More Town Pictures, Less Talk and Maple Baked Beans

No blabber today. You deserve it with all of my recent ramblings. Are you happy now (smirkingly I say this)?

After I watch my friend Beckie’s adorable 1 year old daughter, I am lunching with her today. I don’t think I’ve ever used that phrase.

This post contains even more pictures of Northfield along the lines of what I shared yesterday. Read that post for more info. Eat this recipe to make your tummy happy.

Maple Baked Beans
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
16 oz. dried navy or great northern beans
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp molasses
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 strips of thick cut bacon, cut into pieces and cooked until just crisp
water

In a large pot (with a lid…Dutch oven works), cover the dried beans with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender. The original said for an hour but mine took much longer to become tender. Preheat the oven to 300F.

In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, molasses, tomato sauce and maple syrup. Add this to the beans and stir in the bacon. Add enough water to the pot just to cover the mixture and top with aluminum foil then the lid. Bake for 3 hours, checking each hour to be sure it’s not too dry in the pot (add more water if needed). This process could take 5 hours of baking but once the beans begin to tenderize more, uncover for the last half hour of cooking to help deepen the color , if you wish.