The Picnic Game: Baked Beans

Did you ever play the picnic game as a child? Well, Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations is hosting a virtual Picnic. In order to participate in the Picnic Game, each blogger chooses a letter and brings a dish that begins with that letter.  Join in the fun!

I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing.....

A: Artichokes Steamed and Dressed with Mayonnaise from Mae at Mae's Food Blog

And my letter is B: Baked Beans
 
Be sure to visit Louise next weekend for all the other letters and their matching dishes!

Ah yes...I remember when I used to spend two days making perfect baked beans. And every once in a while I still make them from scratch. But my mother, because we did a lot of picnicking on the boat, knew tons of shortcuts for picnic foods. These baked beans are a perfect example. The ingredients were never written down, but I've been making it forever so did some guesswork for this post. Just eyeball it and if you need or want more of anything, add it. Obviously, we love bacon. We never cared for soupy baked beans either; you'll find these just right: they won't leak sauce into all the other items on your plate. 

Mother's Speedy Baked Beans

Ingredients:

2   28 ounce cans Baked Beans
(I used original pork and beans; nothing fancy)

1/2  pound  bacon, diced, raw, diced

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Method:
Drain both cans of beans slightly; just the juices on top is enough. (The brand I used to use is not available at my market anymore. I didn't have to drain those.) Pour 1 can of beans into a casserole. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon dry mustard, then about 1/4 cup light brown sugar. Pour in the other can of beans and cover with 1/2 cup ketchup and the raw diced bacon. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 oven for an hour or until bacon is crisp and the beans bubbly.