Homemade Baked Beans

There are a few of foods that just scream summer. Potato salad, freshly made not the gooey stuff from the deli counter, is a standard summer dish at our house. Watermelon, hot dogs, lemonade, corn on the cob - Mmmmm. Another one for me is baked beans.

Baked beans are so simple to make from scratch and taste way better than anything from the store. Plus homemade has much, much less much sodium or sugar as the store brands, so it's healthier too. You can start with dried beans, use one cup of each, pick through to remove any non-bean particles and soak in water for 8 hours. Or you can start with canned beans, which is what I do because I'm too lazy to start with dried. Make sure to rinse the beans thoroughly. Then it's just a matter of adjusting flavors until it's perfect. Here is my tried and true recipe ...

Homemade Baked Beans

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, diced

2 T olive oil

6 strips, pre-cooked bacon, crumbled

1 can each garbanzo, pinto, black and kidney beans

2 cans butter beans

3/4 c ketchup

2/3 c molasses

1 T prepared mustard

1/3 c packed brown sugar

1 t salt

1 t each Worcestershire and liquid smoke

In a large, deep pot with a thick bottom, saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium until softened. Add bacon and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Drain and rinse all the beans. Add all ingredients, including beans, to the onions - mix. Cover and stir periodically until heated through. Taste and adjust flavors. To give it a little kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Makes 10 big servings and keeps really well in the fridge for up to 4 days, the flavor gets better as it sits.