Baked bean Casserole and Apple betty for dinner.

Good morning to you all.  Last night for dinner I made a dinner that is a favorite in my house.  Baked bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and for dessert Apple betty.  My bunch with the exception on M loves baked bean casserole.  He doesn't  like beans.  Both are easy recipes and they are below.  Mashed potato recipe isn't because just about everybody has their own recipe for that.

Baked bean Casserole
( family of 5)

• 1 lb hamburger meat
• 32 oz pork n beans (canned or fresh made) 
• 10 splashes of  worchestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp of minced onion
• 1/4 c brown sugar

Brown the hamburger meat in a large cast iron skillet,  then add the pork n beans with all the juice,  Worchestershire sauce, onions, and brown sugar stir and throw in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350.  

 Apple betty

• 1 quart of Apple pie filling (I use my canned apple pie filling if using store bought pie filling 2 cans)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 tbsp  cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 stick of butter softened

Pour in your pie filling  then mix the other ingredients in another bowl then pour on top and bake at 350 for 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling up and the crust is browned.

Dilly beans (pickled green beans)

Last weekend at the farmers market, I picked up a bushel or so of green beans.  Miss S and I sat down and snapped them.  She loves snapping and shelling beans. She is such a little country girl.  Then it comes down to what are you going to make.  Well I have put up, 13 pints and a quart of green beans the regular way by cold packing and pressure canning, had a meal of green beans and potatoes from my garden, then I turned to dilly beans.  A friend turn me on to these a few years ago.  They are delish and easy for even a beginner as they are done by water bath canning.   You can water bath these because they are done in vinegar which the acid will prevent bacterial growth.  I looked through my canning books and recipes online out of curiosity.  There are tons of recipes listed but they are all the same and none of them are the same recipe I have so I thought I would share. They are a delicious little treat to eat just like pickles.

There are 2 recipes I have 1 for regular dilly beans and one for spicy.  I am posting both.  I hope you enjoy as much as we do.

 Dilly beans

• enough fresh green beans to fill a pint jar (snapped and washed) 
• 1 1/2 c vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp dill weed
• 1/4 tsp dill seed
• 1/4 tsp tumerac
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Put your vinegar in a large sauce pan to boil.  Boil your jar/s to sterilize them.  Then pack raw fresh snapped green beans in the jar.  And in the clove of garlic and all the seasonings.  Then carefully poor the vinegar in the jars leaving 1 inch of head space.  Lid and boil for 15 minutes in a water bath canner.
Leave sitting for at least a week to let the flavor develop properly.

Spicy Dilly beans

• enough fresh green beans to fill a pint jar (snapped and washed) 
• Half of a fresh japeleno pepper ( no seeds for a milder burn seeds for good burn)
• 1 1/2 c vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp dill weed
• 1/4 tsp dill seed
• 1/4 tsp tumerac
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Put your vinegar in a large sauce pan to boil.  Boil your jar/s to sterilize them.  Then pack raw fresh snapped green beans in the jar.  And in the clove of garlic and all the seasonings.  Then carefully poor the vinegar in the jars leaving 1 inch of head space.  Lid and boil for 15 minutes in a water bath canner.
Leave sitting for at least a week to let the flavor develop properly.  

I hope you like these dilly beans.  They are so Yummy! 

Pinto Bean Pie

I know pinto bean pie sounds gross at first thought, but before you turn your nose up at it, try it!  When my friend Miss R told me about it I was very skeptical.  I made it for my family and without telling them it was pinto beans.  They loved it.  J knew that it was pinto beans and his comment was it taste just like pumpkin pie.  Yes it does. And the best part of it is that it can be made from food storage items.  I have spoken in earlier post about the need for comfort items and to keep things normal well at my house a cake or a pie every now and then is made just for the heck of it.  

Pinto Bean Pie

• 2 cups pinto beans
• small potato
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 2 pie crust (store bought or handmade will have a blog post about that later)
• 1  c sugar (or 1/2 c stevia)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cans evaporated milk (1 1/2 c if mixing powder evaporated milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Next 3 can be adjusted but I like mine pumpkin pie every spicy if you don't then cut in half.

• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves

First you have to cook your beans:

add the 2 cups of pintos to a large sauce pan add the baking soda and potato ( I am told the baking soda and potato help lessen the gassiness) add 4 cups of water and cook your beans as normal.  Until they are soft.  When they are done drain and remove the potato ( save for stew or mashed potatoes)

Next you preheat the oven to 350

In a blender or food processor ( or by hand)  mush up the beans until they are smooth.  Then in a large mixing bowl mix the sugar, beans, milk, eggs, vanilla, and seasonings together.   Then pour into the pie shells.  Place the pie pan/s on a cookie sheet to help with clean up just in case.  Bake for 45-60 minutes.  Until you can insert a butter knife in the center and it comes back clean.

I promise it is Yummy!!! M liked it and he is picky and typically hates beans of any kind. 

Black Eyed peas ready to make.

Ready to make black eyed peas.

These are easy to make up and store for later.  We all know that we are supposed to eat black eyed peas for New Years.  Make these up in summer when your peas come in and for later.

Black eyed peas

2 c black eyed peas

1 ham  seasoning packet

tsp salt

tbsp pepper

2 tsp pepper flakes ( adjust to your taste)

Layer in a clean dry bottle add an oxygen absorber and seal. 

To cook add 4 c water and enjoy.

This has 5 servings about 18 grams carbs per serving.  So it is Diabetic friendly. You can adjust the seasonings to what your needs and taste.  When I cook black eyed peas fresh, I add a whole jalapeno, so I substituted it with Red pepper flakes.

Baked beans for storage

Depending on what part of the country you are from these can be called Pork n Beans or Baked Beans.  Well, whatever you call them, they are yummy.  Seriously you can make many things with this.  It can be a side dish or a main dish, cut up some wienies and you will have beanie wienies or Franks and beans.  Again it is a cultural thing.  Where ever you are and whatever you call them, they are yummy and even your kids will ask for seconds.  

2 cups small navy beans 
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup chopped onion (dried)
1 garlic clove, minced (dried)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 package of Ham seasoning

Store in an air tight bottle (soda bottle) with an oxygen absorber.  

To make add 4 3/4 c water, 
2 tablespoons of mustard.

In case you are wondering, what the ham seasoning looks like:

That ham seasoning is a great thing to have on hand.  You can add it in with any type of beans or greens you would add salt pork or fat back too.  I have sneaked this in on my family several times and they couldn't tell the difference.