lucks my grandma made a mean pot of baked beans (well, she opened a can of baked beans and doctored them, but they were really good!). But generally, we got our protein from meat and our sides were salad and fruit.

My kids will grow up telling their children, "Your Grandma Jill, she made beans all the time!" Hopefully, they won't finish that statement with "and we hated it!" But I don't think so.

One of the ways I keep my grocery budget low is to use beans. I try to serve a bean based meal at least once a week. I like to have beans replace the meat, but every once and awhile the bean and meat combine. For instance, I serve baked beans and ham. In stead of serving ham steaks with baked beans as a side dish, I make baked beans from scratch and then stir in some chopped ham and serve it as the main dish. I'm using much less ham (which equals much less cost) but I'm still getting the ham flavor which most of us like.

Beans are incredibly economical! For about a dollar you can get 2 lbs of dry beans, 2 cans of ready-to-use beans, or about a third of a pound of really cheap meat. With my 1/3 lb of meat I can make about a half a meal, with my two cans of beans I can make two meals, with my 2 lbs of dry beans I can make three, four or maybe five meals!! Which makes more sense economically?

And nutrition? Beans are tops! Why? Well, just look. Beans are:

+ High in complex carbohydrates

+ High in protein

+ High in dietary fiber

+ High in Folate

+ Low in fat, especially saturated types

+ No cholesterol

+ Low in sodium

Where else can you get all of that for less than a dollar a pound?

Plus, they taste good. We love the taste of black beans, pinto beans, white beans, garbanzos and of course lentils. Lentils have a bad rap. I've had several comments on my blog from people saying that they can't bring themselves to try lentils. However, I've gotten just as many saying they did try them and were surprised how good they were! Seriously, give them a try!

Dry beans do require a little forethought. You need to soak most of them overnight. However, there are ways to get around this. You can do a quick soak (bring beans and water to a boil then let sit for one hour off the heat). My favorite way is to soak a huge batch over night, cook them in my crockpot while I'm off doing other things and then freeze them in 2 c. portions. Then you can use them just like you would the canned ones (well, except you have to thaw them in the microwave a little!). Lentils do not need to be soaked over night.

In addition to dry beans (which I buy in bulk), I also keep some canned beans on hand (when I can get them on sale). Canned beans are still relatively cheap and are fabulous for a quick meal.

Now I know some of you are thinking, what about the, um, unpleasant side-effects? It is true that they earned their name of the musical fruit! However, if you throw away the soaking water and use fresh water to cook them in, it helps. Also, if your body is used to eating them (ie, you don't eat them twice a year) you don't have any problems. Once your body adjusts, it really isn't an issue. And I'm willing to adjust if it saves me money and improves my health!

This week I'm going to be posting lots of recipes using beans. Try to find a couple to try. You will probably be glad you did.

Jill

Menu Plan Monday - March 1 - 7

I'm having so much fun doing this "Frugal Feasting" series! I've posted some yummy recipes and I've gotten great feedback from everyone. The whole idea of the Frugal Feasting series is to help people eat great while not spending a ton of money.

So far I've posted about Mega Cooking and posted one of my favorite mega-cooking recipes, Cincinnati Chili.

I've posted about baking at home and posted recipes for Soft Breadsticks and Artisan bread at home.

I've posted about vegetarian cooking and recipes for Broccoli Cottage Cheese Casserole and Cheese and Bread Soufflé.

I've talked about buying things on sale and recipes to use up your sale items like Italian Chicken.

This week we are going to be talking about using beans in your cooking to save money. Everyone always talks about cheap eating as being "beans and rice." And they can be right, but "beans and rice" don't have to be "boring and flavorless." Come with me while I share some of my favorite bean meals and ideas.

For meals this week we are having some beans and we are having cheese! My local Winco had 2 lb blocks of cheese on sale for $3.98. That is very cheap for cheese! So I bought lots, cheese lasts a long time if you keep it well packaged. So this week, we are eating some cheesy meals!

Breakfasts:

• Cereal and milk
• Bread and jam
• yogurt, granola and fruit parfaits
• pumpkin bread from the freezer

Dinners

• Spanish Tortilla
• Quesadillas
• Homemade Pizza
• Homemade Mac and Cheese
• Toasted Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Bean soup and bread

If you need even more ideas for meal time, go check out Menu Plan Monday on Organizing Junkie!

