Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Baked Beans


I have never made baked beans before and I was assigned to bring some to the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet.  This recipe came from a trusted source so I knew they would be good.  And I have to say that they were the best baked beans I have ever had!  I changed the beans a little from the original recipe according to what I could find in the grocery store, and now that I've had them I would never make them another way. 

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Baked Beans
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1 lb. bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 (15 oz.) cans cannallini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
27 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
52 oz. can + 28 oz. can pork and beans
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup liquid smoke
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
Tobasco sauce to taste

Cook bacon, drain and chop.  Brown hamburger and onion, drain.  Mix all ingredients together in a 5 quart ovenproof pot with a tight fitting lid.  Cook for 2 hours in oven at 300 degrees with the lid on.  Remove lid and cook 3 more hours at 250 degrees.  If the beans are too thick you can add water to get the right consistency.

notes:
  • I used my Le Creuset enameled dutch oven for this, my favorite pot in the whole wide world!
  • I cut my bacon into 1/2-1 inch pieces and cooked them on the stovetop until crisp.  I drained the grease but left the little brown pieces in my pot while I browned my hamburger and onion to give it a little more flavor. 
  • next time I will try to use even less white sugar--maybe 3/4 cup
  • I used 6 or 7 dashes of tobasco sauce (because sometimes I am afraid of Tobasco sauce), next time I will use way more

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Chocolate Sheet Cake

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I don't know why I would ever need another recipe for a chocolate cake when I grew up with this chocolate cake every year for my birthday.  But many years ago, a co-worker brought this chocolate sheet cake to work, and I HAD to get the recipe.  This would be more like something I would take to a pot luck rather than make for a birthday.  It has cinnamon in it which gives it a wonderful unique flavor.  Please just ignore the fact that there are 3 cubes of butter in this recipe and enjoy it!

Chocolate Sheet Cake
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Heat in saucepan:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Mix in large mixing bowl the above with:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend well and add:
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix all ingredients until well blended and pour into a greased and floured Jelly Roll pan (cookie sheet with sides).  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes--test for doneness.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15 minutes before frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.