Hotdogs & Beans aka Saturday Night Supper

Hiya! I know last time I was here, I said I'd be around more, then I promptly fell off the face of the Earth! As it turned out I had an unexpectedly, unbelievably hectic summer and did almost no cooking at all. Just ask my family... they'll totally back me up on the no cooking thing!

Anyway, I'm back! I think. I kinda hesitate to say that again. But well, here I am!

Soooo.... I was out on Saturday at Market District in Robinson to see FoodTV's Aarón Sanchez do a cooking demo and get him to autograph his new cookbook. He's totally my favorite Chopped judge.



That was a fun time. Aarón commented on how well stocked the grocery store was. While I was in line waiting for an autograph, I noticed they do have a very well stocked meat department.



I wasn't looking for Python... but if it hadn't been $30 a pound, I definitely would have tried some!

But after the demo, I figured in this extremely well stocked grocery store, it would be easy for me to find Root-beer Concentrate and Malted Milk Powder. I needed them for a couple of new recipes I wanted to try over the weekend. Those aren't really unusual ingredients. But do you think they had either of them? No. They didn't.

But on my way out of the store, I noticed they had B&M Brown Bread!


That instantly made me think of Saturday night suppers growing up. I say suppers, because back then, that's what we called it. I don't think I really use that word anymore, now it's always dinner.

Anyway, growing up just outside of Boston, hotdogs and beans was a very common Saturday night supper in our house. I don't really remember actually having Brown Bread... but definitely remember the hot dogs & beans. Mum always boiled the hotdogs. I know many of you are totally cool with that... but I don't ever want to eat a boiled hot dog again. Fried, grilled, baked, microwaved, just not boiled. I really have no reason for this, other than boiling meat just seems wrong.

But not being able to actually recall consuming the Brown Bread prompted me to give Mum a call this morning to ask if we had it. She said that she never made it, but that my sister and I probably had it at Grammy's house. When we were little, Saturday night was date night for my parents, so we spent most Saturday nights with Grammy & Grampy. I only remember steamed clams (drool), HeeHaw, Lawrence Welk and All in the Family... so I emailed Jeannie to see if she remembered the Brown Bread. She didn't either. But Jeannie's not a big bread eater to start with. So I have no idea why Saturday Night Suppers popped into my mind at the first glimpse of B&M Brown Bread, but it did!

I snatched the can off of the top shelf and headed over to the baked bean section. Of course I had to have some B&M Baked Beans to go with the Brown Bread. Do you think they had any B&M Baked Beans? Nope! Not a single can! So I grabbed a can of Giant Eagle brand and headed for the checkout.

I opted to fry the hotdogs in butter. Definitely no boiling of hotdogs in my house!


Then browned the buns in butter too.


Meanwhile, I heated up some of that B&M Brown Bread in the toaster oven.


Serve it with a bowlful of baked beans and a nice warm slice of brown bread and it's dinner supper time!


Yum...


Beans on brown bread! My favorite part of dinner supper!


So it was a nice nostalgic Saturday Supper, followed by a movie night.

I had leftover beans & brown bread for breakfast on Sunday too!

Are you from New England? Did you have Saturday Suppers of Hotdogs & Beans & Brown Bread?

Kidney Bean Relish

I was at my sister's house for Thanksgiving last year. On the appetizer table, I was surprised to see Kidney Bean Relish from Century House in Peabody, MA. I love that stuff! We get it every time we go there. Which is pretty often. I love the Mussels Margueray... the Steak Tips are great too... as is the Lobster Pie! Actually... I noticed online they are pretty well known for their breakfasts. I'll have to give that a try next time I'm in town! Anyway... they used to serve the Kidney Bean Relish with Crackers free, at every table. It's not free anymore, actually it's not even on the menu. But you can still order (and pay for) it, which we always do. But you can also buy it in their Epicurean Shoppe, which boasts, "delightful selection of our most delicious dishes, oven-ready to take home, lets you have a healthy home-style meal in less than a half hour!" If you've picked up the Kidney Bean Relish, it won't even take that long. You just have to remove the lid and enjoy. But since I no longer live anywhere near Peabody, I had to try to recreate it. And I think I have it pretty close!



Kidney Bean Relish
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 C sour cream
2 TBLS red onion, finely chopped
2 TBLS thousand island dressing
1 TBLS +1 tsp prepared horseradish
1 small clove garlic, grated
2 shakes of Tabasco sauce
1 or 2 shakes worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients, gently so you don't crush the beans. Refrigerate several hours, overnight is best. Enjoy on buttery crackers.








