Baked Beans

Every year at shutdown, the folks, whether vendors or Bridgestone folks, would generously provide food for the people working around July 4th.  Most of the bears haven't really enjoyed that obligatory staple of cook-outs down south - the typically syrupy baked beans.  This, however, is a side worth making - it can be a meal, and is delicious.  On request of El Senor for a Labor Day picnic this year, I searched back and found the base of the following recipe Mama Donna generously forwarded to me a few years back.  As the original was scaled to serve 300, and we were expecting 5-10 people, I had to scale it back, and, as always, work with the ingredients on hand.  It met with warm approval by those present.  Enjoy!

Baked Beans

For 15 – scaled down x20 from the recipe Bridgestone maintenance crew leader Bob Croyle shared ~

½ large can Bush’s brown sugar and bacon beans (7.5lb cans – I used two 1 lb 12 oz cans)

¼ lb bacon – I used ½ lb about

½ lb ground beef – I used 1 lb

¼ large onion – I used one small to mid-sized onions

1-2 jalapenos – I used one serano and half a jalapeno, seeds all scraped out

 

Garlic powder – used a light sprinkle and 2-3 cloves fresh

Cumin - used

Smoke paprika - used

Black pepper (fresh ground)

White pepper (did not have – otherwise would have used)

Seasoning blend like Essence of Emeril (used a very light sprinkle of Tony Chashere’s)

Cayenne pepper (did not use)

Montreal steak seasoning blend - used, lightly

Worcestershire sauce (I forgot to put in – didn’t add in later)

 

Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces. Cook bacon until all fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon. Slice jalapenos and onions thin and cook in bacon fat until nice and soft then remove.  (added the fresh garlic here for about 30 seconds) Add hamburger to remaining fat and brown and crumble. Remove hamburger meat until about 1/8 - ¼ cup remains and continue cooking until just about burnt.

Add bacon, onions, jalapenos, and hamburger to the beans and mix thoroughly.  Add the rest of the spices listed to your discretion. We do a liberal dusting of all spices except cayenne and just a light dusting of that. Mix again.  Bake off in oven until heated.

They are even better then next day after all of the seasonings meld together well.

Basic Scones

*This is S. Mahoney's recipe, with a comment or so from myself.

2 cups flour    (I often replace a half cup or so with wheat flour, home-ground)

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 Tbsp Sugar (Can be replaced with a Tablespoon of honey added in with the buttermilk)

½ tsp salt

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup buttermilk (or more) (If no buttermilk, sour your milk with Lemon juice or Apple cider - or use kefir, if you have plenty on hand that needs to be used up)

Lightly beaten egg (optional)

Mix dry ingredients.    Cut in 6 Tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.    (E - I have grated the butter in before cutting it in with a fork, to good effect.) Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk.    If you don't have buttermilk, use regular milk.    Mix until dough clings together and is a bit sticky—do not overmix.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and shape into a 6-8 inch round (or two smaller disks) about 1 ½ inch thick and cut into pie wedges.    The secret of tender scones in minimal handling.    Place on ungreased cookie sheet, being sure the sides of scones do not touch each other.    Brush with egg for a beautiful brown scone.    Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes, or until light brown.

Taken from If Teacups Could Talk by Emily Barnes, with edits.