TGIF dinner October 18, 2024

[rodentraiser]

I'm starting this early because I need to see if I'm making dinner tonight the right way.

I'm making hot dogs and beans in the crock pot. I usually just use Van Camps pork and beans and add hot dogs, tomato sauce, some BBQ sauce, brown sugar, etc. This time I had a recipe for making baked beans in the crock pot with salt pork. I subbed the hot dogs for the salt pork.

I used Great White Northern Beans, soaked them overnight, then into the crock pot with the hot dogs they went. I also added, as per the recipe, molasses, brown sugar, a small can of tomato paste, some mustard and Wooster sauce, and - here I questioned the recipe but did it anyway - 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth.

All this has been in the crock pot for the past 6 1/2 hours on low and the beans are still white and hard as a rock. The whole thing looks like bean soup and you can't even taste the molasses or brown sugar and it's supposed to be tangy and delicious. Here's the recipe:

https://12tomatoes.com/slow-cooker-recipe-baked-beans/


So, my questions are: is this going to come together in the next 3 hours? Should I take out the excess liquid? Add more molasses and brown sugar? Call it a night, rescue the hot dogs, and dump the rest down the sink? Turn it to high?

My next new recipe is a maple pork roast and I sure hope that comes out OK. Because if I keep on going this way, I can see myself losing a lot of weight.

 

[blissful]

Not always but depending on the crockpot, the old ones got hotter than the newer ones. It has to boil or bubble like a simmer or the beans aren't going to get done. You could take out the hotdogs and cook it on the stove and the beans will likely cook, then add the hotdogs back in. That's what I would try. Usually it takes less than 3 hours to cook beans.

 

[medtran49]

Did grocery shopping today, so went out for lunch as usual. Went to the diner that puts lots and lots of bacon on their BLTs, so I got that, fries, coleslaw and a pickle. Pugs got some when we got home. Ate half of my sandwich and just finished the other half. Also went to The Fresh Market for some clams, but they only had 3, yes 3. So, I wondered through their bakery and got some goodies. I'll have an eclair later. Craig got 1 of the diner's lunch specials, meatloaf and mash with gravy. Huge slab of meatloaf, but he cleaned his plate. He'll have a cannoli later.

 

[medtran49]

Like Bliss wrote on the beans, they actually need to simmer. I cook beans in the pressure cooker now, gets them done and doesn't heat up the house for very long, but I suppose that's not an issue for you now, though it still is for us.

Also, if the beans are old, they might not soften regardless with regular stovetop cooking. Pressure cooking will take care of that though.

 

[Andy M.]

I made a pot of chili for dinner. Some corn muffins to round out the meal.

 

[blissful]

Battered breaded eggplant slices with tomato and mushroom sauce, a side of veggie stir fry. Coconut blondies.

 

[taxlady]

I'm having a klutz day. I spilled coffee on my desk and it got onto my laptop and into a couple of my vaping devices. I cleaned up that mess and let stuff dry. I made myself a cup of decaf espresso allongé and then after a couple of sips, spilled that cup too. . And another round of clean up.

So, I decide not to try to make supper. I don't want to deal with what could go wrong with a knife; touching a hot skillet or oven, etc. I ordered from GreekTown Grill. I got a feast of psilikomeni salad, chicken souvlaki, pork gyro (the old fashioned one that they put slices of meat onto the vertical grill), rice pilaf, roast potatoes, tzatziki, and a pita. I ate a little of the pita, but it's made of white flour, so I didn't save what was left of it. I have enough food left for another two meals, or nearly. It was very, very tasty.

 

[caseydog]

I made a pot of chili for dinner. Some corn muffins to round out the meal.

Do you eat the cornbread on the side, or crumble the cornbread and pour chili over it? That's common in some parts of Texas. I tried it about ten years ago for the first time, and it is really good. I grew up in SE Texas, where chili was served on rice, which is a major crop there, and the area had a big cajun influence. Now, I like it both ways, but slightly favor the cornbread.

CD

 

[Andy M.]

Do you eat the cornbread on the side, or crumble the cornbread and pour chili over it? That's common in some parts of Texas. I tried it about ten years ago for the first time, and it is really good. I grew up in SE Texas, where chili was served on rice, which is a major crop there, and the area had a big cajun influence. Now, I like it both ways, but slightly favor the cornbread.

CD

Corn bread on the side. Also, It's not true southern cornbread. It's a well-known chef's recipe from a local restaurant.

 

[rodentraiser]

Well, the liquid in the crock pot is now boiling, but the flavor is still so bland. I mean, I can't taste anything and I threw some extra molasses and brown sugar in there. I don't know what more I can put in there to make them taste good. Taste good? How about have any taste at all? I think I'm going to add some apple cider vinegar.

 

[blissful]

Well, the liquid in the crock pot is now boiling, but the flavor is still so bland. I mean, I can't taste anything and I threw some extra molasses and brown sugar in there. I don't know what more I can put in there to make them taste good. Taste good? How about have any taste at all? I think I'm going to add some apple cider vinegar.

