Monday, June 30, 2008

Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans

Scroll down for a complete Fourth of July Menu and shopping list...I had a hilarious friend growing up. (Actually, I've had several. I must be the laughing listener for hilarious people.) Not the hee-hee-giggle kind of funny. The HOO-HA-deep belly laugh-please stop kind of funny. Everything she did made me and everyone around her laugh. Tricia Shaw had athsma and had to breathe into a machine every morning, noon and night, and she could even make me chortle when she was plugged into her Darth Vader machine. When we were in kindergarten, Tricia fell out of the back of a camper on the highway because she wanted to catch hold of a dead bug on the bumper. A random driver picked her up and brought her back to her family, and she was fine other than a comical bandage wrapped around her head. She never paid attention in Sunday school because all she could think about was how much she wanted a monkey for a pet or how much she loved Ben Robinson, the cutest boy in class. The girl was hilarious.
Like many childhood friends, we've lost contact, but I did run into her a few years ago when we were both attending church in our home town. I spotted her during a hymn and immediately began laughing-hard laughing...couldn't finish singing. I was relieved to know that she is still hilarious. If personal tragedy ever strikes, I'm going to seek her out for humor therapy.

Tricia's contribution to my life is not limited to comedy. Her lasting legacy is actually this favorite baked bean recipe. It's so fantastically good that you just might not ever make another recipe for baked beans again. Ever. This is the one. It makes a big batch, but I promise it'll be the first thing gone at any of your summer parties.

And Tricia, if you're out there, send me some more recipes. And make me laugh.
Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans from Tricia Shaw
Estimated Cost: $5.50 for 10-12 servings
Notes: A half batch can be baked in a loaf pan.

1/2 to 1 lb bacon, chopped

1 large onion, minced

3 (15 ounce cans) pinto beans, drained

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons mustard (I've used yellow or dijon with good results)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, fry bacon until almost crisp. Pour off most of the fat. Add onion in with the bacon and continue to fry for five minutes. Add in all ingredients and mix well. Pour into 2 quart casserole or 9 by 13. Bake, covered with lid or foil for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes longer.

Coming Tomorrow:

Tomato Cucumber Slaw with Lemon Dressing

Plus a Breakfast Bonus:

Cran Blue-Berry Scones for Fourth of July Breakfast

25 comments:

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Yum! Love your Fourth Menu!

Jenny said...

Oh my goodness baked beans are at every family get together we have, I love them! Yours look terrific!

Anonymous said...

These really are the best baked beans ever! How nice of hilarious Tricia to share! I had

MK and Co. said...

A lb. of bacon and I'm sold. I love these baked beans. They are perfect for any summer BBQ. I can't wait till the Fourth!

MK and Co. said...

P.s. Tell me more stories of Trisha Shaw. She sounds hilarious!

Kirsten said...

These sound great. I've been wanting to make my own baked beans for awhile, I think I will try Tricia's recipe. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

my family will think I'm a culinary genius. do I have to tell them it's not my recipe? LOL

Sharon said...

ooh, the color just pops off my screen. I love baked beans but have never made my own. I'll have to try these.

Steph said...

This recipe looks good. I've never had baked beans before and instead rinse them out of a can and eat them.. eww, i know.

Sara said...

These look great! You are so fun. I love your blog. Your recipes are all amazing, and I love to read your stories...they are very comical.

Clumbsy Cookie said...

You're too cute! I loved your menu and shopping list! I love baked beans, but never had them like that. Here we have them with a lot of garlic, bacon and poached eggs. i should give these a try, they look so good!

La Bella Cooks said...

I love your story of your friend. She sounds like a gem and who wouldn't like brown sugar beans? They look wonderful!

test it comm said...

Those beans sound really tasty!

Honeyed Hashette said...

My hubby will totally thank you for this recipe! Yay! I'm glad you posted this. We loved grilled pork chops and baked beans.

Leah said...

Oh Prudy, I just love reading stories about friends like that. I have four friends from high school who are coming to see me in two weeks and between us, we have hilarious memories like the one of your friend fallin' off the truck.

Great story...isn't it funny how when those stories are actually 'happening' that you have no idea they'll stay with you for the rest of your life?!? The BEST!!!!

Oh, I'll try the beans too, just 'cause I love the story about Tricia. ;-) -- Leah

Emily said...

Baked beans are perfect for the 4th! They look great.

Anonymous said...

quick question - what temperature is the oven? I'm assuming 350, but thought I'd check. :)

Prudy said...

Oh Taffi-my bad. Yes, it's 350 but I've often done it hotter if I have something else going in the oven. It's pretty flexible-it just needs to be bubbly and syrupy before it's ready to come out!

noskos said...

Nice recipe! I'll make them next time and bake them in my smoker together with ribs :-)

Tricia Harper said...

Hi Prudy...Tricia Shaw here. I heard you've been talking about me behind my back! As I recall our childhood YOU were the funny friend! Let's just say we had a lot of laughs. When I think of my teenage years I think of you, lots of good food, and laughing so hard mascara was running down my face. (It was the 80's I had on a lot of mascara.) By the way I never had a crush on Ben Robinson it was always Greg!
I'm making the beans for the 4th! I've also made a main dish out of the recipe before. We call them "Cowboy Beans over Biscuits." You add in 1 lb. ground beef browned, serve over a biscuit and top with grated cheddar cheese and garnish with chopped green onion! It is Yummy!!
I got your phone number...call you soon. I love your blog!

Tricia Harper said...

One more note on the recipe. You can use any kind of beans as long as its 3 15 oz. cans. I often use 2 pork and beans and 1 red kidney beans, drained. The kidney beans add another color and add another texture!

Prudy said...

TRICIA SHAW:
OH, you're right, it was Greg! Can I be losing my memory? It's so good to hear from you! I'm dying to talk to you so you had better call! I have questions about the cowboy baked beans and I'm dying to write about you again. Especially the time we broke the mailbox in the VW bug and the time in the Taco Bell bathroom on the way home from the beach. Oh, there's more.
Sorry about the Ben/Greg blunder. What about Jarom? Didn't you love him, too?

Anonymous said...

Made um, loved um. Thanks for the yummy recipe!

Michal said...

i made these this weekend with a few twists because i was too lazy to go to the store. i used dry pintos, which i quick soaked and then boiled for 1 hour. i sauteed the onion and bacon as described in the recipe, but then threw everything in the crockpot. also, the bbq sauce i used was leftover rootbeer bbq sauce from your blog as well. (i reduced the mustard a bit since the bbq sauce has a lot of mustard in it already.)the beans were delicious and i'm so glad that there were enough for some leftovers (since i doubled the recipe.)

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