There's a spot in my heart reserved for summer dinners at my grandparents' house, when we sat at their round picnic table on the patio. Grandpa would station himself at the grill, smoking a cigarette and talking quietly with my dad while we tumbled in the endless lawn of cool, evening grass. We'd wear ourselves out playing tag, racing between the flower beds and pine trees until we collapsed on the hammock and lay there until dinner was ready. Back then, the only "picnic" foods I would eat were hotdogs, potato chips, and Grandma's fruit salad (if it was loaded with marshmallows); praise the Lord that my taste buds have changed! One dish I always made sure to decline was baked beans, and I've continued passing on them until just recently. In the spirit of trying to break old habits I decided to make them this weekend and am IN LOVE with this recipe's tangy sweetness.
Ingredients:
3 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 large vidalia onion, chopped
1 cup (about half a can) diced tomatoes
4 tbsp. unsulphured molasses
3 tbsp. maple syrup (I used maple/agave blend)
2 tbsp. mustard
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
a handful of dried cranberries
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir well. Cook for 4-5 hours on high heat, or 7-8 hours on low. These would be wonderful topped with a sliced, grilled hot dog and cornbread on the side, but I ate mine with brown rice (of course).