That's it! So easy & tasty!

Three Bean Casserole aka Bean Shot

My friend Susie brought this to a potluck a long time ago and I had to have the recipe. She just called it "Three Bean Shit". Her title definitely doesn't describe it. So one day at work, she rattled off the recipe while I wrote it down. Tawny was just a toddler at the time, so I wrote the title like this...

Susie's Three Bean Sh*t

Well sometime in my kitchen, I got that paper wet and parts of it blurred, including the title.

I was making it when Tawny was probably in the 5th grade or so and she looked at the recipe. She said, "Bean Shot? That's a weird name." My asterisk had blurred to look kinda like an "o". She still calls it Bean Shot. I renamed it Three Bean Casserole for the blog because I try to get a G rating around here.

Without further adieu...



Susie's Three Bean Casserole aka Three Bean Shit aka Bean Shot
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. bacon chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 can (15oz) pork n beans
1 can (15oz) lima beans
1 can (15oz) kidney beans
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dry mustard
2 Tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste.
(do not drain the juices from your cans)

Preheat oven to 350F
In a large skillet, cook ground beef, chopped bacon & onion. Drain.
Move meat mixture to a large baking dish along with all other ingredients.
Stir until well mixed.
Bake 45 minutes at 350F.
Enjoy!

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This is wicked easy and can totally be done ahead of time!

Chop your bacon and onions.


Toss it into a skillet with the ground beef, when cooked through, drain fat.


Add beans.

Add them juice and all.

Add remaining ingredients.


Mix well


Now bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. You could also just cook it in a dutch oven over a fire!



We served it up with some haluski, broccoli salad and grilled chicken!



This is wicked good! It's awesome at a BBQ or potluck... make it on gameday for tailgating or for the crowd at your house... It's beefy bacony baked beans... like baked beans on steroids!

Try this! You won't regret it!

Morgan's Veggie Patties

Every once in a while it occurs to me to make a meatless meal. I'd like to do it once or twice a week, but in actuality it only happens more like once or twice a month.

I saw Guy Fieri make these on Guy's Big Bite and they looked wicked tasty, so I decided to give them a try! Plus when I looked up the recipe online, it had a 5-star rating with 85 reviews. Looks like a winner!



Morgan's Veggie Patties (slightly adapted)
2 oz olive oil
3 TBLS diced red onion
2 TBLS diced black olives
2 TBLS diced red bell peppers
1 tsp diced jalapeno
1 1/2 TBLS diced garlic
1 TBLS diced artichoke
4 oz black beans, drained
4 oz chickpeas, drained
4 oz white beans, drained
6 oz rolled oats
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 TBLS minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp ground sage
2 TBLS seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg

In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add 1-ounce olive oil and all raw veggies except beans. Saute until translucent. Remove and cool.

In a large bowl, partial mash beans.

Add veggies to beans and mix thoroughly. Add all dry ingredients along with the egg. Thoroughly mix all ingredients and form into 4 patties, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In saute pan add 1-ounce olive oil, and cook patties 2 to 3 minutes per side.

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Saute all raw veggies except beans, in olive oil, until translucent. Then cool.


In a large bowl, partially mash beans.


Add veggies to beans & mix well.


Add all dry ingredients and mix well.


Form into 4 patties & refrigerate for 30 minutes.

(I doubled this so I had less leftover beans, that's why I have 8 portions)

Cook 2 - 3 minutes per side in hot, oiled skillet.




Garnish as desired & enjoy!


These were great on whole wheat buns, but would also be great in a pita or on a bed of greens!

I'm also submitting this for Meatless Monday! and

Black Bean Salad

This is a super tasty dip kinda salad. It makes a tasty side, or you can serve it kinda salsa style with tortilla chips.

I definitely prefer with tortilla chips.

The first time I saw this recipe, I was looking for something vegan to add to my menu.

This recipe comes from the side of the Bush's Black Beans can.

A long time ago I heard that recipes on packages are supposed to be really good. I guess the companies hope that if you enjoy the recipe, you'll keep buying their products.

There's also a cool blog dedicated to those recipes.

Cooking on the Side

Every time I see a recipe on a package, her blog pops into my head. She also writes Panini Happy. A whole blog about panini! *drool* Both are very cool and you should definitely take a few minutes (hours) to check them out!

