Baked Beans Friday, Nov 23 2012 

Breakfast and Misc and Recipes and Vegetarian , AnneJisca 7:40 am

 

Sometimes, I just crave baked beans. There’s something so yummy about them! When I make baked beans, I make a large batch and freeze some for later. This way I no longer need to buy cans to satisfy those occasional baked beans cravings. 🙂

Baked Beans

2 cups (1lb) dried navy beans*
10 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups water

Soak beans overnight.Heat beans and 10 cups water to boiling in a large pot. Boil uncovered for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients except 3 cups water. Pour into oven-safe dish. Cover and bake at 350F for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in 3 cups water. Bake uncovered 2hrs, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and desired consistency.

*I was out of navy beans, and made the above recipe with Mung beans successfully!

Recipe is slight variation from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.

 

Sloppy Joes Monday, Sep 12 2011 

Beef and Main Dishes and Recipes , , , AnneJisca 7:22 am

These sloppy joes are definitely one of my go-to meals. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it tastes great! My 3-yr old likes them, my husband loves them, that’s all I need to make me happy! 😉  I often double-triple the batch and freeze some for quick meals on a busy day. I put less ground beef than the recipe calls for, and more beans, just because I tend to think we eat too much meat and not enough beans and legumes. 🙂  In the above picture, I also added zucchini chunks! It’s definitely a great recipe just as it is though.

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cups diced onions
1 can tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic
1 can beans (optional)

Brown ground beef and onions. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5 minutes. Stir often, as it sticks easily! Eat over a slice of yummy homemade bread (ok, I guess store-bought would work too, but I’m partial to homemade!). 🙂

 

How-to can dry beans Friday, Sep 2 2011 

Misc and Recipes , , AnneJisca 7:12 am

Here is a guest post by my friend, Samantha R! I want to start doing this soon, as it’s a great way to have quick beans for a recipe, salads, etc. I like to soak/cook my own beans, but I don’t often think of it ahead of time. Canning from dry like this is a great idea! Thanks for sharing it, Samantha. 🙂

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Canning Dry Beans:

 Ingredients for each quart jar you make:
1 1/4 cups dry beans to each quart jar (pintos, red and black work best)
1 tsp salt
Water

Things you will need:
Beans
Colander
Pot
Pressure canner
1-qt. canning jars
Canning lids and rings
Jar lifter
Timer
Towel

Clean/rinse your beans. Pick out any beans that are odd looking or discolored or just plain don’t look good. 😉 Add 1 tsp of salt per quart to the canning jars, if desired. Fill the jars with beans and water, leaving 1 inch of head space. Center the lids on the jars so that the seals are in contact with the rims. Screw on the lids to fingertip-tightness, being careful not to over-tighten.

Place 2 to 3 inches of hot water in the pressure canner. Using a jar lifter, place the filled, closed jars on the rack. Securely fasten the pressure canner lid while leaving the vents and petcocks open.

Place the pressure canner on the largest burner and heat on the highest setting until steam flows freely from the vents. Continue to allow the steam to flow for 5 minutes, then place the weight on the vent port or close the petcock.

Set the timer for 90 minutes when the recommended pressure (15lbs) has been reached. Turn off the heat after the timer goes off, and remove the canner from the heat source.

Allow the canner to depressurize. Open the petcock or remove the weight when the pressure is at zero. Allow the canner to sit and cool for 10 minutes before unfastening and removing the lid. Be careful as you remove the lid, and divert any steam away from yourself.

Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Do not tilt the jars when moving them. Set them on a dry towel to cool. Allow the jars to cool for 12 to 24 hours before testing the seals.

Some people don’t recommend canning dry because they are worried about too much expansion and thus the pressure popping the lids off later on. However, if you are careful to not put more than 1.25 cups, all should be well. I don’t even soak mine the night before, and I’ve never have had an issue.

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Samantha R is into photography, and takes beautiful photographs! Feel free to check out her sites, to view her pictures as well as the options to purchase some of them: