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.