For 4 cups of dried beans I put in 1 cup diced onion, 3/4 cup diced peppers, 4 mince garlic cloves and
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey (or similar amount of sugar)
3/4 cup of ketchup
3 T vinegar
2 t worcestershire sauce
1 t salt (optional)
2 t hot sauce (optional)
and I like a few tablespoons of dijon mustard in it too.
If you use a lesser amount of beans, use less of the sauce ingredients.

 

[rodentraiser]

I just added some maple syrup, some more mustard (the spicy brown kind), the rest of the molasses, more brown sugar, some more Wooster sauce, more garlic, and some apple cider vinegar plus some corn starch to thicken it up. It still tastes bland. Maybe it's me.

 

[rodentraiser]

For 4 cups of dried beans I put in 1 cup diced onion, 3/4 cup diced peppers, 4 mince garlic cloves and
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey (or similar amount of sugar)
3/4 cup of ketchup
3 T vinegar
2 t worcestershire sauce
1 t salt (optional)
2 t hot sauce (optional)
and I like a few tablespoons of dijon mustard in it too.
If you use a lesser amount of beans, use less of the sauce ingredients.

It's also got a whole grated onion in it. I wanted to eat at 5. That would put it about 8 hours in the crock pot. Now it's after 7 and I still haven't eaten. It's only boiling now because I put it on high. Note to self: next time, stick to Van Camps pork and beans.

Do you guys think if I drained the liquid out and baked them in the oven they'd be better?

 

[medtran49]

It's also got a whole grated onion in it. I wanted to eat at 5. That would put it about 8 hours in the crock pot. Now it's after 7 and I still haven't eaten. It's only boiling now because I put it on high. Note to self: next time, stick to Van Camps pork and beans.

Do you guys think if I drained the liquid out and baked them in the oven they'd be better?

I would let the liquid boil down. 1.5 cups of liquid for 1 pound of dried beans isn't much.

Granted Cajun red beans and rice are a bit soupy, but I use 8 cups of water for 3/4 pounds of beans.

 

[medtran49]

Well, the liquid in the crock pot is now boiling, but the flavor is still so bland. I mean, I can't taste anything and I threw some extra molasses and brown sugar in there. I don't know what more I can put in there to make them taste good. Taste good? How about have any taste at all? I think I'm going to add some apple cider vinegar.

Add some black pepper now if you haven't, and add some salt once the beans start to soften.

The old wives tale of not adding salt until the beans are done supposedly has been proven to be false, but I still wait until they are at least partially soft before adding salt.

 

[caseydog]

Corn bread on the side. Also, It's not true southern cornbread. It's a well-known chef's recipe from a local restaurant.

Actually, southerners don't agree on what's true cornbread. Is it sweet, or not?

I like sweet cornbread, while I know some people who call that "corncake." Jalapeño cornbread is popular in North Texas, but I'm not a big fan.

I'm like a lot of people down here, I'm okay with Jiffy corn muffin mix. I make mine from scratch because cornbread is really easy to make, and I always have the ingredients in my pantry, but I don't look down my nose at people who make it from that blue and white box. Homemade is better, but not night-and-day better.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Note to self: next time, stick to Van Camps pork and beans.

Bush's baked beans are better.

Duke

 

[taxlady]

Actually, southerners don't agree on what's true cornbread. Is it sweet, or not?

I like sweet cornbread, while I know some people who call that "corncake." Jalapeño cornbread is popular in North Texas, but I'm not a big fan.

I'm like a lot of people down here, I'm okay with Jiffy corn muffin mix. I make mine from scratch because cornbread is really easy to make, and I always have the ingredients in my pantry, but I don't look down my nose at people who make it from that blue and white box. Homemade is better, but not night-and-day better.

CD

I made cornbread a number of times. It was okay. It was easy to make from scratch. I was flabbergasted when I found out that there was a mix. My thought was "Why?". I don't like it enough to be bothered to make it. I have thrown out stale bags of cornmeal more often than I care to admit. I kept thinking I might make cornbread some time. But, I haven't made it in decades. I think it's time to quit buying cornmeal and wasting space with it. I wouldn't be surprised to find an old bag of cornmeal in the freezer.

 

[rodentraiser]

It's a bust. It's now 12 hours since I put those beans in the crock pot and they're still crispy. They finally turned brown but they and the hot dogs still taste like cardboard.

I use pinto beans when I make refried beans in the crock pot and I use 5 cups of water for those. I put them on low and they're soft enough to mash in 5 hours. I don't soak them ahead of time, though. I did soak these beans overnight. I honestly think putting in the 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth was too much. Besides, all of the molasses and brown sugar and even corn starch didn't thicken anything up. Anyway, I won't be making these again and if I can't rescue the hot dogs, I'm throwing the whole pot out.

I would let the liquid boil down. 1.5 cups of liquid for 1 pound of dried beans isn't much.

Granted Cajun red beans and rice are a bit soupy, but I use 8 cups of water for 3/4 pounds of beans.

Blissful's recipe doesn't have any water in it.

Bush's baked beans are better.

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Duke

Duke can go hunt ducks. I like Van Camps.

 

[rodentraiser]

Oh. I finally made a tuna melt for supper.