Anyway!



Black Bean Salad
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 can (15.25 ounces)corn, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
1 can (15 ounces) BUSH's BEST Black Beans, drained

Cut all the bell peppers and red onion into 1/4 inch dice. In a salad bowl, combine bell peppers, onion, corn kernels, garlic and cilantro and toss to mix. Add olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste and toss again. Add BUSH'S BEST Black Beans mixing well. Serve over a bed of lettuce with tortilla chips.

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I whisk the vinegar, lime juice, olive oil and salt & pepper in a small bowl and set it aside.


I LOVE how colorful this is!




Toss it all together!


That's it!

People who claim not to like the individual ingredients kept coming back for more that last time I served this!

It makes a huge batch.

I've been trying to think of ways to cut it down. But since you use cans of things, you end up with leftovers and half peppers.

Maybe cut the recipe in half and toss all of the leftover ingredients into Tortilla Soup for girlichef's Tortilla Soup Challenge?

Or maybe cook up the leftovers and fold them into a cheesy quesadilla? Or wrap them with some cilantro lime brown rice for a tasty veggie burrito?

Or just have LOTS of people over to enjoy!

Super-Tuscan White Bean Soup

I picked up Progresso Soups & More Magazine; October 20, 2009 edition.



I flip through these little magazines at the grocery store all the time. It's rare that I can resist them. I usually end up buying a few a month.

Jon says I need to make at least one recipe from every one that I buy.

So here's the one from this one!

Actually... there are a couple others I'd like to try too.



Super-Tuscan White Bean Soup
Soup:
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, cut coarsely
1 medium carrot, cut coarsely
1 medium celery stalk, cut coarsely (I used two)
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed (I used four)
4 15oz cans cannellini beans, drained
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 C dry white wine
4 C chicken broth

Topping:
2 TBLS olive oil
1 TBLs garlic, finely chopped (I used more)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 basil, sliced
salt & pepper

In a dutch oven or stock pot, cook bacon, onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes.

Add beans, wine, broth and bay leaf. Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes; until veggies are tender.

While that's cooking, heat olive oil in a hot skillet. Add garlic and cook until just golden. Add crushed red pepper; cook for a minute. Add basil and cook until wilted.

When veggies in the soup are tender, blend soup with a stick blender, until there are no chunks of anything left.

Ladle into bowls, top with a big pinch of basil mixture and enjoy!

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Cook veggies and bacon for about 5 minutes.


Add broth, wine, beans and bay leaf.




Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until veggies are tender.


While the soup is cooking, make the topping.



That only took a few minutes... so while you're waiting for the soup to finish cooking you totally have time to whip up a couple of refreshing POM Spritzers ala Gypsy Girl Gourmet.

So the soup should be done now.

I used my stick blender for this, but you can definitely use your food processor.

Don't forget to pluck out the bay leaf.


Now let 'er rip!






It's the consistency of pea soup when it's all blended.

Ladle it into a bowl and top with some of the basil topping.


I served it with Scallion Cheddar Panini. I love love love those little cheesy scallion sammies!


Jon and I really enjoyed the soup. He said he would have preferred whole beans in his bean soup, but still liked it. Bobby is pretty picked and he didn't like it; but I didn't expect him too. Tawny said it "smelled like meat"... "kielbasa or something". I told her it was the bacon and she'd probably really like it. I think she got kielbasa stuck in her head (she is not a fan) and didn't like the soup... however she does LOVE the little sammies!

This soup is definitely a winner. Thick, hearty and warming. A perfect meal as the nights start getting colder.

I'm not the only one with soup on the stove. If you're ready for some satisfying fall soups, here are few that caught my eye!

There's Potato Onion Soup simmering on Joanna's stove over at go ahead and snicker.

Heather from girlichef has the wonderful aroma of Orecchiette, Sausage & White Bean Soup wafting through her house.

Dajana over at Baker's Corner... somewhere in my kitchen can't make enough of her Chickpea Cream Soup, because it's such a family favorite.

There is no shortage of FABULOUS soups coming out of Natashya's kitchen at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies... Vietnamese Chicken Pho, Autumn Barley Soup, and Thai Coconut Chicken Soup, just to name a few... but Natashya has DOZENS and you should really browse through.

Cathy over at Accountants can cook? has a hearty Gumbo ready to take the chill off.

I could go on and on! Are you ready to get your soup on?