Baked Beans & a Family Reunion

It was a perfect day for a family reunion yesterday. Despite the heat wave we're having, the shelter was cool & there was a nice breeze blowing throughout the day. Everyone had a great time & I enjoyed talking to some people I don't get a chance to visit with very often. At one point, I looked around at all of my great-aunts & uncles, laughing & reliving times past & then glanced down at my niece, sitting beside me with her head on my shoulder. I wondered what it would be like when she's my age & I am part of the older generation remembering times gone by. I hope my generation keeps this yearly event going, even when the people that bond us together are gone.

I don't fix baked beans very often, as it's not a dish I'm crazy about. But that's what I ended up fixing yesterday, along with Cheesy Chicken Noodles (AKA chicken spaghetti, which is a perfect dish for potluck picnics). We didn't have baked beans a lot when I was growing up, but I loved it when mom would serve "Big John brand Beans & Fixins" (does anyone remember those?). I looked through my recipes & came across a recipe my great-aunt Betty had given me for Naomi Judd's baked beans. The recipe is quick & simple, but the end result is rather ordinary, nothing people would talk about.

Baked beans is also on my menu for Mike's birthday party on Friday. If anyone has a recipe they'd like to share, let me know!

BAKED BEANS

12 slices bacon
1 large onion, diced
2 cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over low heat until crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain, and then crumble. To the hot bacon fat, add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 4 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled bacon, the onion along with the bacon fat, and the pork and beans. Stir in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Scrape into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish and place the dish on a baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil & bake uncovered for 10 minutes.