“Family picnics are made up of parents, children, sisters, cousins, uncles and ants.”
– Mary Wilson Little
May has arrived. We made it through another winter and, in my opinion, there isn’t anything more beautiful than seeing the month of May arriving and breathing new life into Maine. The wildflowers have arrived and, with the warmer temperatures, outdoor events are starting to occur on a regular basis. The yards get cleaned up, the windows get opened and the houses aired out, gardens get started, lobster buoys get a fresh coat of paint and boats are prepared for another season. Folks bring out the outdoor furniture and start having barbecues and picnics with friends and family. People are out and about and we see neighbors we haven’t seen since the previous fall. The children are outside playing so late they have to be called in for supper.
When I was a child, we always had a picnic on Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. They usually took place under the enormous sycamore tree on the farm. Those family gatherings left some fond memories. My mother always made a salad from the fresh spinach from our garden and those spring outings always ended with a fresh rhubarb pie. My Aunt Lillian would show up, without fail, with a big pot of baked beans. Aunt Lil and her beans never missed a gathering, and those beans always got polished off. To this day, I have never had beans as good. That is, until I received this recipe. Move over, Aunt Lil. You just met your match.
I had the pleasure of meeting our new Select Board member, Matt Gilley, at the Town Meeting several weeks ago. So, what did I ask him? For a recipe, of course.
Matt is a lifelong resident of Harpswell. He lives in Cundy’s Harbor and is an active lobsterman. He gets out on the water at 5:30 a.m. and, after a day’s work, heads to the Town Office for various meetings. Matt’s dedication is the epitome of the working waterfront. Fishing and lobstering are our heritage and preserving those values is his priority.
As busy as he is, imagine my surprise when he quickly shared a recipe that was absolutely divine. This was easy to put together and the result was delicious. If you like baked beans, this recipe will kick it up a notch. It is perfect for a church supper, backyard barbecue or main dish. If there are any leftovers, take it from me — they taste even better the next day! Enjoy!
Katie’s secret baked beans
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound of bacon
- 1 pound ground deer or moose meat (or any other ground meat you prefer), browned
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large can pork and beans (I used B&M)
- 1 15-ounce can light-red kidney beans, drained
- 1 15-ounce can dark-red kidney beans, drained
- 1 15-ounce can butter beans, drained
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (to lightly salt the meat)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9-by-12-inch casserole dish.
In a large skillet, brown the bacon until crispy, then cut up in chunks and set aside. In the bacon grease, saute the onions, then set aside when translucent. In the same pan, brown the meat and salt lightly. (I used ground beef, but you can also use ground pork.)
Add everything together and mix well. Save a bit of the bacon for garnish at the end.
Bake for 1 hour. Garnish with bacon and serve.
If Matt’s service on the Select Board is as good as this recipe, he is going to do a splendid job!
Harpswell Aging at Home always needs cooks for its Meals in a Pinch program, which provides nutritious meals to older adults in need. For more information, contact Julie Moulton at 207-330-5416 or juliemoulton28@gmail.com.