Jill

Toffee-Topped Bars (and other cookie recipes!)

I have had this recipe in my recipe binder forever. I came in one of those "please buy our recipe card collection" packets. The ones where they give you some sample cards and then want you to pay lots of money for more card, you know? I didn't buy the "more" cards, but I kept the sample ones.

I've been meaning to try this recipe for years and somehow it just never made it to the top of the to-do list. Last week I needed a recipe to take to a gathering I was going to and these just seemed like the ones.

I would make these again, they were very good, and my whole family (as well as the women at my gathering) liked them. However, I am not sure why they are called "toffee-topped" bars. There is no toffee anywhere! I thought, as I was making them, that the part you sprinkle on would melt into a toffee type layer. No such luck. I'm thinking adding some toffee chips would be a good addition - I felt cheated!

In a large mixing bowl mix together:

2 c. packed brown sugar
2 c. all purpose flour

Using a pastry cutter or two knives (or your stand mixer) cut in:

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter or margarine

When it looks like coarse crumbs, remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside.

To the mixture in the large bowl, add:

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Lightly beat in:

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. milk

Continue beating until a smooth batter forms. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan.

In a small bowl combine:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. flaked coconut (optional)

Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the batter in the pan. Sprinkle with the chocolate chip mixture. Using a long flat spatula, spread topping evenly over the top of the batter in the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool bars completely before slicing. (yeah, right, like that's going to happen!)

These were better the second day. Seems like a lot of bar type recipes are like that. Not that there is much left the second day at my house!


Here are some links to other cookie recipes I have done.

Apple Berry Bars are truly wonderful and I can even trick myself into thinking that they are healthy, too.

We made Celebration Chocolate Revel Bars to celebrate the the inauguration. You don't have to wait for the next inauguration to make them. Celebrate Tuesday, just cause you can.

If you, like me, love caramel, try making the Caramel Frosted Brown Sugar Drops. We made them again for our Superbowl party. They are still cookies to die for!

Enjoy!

Jill

Bread Recipes I've Done Before

I have posted a LOT of bread recipes in my blogging life. I decided to gather all the links together in one post. It will make it so much easier for all of you to find the bread recipe you are looking for. Aren't I nice?

Actually, I have a really sick little girl and re-posting is faster than making up new stuff so I'm going to take the easy way out today.

Monkey Bread is one of my families favorite treats. And man, is it good! And no, I still don't know why it is called Monkey Bread.

Whole Wheat Pan Rolls is one of my favorite bread recipes. It makes a lot so we always have left-0vers. They are so good toasted with butter and honey on them!

Quickie Biscuits really saved my bacon during my Month of Nothing. This is such a quick, no-brainer, addition to any meal. And so cheap, too!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread is my new favorite bread recipe. So healthy!

We love our recipe for Over-Night Waffles! I almost never make them any other way.

If you have never made bread before, check out my post Bread Making 101. I walk you through bread step by step.

There are also a lot of cookie recipes on this site! I'm posting a new cookie recipe tomorrow so I'll add all the links to the cookie recipes then. I'm off to administer Motrin to the little sick one. This is day four of a fever over 100 degrees. But the coughing, aching, sore-throat are the worst. The other kids had a similar thing and it takes four or five days to really get over it. Man, I hope I don't get it!

Jill

Soft Breadsticks

Sometimes while I'm fixing dinner I suddenly realize that this meal would really benefit from having some bread on the side. Only, it's 15 minutes until the food is done and I haven't started any bread!! Arrgh!

Then I take a deep breath and start making Soft Breadsticks. And 15 minutes later, we have bread with dinner. All is right with the world.

I got this recipe from Taste of Home magazine years and years ago. I have used it many, many, many times since. It is just that easy and that good. Try it and you'll see why we make it so often.

Soft Breadsticks

In a small bowl combine:

1 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Stir to combine well. Add

2/3 c. milk

Stir until a soft dough forms. This is kind of like biscuit dough, you don't want to be too tough with it or the breadsticks will be tough. Roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 10" x 5" and about 1/2 " thick. Cut it into 12 breadsticks.

