Beans, beans, good for your heart--Bar-B-Q Baked Beans

Bar-B-Q Baked Beans
The Ugly Binder, from Allrecipes.com

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained (optional)
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained I used 2 cans of pintos
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can great Northern beans, drained
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
3 slices bacon, cut in half I pre-cooked it in the microwave

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium baking dish, mix kidney beans, pinto beans, lima beans, great northern beans, chili sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses. Top with bacon.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until thick and bubbly. I cooked mine in the crockpot for a few hours on high.
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This recipe is from Allrecipes.com but I'm pretty sure I got it from someone on a message board. I think the same person posted it at allrecipes. I've made these beans several times for my big summer cookout and there are usually only 1 or 2 servings left from a crockpot full of beans ( I usually at least double the recipe). I added an extra can of beans, just because I had an extra can, so the beans aren't as saucy here as they would be if you followed the recipe exactly.

This recipe isn't as sweet as a lot of baked bean recipes. Don't get me wrong, I love sweet baked beans too, but this spicier version just seems to go over better with a crowd. People seem to love the variety of beans in this recipe too.

I guess it's time to start planning my cookout. It won't be until August but I can already tell that this summer is going to fly by in the wink of an eye.

Blast From The Past: Cauliflower with Garlic and Bread Crumbs from June 2006. That's my favorite way to make cauliflower.

Question of the Day: Do you make baked beans? How do you make them?

A surprise ending --Caramelized Pork Slices

Caramelized Pork Slices
Taste of Home Cookbook Copyright 2006

1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin cut into 1-inch thick slices
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt I used 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Flatten pork slices to 1/2-in. thickness. In a nonstick skillet, brown pork in oil over medium-high heat. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute garlic for 1 minute; stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, molasses, salt and pepper. Return pork to pan; cook, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until pork is no longer pink.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3 ounces glazed cooked meat) equals 200 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 74 mg cholesterol, 355 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1/2 starch.
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I was a little bit worried while making this. I thought it was going to be too sweet and I thought the molasses flavor might be too strong. But, what do I know? It all came together nicely in the end. The pork was coated with a slightly sweet sauce but it wasn't overpowering. The garlic and the pan juices mellowed it out. This was very good for something so fast and simple to put together.

On Friday, I made my first trip to the 'auction' (farmer's market) since last year. I wasn't sure that I was going to make the trip so I had already purchased my produce for the week. This was just a scouting trip and oh my, did they have a lot of nice looking produce and plenty of plants too.

What did I end up buying? Cookbooks! I try to stay away from them but it's impossible. The used book man had lots of them to choose from and the prices were good. Now I'll be tempted every time I go to the auction and I plan to get there often.

Blast From The Past: Pork Steak Diane from November 2006. I forgot all about the cookbook that recipe is from. It's so small - it gets lost.

Question of the Day: Do you visit any sort of farmer's market on a regular basis?

I'm back!--Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia

Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia
Baking From My Home To Yours Copyright 2006

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch square baking pan on a baking sheet. Pyrex was suggested so I used my 11x7-inch Pyrex.

Whisk the flour and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter in the bowl and top with the chopped chocolate. Stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. I used the microwave on half power, stirring every few minutes until the butter and chocolate were melted and smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar and whisk gently just to incorporate it, then remove the bowl from the pan of water. Stir in the vanilla and transfer the warm chocolate to a large bowl.

Put the remaining 1 cup of sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl and, using a whisk, stir in the eggs. Switch to a rubber spatula and, little by little, add half of the sugar-egg mixture to the warm chocolate, stirring very gently but without stopping – you don’t want the heat of the chocolate to cook the eggs.

With the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the remaining sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, or until they double in volume. Using a spatula and a light touch, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture, stopping just short of blending them in completely. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and delicately fold them in, working only until the disappear. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the top looks dry. I baked mine a bit longer (my pan was smaller). Poke a thin knife into the center and take a peek; the brownies should only be just set and still pretty gooey. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

The brownies are fragile and best cut in the pan. Cut into 18 1 1/2x3-inch bars.
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I still have one more day off from my 'real' job but I couldn't stand to stay away from my blog for one more day. I will say that my time off has not been in vain. I've accomplished quite a bit in the past few days. Unfortunately, there is always more work left to do around the house, isn't there?

Yesterday I did take the day off to enjoy Memorial Day with my family and I brought these brownies along with me. I thought I had overbaked them. I get nervous when told to leave a baked good 'gooey' and I cooked these until there was just a bit of moist batter left on the tester but when I cut into them I couldn't imagine them being more perfect. Even the end pieces weren't overbaked, a problem I often encounter with brownies.

I made these in a Pyrex which I then just covered and took to the cookout. I think these are probably best served out of the pan like that because they're so fudgy that they're sort of messy to cut and handle. They can be cut and arranged on a platter if you're careful.

Do I have to tell you how intensely chocolate these were? Personally, I thought these were some of the best brownies I've ever made. Even my nephew who I almost never see eat, was eating these brownies.

