I can not believe Memorial Day is here already. When I was younger I always marched in the Memorial 
Day Parade, first as a Girl Scout and later in the band. It was always a very solemn occasion. Though I think of grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad and watermelon on Memorial Day, there is a lot to be said about reflecting on the true reason for Memorial Day; to honor those who have given their lives for our freedom. May we never forget. Check out your local community to see what is planned for this Memorial Day celebration. In Wadsworth, Monday May 26th at 10:00 a.m. will mark the beginning of the festivities in Downtown Wadsworth with a parade starting at 10:30 a.m. I hope to see you there.
After the parade, have your grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken, steaks and enjoy time with your family. Here is my recipe for Baked Beans.
Baked Beans
1 pound dried baby lima beans
8 oz. cooked smoked ham (in large chunks or diced–whichever you prefer)
1/2 onion diced
1/2 green pepper or red pepper diced
2 teaspoons Ham flavored soup base and food seasoning
2 Cups ketchup
2 Tablespoons Mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar (or more to taste)
Put the baby lima beans in a pan and cover with water. It is best to soak these overnight; However, if you get in the mood for baked beans and you can’t soak overnight, soak for about an hour. Note: you will need to cook these beans longer than the presoaked beans. Whenever I have leftover ham I put it in the freezer for such a time as this. I pull the ham out of the freezer. It is perfect for the baked beans. After soaking the beans, drain them in a strainer and rinse the beans. Return the beans to a 4 to 5 quart roasting pan. Cover the beans with water. You will use approximately 3 cups of water. Add the ham to the beans and the chopped onions. Put the pan on a burner and set the burner settng to high. Bring the beans to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and put a lid on the pan. The beans should cook for 2 to 3 hours with a gentle boil. Test the beans. You want them to be fork tender before you continue with the next step. You may want to take the lid off of the pan for the last hour to help thicken the broth. When the beans are completely cooked, add 2 teaspoons of the Ham flavored soup base to the pot of beans. At this point you want some liquid but not a lot of liquid. If you need to, continue to boil the beans until the broth is thickened. Add the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and the diced pepper to the beans. Stir thoroughly. At this point, I put my beans in a bean crock and place in the oven which has been heated to 300 degrees. Let them cook for an additional 2 hours!
These will be the best beans ever!
Have a safe and fun Memorial Day! Until next time…From our Butcher Block to your Table.