In a 9x13 pan melt 3 Tbs. of butter or margarine. Place the breadsticks in the pan, flipping to coat both sides. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and place in a 450 degree oven for 14 -18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Notes:

• I almost always need less milk. Don't add it all at once, you can always add more, but it is really hard to take it out if you used too much!!
• Sometimes I sprinkle them with garlic powder and sesame seeds. You could do poppy seeds or a combo also.
• We always double this recipe. I have a half-sheet cake pan that fits the doubled recipe perfectly. You could use two 9x13's if you don't have a big pan.

I don't have a picture of this recipe because we always eat them too fast. Yeah, it's not because I forgot, it's because they were gone so fast.

If you want more recipe ideas, hop on over to The Grocery Cart Challenge and check 'em out!

Artisan Bread at Home

Have you every gone to a really, really good bakery and come out with a loaf of just plain, incredibly delicious bread? Or been out to eat and they bring the bread out first and you forget all about the main course you ordered because the bread is what you really want to eat all night? I have figured out how to make it at home.

I adore bread. My oldest daughter asked me the other night, "Mom, if you made a new best friend, would they have to love bread to stay your friend?" It was an odd question (she is the queen of odd, off the wall questions), but I finally said, "yes, I think they would!"

I love to eat bread, and I love to make bread. However, I have had trouble getting my bread to taste like those artisan breads at the bakery. I discovered that the secret is a long, slow rise - and very little (or no) sugar. The trick to a really crisp crust is to add steam to the oven as the bread bakes.

This recipe comes from Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, one of my favorite cookbooks. I have reviewed it before, but this is one of my favorite recipes. I don't make this near often enough, mostly because I don't think far enough ahead. This recipe isn't hard at all, it just takes forethought. It literally takes days to make, but 99% of that is just waiting time. Don't let this throw you. Just toss the stuff together and set in in the corner. Add a few things now and then and then bake when ready. Seriously, it is SO worth it! It is named after the authors' son Dom. It does make a really big batch (four huge loaves) feel free to half it, it works fine.

Here is how it goes, this is my very condensed version, the book has much more detailed instructions:

Dom's Large Batch Italian Boules and Focaccia

Put in a bowl:

3 c. water
1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Stir to dissolve, then add:

3 c. all purpose flour

Stir until a smooth batter forms. Cover and let sit 8 to 24 hours, whatever is most convenient.

Add to the batter:

6 c. lukewarm water

Stir then add:

2 c. whole wheat flour
4 c. all purpose flour

Stir until smooth then cover and set aside for 4 to 12 hours as convenient. Then add:

7 to 8 c. all purpose flour

Stir in bowl until you can't stir anymore then turn out to floured surface and knead in the rest of the flour. The dough should be smooth, soft and almost sticky. You really don't want to add too much flour. Put back in the bowl, cover with plastic and let rise 3 1/2 to 4 hours (or over night in a cool place).

To shape the loaves, cut the dough into four equal parts. SEt aisde loosely covered with plastic. Line three 8 to 10 inch round shallow wooden bowls or baskets with cotton clothes (such as tea towels) and flour the cloths well.

On a lightly floured surface, tuck the sides of 1 piece of dough under all around to make a large round boule. Pinch together underneath. Transfer the boule to a bowl or basket seam side up. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let rise for 1 1/2 hrs, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Forty-five minutes before you plan to start baking place a baking sotne in the oven. Preheat to 500 degrees.

When it is risen and the oven is preheated, transfer the bread to the baking stone. Transfer it to a peel that has been dusted liberally with corn meal first if that helps. With a really sharp knife, slash three cuts in the top. Spritz the loaf liberally with water and then throw some ice cubes in the bottom of the oven. Shut the door! The ice and the water will add steam to the oven and you don't want it to escape! You can spritz it with water a few more times in the first 5 to 10 minutes.

Bake until darkly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool on a wire rack.

While it is cooling, you get to hear the bread "sing." This is my favorite part (other than eating it!). As the crust cools, it crackles quietly. It means it is going to have one of those fabulous crusty crusts. Yum!

If you can't fit all the loaves in at once, don't sweat it! Just bake them in batches, the longer rising time won't hurt them.

You can also make focaccia out of this dough. Before baking, press it out flat and let rise 45 minutes or so. Dimple the surface with your fingers and brush liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and herbs (basil and/or rosemary are good). We always do garlic too!

Seriously, if you are a bread fan, you have got to try this!

Jill