Just about every summer, my mom would go to Utah for a week or ten days. Sometimes, she traveled to visit her sisters. Other times, she was going to school for a summer class. Usually, she took Kerianna with her.
Before she left, she would always make a pot full of baked beans and one of the large Tupperware mixing bowls of either potato or macaroni salad. She would leave these two items in the fridge for the boys to eat while she was gone.
 |
| our Tupperware mixing bowl looked just like this |
As a kid, I appreciated the yummy food. These are some of my favorite foods to this day. However, I never really understood why she did this until I was married and my own wife left me at home for a trip away.
Left on my own, I do not like taking the time to plan interesting meals or a variety of meals. Further, I do not like taking time to prepare meals everyday.
My dad was probably like me. (I would guess that most guys are like that!) Most likely, Mom was proactively taking steps to make sure we had meals to eat while she was gone. THANK YOU MOM!
As a side note, I also remember my dad liked to have us eat bread and milk or graham crackers dunked in milk for dinner during these times. These are also some of my favorite meals. THANK YOU DAD for teaching me about these foods.
Annette went to Las Vegas during the third week of June 2021. Addison had a dance competition. Jamie went with them because Ashton had the state 7-on-7 football tournament that week and needed to be here. I stayed home with Tate and Ashton.
The day after Annette left, I followed Mom's tradition and made a big pot of baked beans. I am including the "official" recipe below from Annette's cookbook (made by Jamie as a young women project). We got this recipe from my mother; however, Annette modified it to use dried beans.
 |
| my mother's baked bean recipe (with a few modifications by Annette) |
I have my own variations of the recipe which include the following:
- I always use two pounds of hamburger.
- I always use canned beans. I usually use four cans of beans and one can of corn for each pound of hamburger. I have experimented with different types of beans including southern beans with jalapeños or pork and beans. My preferred beans are black, pinto, kidney, and navy.
- I usually add more brown sugar. This is not an exact science. I will add what the recipe calls for and then add some more. After I mix all the ingredients, I will taste and add more brown sugar if I think it needs more sugar taste.
- I usually add at least a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce when I have two pounds of hamburger.
- I usually add some vinegar (a teaspoon or so). You don't want to get too much vinegar.
- I add regular mustard in addition to (or in place of) the dry mustard.
- At times, I have added just a touch of garlic powder (a few shakes of the dispenser).
The beans are slightly different each time I make them. But, they are always tasty.
 |
| the beans and corn in the colander |
I dump all the beans and corn on the colander and rinse all the juice from them before I put them in the pan.
 |
| in the pot ready for baking |
.jpeg)