Blast From The Past: Brownies from last August. That was King Arthur's recipe that I intially wasn't all that thrilled with but my guests scarfed them down.

Question of the Day: Did you miss me while I was 'gone'?

Say good-bye to salmon--Glazed Salmon

Glazed Salmon
The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook Copyright 2002, 2006

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, lime juice, and mustard. Marinate the salmon in the sauce in the refrigerator for several hours, or until ready to cook.

In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the salmon on each side, 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown, crispy and just cooked through. Transfer salmon to a platter.

Add the remaining honey glaze to the skillet and simmer, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil. Return salmon to the pan, heat thoroughly, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 272 cal, 35g pro, 19 g carb, 6g fat, 0g fiber, 88mg chol, 400mg sodium

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Last night my husband nicely asked me to stop making salmon. He asked very nicely so I know he was serious. If he had been rude about it he knows he would fine himself eating salmon everyday. I'll stop making salmon but I'm going to try other fishes, even though at one point he generalized and said that he didn't like fish but I've seen him eat fish in the past.

His request had nothing to do with this recipe - he just doesn't care for salmon. He wasn't happy from the moment he saw salmon on this week's menu. This recipe was fine - not a standout but perfectly fine. I don't know why I chose a pan-fried recipe - the stink bothers me so much.

I'm taking a long, long weekend so I may be MIA for a day or two. Or maybe not. I'm taking the time off to get caught up with things and my blog is the one thing I'm not behind on because it's an escape from everything else. So, it would probably be a good thing to step back from it for a few days but I really don't wanna!

Blast From The Past: Easy Cream Puff Cake from last May. I made that for a Memorial Day cookout last year and it was a big hit. I'm thinking about making it again, yet there are so many new recipes out there I still haven't tried.

Question of the Day: Are there any foods you don't make because there are other people you cook for that don't care for them?

A so-so sandwich and a story--Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches
501 Delicious Diabetic Recipes Copyright 2000

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin
Vegetable cooking spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ cup no-salt added tomato sauce
1 ½ tablespoons granulated brown sugar substitute I used regular brown sugar
2 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium Worcestershire sauce I used regular Worcestershire
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
Dash of hot sauce
4 reduced-calorie whole-wheat hamburger buns, split and toasted I forgot to toast my buns

1. Trim fat from pork. Cut a slit lengthwise in each tenderloin to, but not through, bottom; place between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to ¼-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Cut into 4 cutlets.
2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil. Place over medium-high heat until hot. Add cutlets, and cook 3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove cutlets from skillet; drain and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Coarsely chop cutlets. 3. Wipe drippings from skillet with a paper towel. Add tomato sauce and next 7 ingredients to skillet. Bring to a boil; add chopped pork. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often.
4. Spoon ½ cup pork mixture over bottom half of bun.

Yield: 4 servings Per serving: 257 cal, 19.2 g carbs, 28.2g pro, 6.7 g fat, 83 mg chol, 1.9g fiber, 494mg sodium
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Yikes! That picture looks almost menacing. Sorry, some things just do not photograph well.

This was okay, just okay. I thought the balance of sweet versus tangy was fine. It was salty enough yet even with the regular Worcestershire sauce, still not as salty as I'm probably used to. So I wasn't sure if it just lacked salt (which I adapted to rather quickly) or if it needed a shot of cumin or other seasoning. Or maybe it didn't need anything. This is one of those recipes that I would prefer to have on a white roll so maybe that's what felt 'off' about it. Wheat rolls just don't work for me for some things. Like hot dogs. I just can't do hot dogs on wheat rolls.

I was planning on making Indiana Breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwiches from American Sandwich but then I found out my blood pressure was kind of high so I had to call that splurge off (they're pan fried). I had a funny story to go with the pork tenderloin sandwiches too. Guess what? I'm going to tell it anyway.

Years ago, I travelled from Philadelphia to Iowa for the day, with six other people. It was a work trip. One gentleman on the trip was just one of those people that rub everyone the wrong way. We'll call him Joe (because that was his name). On our return trip, we found ourselves waiting out a storm in a restaurant located in a small airport in Iowa. Joe ordered one of those breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches that are famous in the midwest. If you've ever seen these sandwiches, you'll know that the pork is pounded so thin and wide that it ends up just hanging out of the standard size round sandwich roll. Joe took one look at this huge thing and exclaimed there was just no way he could eat that all by himself and asked if anyone wanted to 'share' it with him. Someone in the group said sure and Joe promptly cut off the extruding piece of pork and handed it over. No bun, just the piece of pork that was hanging out of the bun. He did say 'share' and not 'split' but still, I think sharing a sandwich implies that some of the bun will be shared. Don't you?

Joe wasn't with the company much longer after that. What it really came down to was that no one liked him. If only he had cut that sandwich down the middle, he might have had at least one friend in the company.

Blast From The Past: Glazed Pork Tenderloin from March 2007. That's a great pork recipe.

Question of the Day: Do you like to try local foods when you travel?