i had a BBQ to go to yesterday to say goodbye to some very dear friends of ours.
they are moving for work and we are so sad to see them go.
my little guy has a super crush on their little girl and has no idea they are leaving.
my friend is pregnant with twins, which we are very happy about,
but it means they would be moving eventually anyway. where we live,
no one can afford to house 3 little people, unless in a house and those little people are closer to teenagers.
so, i was happy to bring something and come say bye {though i will be seeing them until the day they leave, out of denial.} even if it meant sneaking out of the house where my 3 sickies were sleeping in separate rooms with hacking coughs and fevers.
i served up a bowl of this to my sick, overheating husband, and he told me it was healing.
{he’s home today, so ok, not completely healing…}
i asked my mom how she makes her baked beans, and then after i told her what i planned to add to it, she told me i couldn’t call it just baked beans anymore. i had to call it BBQ beans. {there is a political metaphor in there, but i will leave that out today…}. step one, she says, is to start with candy to begin with. so we use B&M beans that have brown sugar and bacon already, then we kick em up a notch. you can use whatever beans you fancy, but don’t say i didn’t tell you so!
these are warm, sweet, spicy, and full of flavor! and take no time to throw together. i have made this for a few parties and always get good feedback on it!
sweet & spicy BBQ baked beans
6 lbs baked beans {B&M with brown sugar and bacon}
1/2 pound bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup BBQ sauce {use Sweet Baby Rays please!}
1/8 cup tapatio hot sauce
crushed red pepper {optional}what to do:
slice up the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry in a skillet until brown. put on a paper towel to cool. in the bacon grease, fry up the onion and bell pepper until soft and translucent. add back in the bacon and toss together. put all beans, and sauteed vegetables in a crockpot and add remaining ingredients. add more sugar or hot sauce/crushed red pepper to taste. cover and leave on high for 2 hours, then low until served.
enjoy!
