There’s a recurring problem that I have when it comes to cooking. I don’t always read the directions. Well, I guess I DO read them, but only once, and then I start cooking as if I’ve done this a million times before only to glance back over the recipe and realize that I’ve missed a couple of really important steps. Like, I should have started thawing something out last night and I now need it to be un-frozen right this second. Or, the recipe actually called for 5 potatoes and I only bought 2. Yeah, these little details just kill me sometimes.

When it came to this recipe I thought that I was doing pretty good. I read about how Adam of Amateur Gourmet had forgotten to soak his beans overnight, and was pretty impressed that I remembered to do this. Yeah, for a second I felt like a rockstar. But then I sort of skipped over how you’re supposed to make a sauce with a bunch of these ingredients, and THEN add the beans, and instead just threw everything into the pot, stirred it together and realized my mistake only after I checked the recipe back for baking instructions. So close, yet so far.

However, there are some recipes that I just don’t think you can mess up, and I believe this is one of them. Despite my grievous mistake, these beans were amazing. The flavors blended together to form the most amazing BBQ sauce I have ever tasted, and the beans were plump, tender and just heaven. Seriously, for those of you who are like me and grew up eating baked beans from a can – you will be shocked at just how good these are. It doesn’t even seem fair to call them a side item when they really sort of dominate and take charge of whatever plate of food you add them to. I’m not gonna lie, I ate them for breakfast the next day. Yeah, I’m super weird. But sometimes that works out well for me.

The Best Baked Beans

Adapted from Ina Garten, via Amateur Gourmet

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Lots of changes to this. As stated above, I sort of changed the preparation technique, but it worked out well for me so give it a try. I also left out the bacon, and used dried ginger instead of fresh since that was what I had on hand. Honestly though, from this combination of flavors only good things will happen, so don’t be worried.

1 lb dried red kidney beans
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
6 whole black peppercorns
¾ cup real maple syrup
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Chinese chili paste
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon salt

Soak the beans in water 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans and then place in a dutch oven with the chopped onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 50 minutes or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans once again, reserving half of the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In the pot, add in the remaining ingredients and the 1 ½ cups cooking liquid. Cover with a lid, and cook in the oven for 6-8 hours. Every two hours you should check and stir the beans and determine if you need more cooking liquid to keep them from drying out. 8 hours will get you the maximum flavor in the beans, but they’re still awesome after 6 hours, FYI.

Remember when I wrote about what I wouldn’t eat as a kid? Yeah, this recipe would also make it on that list, because it has lots of different foods actually touch each other *gasp*. This recipe also nearly made it on the list of what my adult self won’t eat, because not only are foods touching each other, but they’re foods that I wouldn’t normally put together. Eggs, granny smith apples and curry powder?? What mad scientist came up with this??

Well, I’m glad that someone out there was more adventurous than me. I’m also glad that I was brave enough to try this recipe even though  while making it there were a few times I wanted to call it quits. Not because it’s hard to make (it’s super easy) but when I started mixing the curry-lime dressing over my eggs, apples and onion I began wondering if I would be better off just making a peanut butter sandwich.

Mmmmm…. peanut butter….

Sorry, I get distracted by really delicious foods. There’s definitely something to be said about a classic combo like peanut butter and jelly. And I’m here to tell you, there’s also something to be said about eggs, granny smith apples, and curry powder.

Mmmmm….eggs….curry powder….

Be brave. Remember, you’re an adult now.

Curry Egg Salad Sandwich

Adapted from Epicurious

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Some of the reviews for the original recipe mentioned that the onion flavor was a little strong, so I cut back on it and thought it was perfect. I also left out the cilantro since I didn’t have any on hand, and I didn’t miss it one bit.

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (half of one lime)
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon whole grain or Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne
6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
1 cup diced Granny Smith apple (roughly 1 apple)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Mix together the mayo, lime juice, curry powder, mustard, salt and cayenne. In a separate bowl, add together the chopped eggs, apple and onion. Pour the curry dressing over top and gently stir everything together. Serve on toasted wheat bread with lettuce, or just eat it with a fork as it is.

There are two clear types of holiday recipes. There are the time-tested kind, the ones that have been made over and over again, and will always be around because 1) everyone loves them and 2) the person making the recipe could do it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back. There are also the newer kinds of recipes, those that are maybe a little more modern, with unusual ingredients and were probably found in a magazine or, ahem, a food blog.

This recipe is hands-down an example of the first type. My mother’s cheese dip graces pretty much every holiday party she attends in December, it is a rare occasion when she’s able to bring any leftovers home. This is the kind of appetizer that you snack on before dinner, and then return to when you’ve finished dessert. It’s the kind that you can’t stand in front of for more than 5 seconds without compulsively piling some on a cracker, until you’re wondering where all the crackers went and why you feel so full all of a sudden.

You really wanna know how good this is? It has mayonnaise in it. Mayo binds the whole thing together and coats every little piece of cheese, olive and pecan in the mix and, as you know, I hate mayonnaise. But I like this. I eat it with a smile on my face and won’t even bother to try and change the recipe. That should really tell you something.  I suggest you grate some cheese, chop some olives and prepare to smile a lot this holiday season.

Mom’s Holiday Cheese Dip

Recipe by Fair Johnson

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1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 medium onion, grated
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon tabasco
1/2-1 cup chopped stuffed green olives, depending on how much you like olives

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve with crackers and hope your friends and family save you some.