Happy Valentine's Day! And tomorrow, Happy Birthday to Me! The problem: I'm just a little busy to get it together enough to make a nice meal for either special occasion. Celebrations will just have to wait until after papers are graded. Lucky for me, I have a very patient husband.
We didn't get around to making oatmeal this weekend. We didn't get around to stocking the freezer with PB&Js, either. But it's on the list for next week. What I did get done was a batch of sweet potato chocolate chip muffins, four of which went to friends down the street who greet us when we walk and four of which went to new neighbors with a new baby. I love sharing the happiness and goodness of life! Another batch is on the books for this week followed by a batch of banana bread.
Tonight, I had great plans to have baked beans to highlight the fresh and cheap veggies, corn on the cob and cabbage. What I wasn't planning on, but am learning to pay attention to was the high fiber content. In the beginning, I was only imagining what would go well together and would take advantage of the seasonal items. Then, I decided to do a fiber count. But first, let's see what it cost us.
I had volunteered to feed a large group (25ish) of people at church while my in-laws were in town and they graciously agreed to help in the preparation of the meal. For me, it was filled with new ideas for old recipes.
Kathleen's mom used to put black and white beans in her baked beans for a tri-color look and a change in flavor and tradition. I thought it was an ingenious way of adding to the pot if necessary because those beans often come in smaller cans than baked beans do. Also, the juice from the cans isn't needed and doesn't thin down the dish in the process.
I'm quite proud of this recipe. I chopped up baking potatoes, diced up a small onion, minced or chopped a few cloves of garlic and cooked the potatoes on medium with just enough olive oil to keep the potatoes from sticking to the skillet. About 7 seven minutes before the potatoes were done, I harvested three large sprigs of rosemary from our herb garden and chopped the leaves into the skillet.