Hot Beans

 This is a perfect dish to feed a crowd. Easy to make but pairs well with fancier dishes or burgers. What's not to love about a full cup of brown sugar?

Brown 1/2 lb diced bacon (or a full pound if you love bacon) - set aside

Brown 4 medium onions in the bacon grease (if there is a lot of grease - remove some)

Add 

1/2 garlic powder or granulated garlic or fresh garlic

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

Simmer for 20 minutes - or as long as it takes you to open all the cans of beans

Drain and add beans -- listed are the beans in the original recipe - but you can use whatever beans you prefer. The only two that are essential* are the first two.

1 can pork and beans

1 jar B&M baked beans

1 can lima beans

1 can green beans

1 can kidney beans

(optional - black beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans)

Stir everything together and bake at 350° until it bubbles - somewhere between 1/2 hour and an hour. Don't bake too long or the beans get mushy. A flatter casserole will heat faster. A le Creuset is great if you want to take it to a pot luck. I put beach towels in a banker's box to insulate the casserole - and they will stay warm for a couple hours.

Feel free to add anything else that sounds good - to boost the flavors. The original recipe is pretty generic. - but nostalgic.