Cider Beans My Way

We have had nasty, cold, wet weather for weeks here in the Northeast. I feel as though I am under house arrest. After all, who wants to go outdoors in the cold rain? I had to turn on the furnace this week on two different occasions. Imagine, having to heat a house in June? And, what makes matters a little more difficult, my little Mozart has to be coaxed to go outside to do his business. I guess that I would feel the same way if I were only 6 inches off the ground.

Then I think that things could be worse. I could be living on the street as so many unfortunate folks are doing. The hardships of our poor economy are forcing people out of jobs and even out of their homes. So, how dare I complain about a little weather? Oh well, as they say, ' no one is ever satisfied'. For this week's recipe, I decided to make Cider Beans my way. The inspiration for the recipe came from a cookbook that I sent to my son John. The title of the cookbook is 'Cider Beans, Wild Greens and Dandelion Jelly. This is a take on the Cider Beans recipe. Cooking the beans in the oven gave off a wonderful aroma throughout the house. And, the extra heat from the oven was an added bonus. Life is good. I brought the beans to my friend Sherri's house and we enjoyed them together. Sherri has two miniature Dachshund girls that Mozart just loves. Their names are Izzie and Madison. This weeks picture is of our three Doxies. From right to left are Izzie, Madison and Mozart.

Cider Beans My Way

2 cans vegetarian baked beans

1 small Granny Smith apple , thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/2 to 3/4 cup apple cider

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. mustard powder

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Saute the onions and apples until somewhat soft.

Add cider and simmer for a couple minutes.

Put this mixture in a bean pot, with the canned beans,

and add the remaining ingredients. Drizzle some oil

over the beans and sprinkle with fresh gound

black pepper.

Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 and 1/2 hours.

I served the beans with white Basmati rice.