GINA MAE’S BAKED BEANS

Ingredients

• 3 bacon slices

• 1 pound 85% lean ground beef

by John Reardon for Saratoga TODAY

This is Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate so we can have our outdoor picnics to celebrate the holiday. I am so happy to see the sun and the warmer temperatures. The season between Memorial Day and Labor Day brings the opportunity to host many outside events. Having a picnic with family and friends on a beautiful day can be a time that creates those unforgettable moments and memories that last a lifetime.

Each week we write about the fun of creating and cooking fabulous dishes. However, with making these dishes comes the mess and dreaded task of cleaning up which becomes someone’s responsibility. Many conflicts occur within a household on whose turn it is to wash the dishes. I remember in my childhood, years fighting with my four other siblings on who would be assigned the chore of doing the dishes. Having grown up in a household with five children, my mother ran a tight ship and made sure all of us were assigned cleaning duties. Fighting over who was going to wash the dishes was a common occurrence even after my mother made it clear whose job it was that evening. Through the years we learned that washing the dishes did not take that long when each of us helped out. When we shared and helped each other in our household chores, we then had plenty of time to go and do what we wanted afterwards. While doing chores and playing together, we became good friends; a friendship that still holds today.

“You know you’re an adult when you get excited when there is a new sponge in the sink.” Author

Unknown. To this day, believe it or not, I enjoy washing dishes. I love bringing home new types of items to help me with this chore. One of our favorite items we carry is the Jetz-Scrubz cleaning sponge. This sponge will not scratch even the finest surfaces. They can last for several months and can be cleaned in the top tray of your dishwasher. The sponge has a foam side that holds suds longer and has a scratch-free scrubber side for pots and pans. Jetz-Scrubz is also made in the USA.

This Memorial Day weekend, whose ever job it is to wash the dishes and clean up, try out this really cool sponge! Come visit Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store located on 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga where we have Tools for Cooks! Have fun cooking and cleaning up. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care, John & Paula

Office for the Aging Lunch Program

Served at the Saratoga Senior Center

FRIDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 5/29 5/30 5/31 5/26

• Chicken Cacciatore

Pasta w/Sauce

Wax Beans

• WW Dinner Roll

• Fruit Cocktail

• Closed for Memorial Day!

6/1 THURSDAY

• Chicken w/Curry Cream Sauce Rice Mixed Peppers & Onions

• WW Dinner Roll

• SF Vanilla Pudding

• Roast Pork w/ Gravy Mashed Potatoes

• Spinach

• Mandarin Oranges

• ¾ cup finely chopped Vidalia onion

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

• 1 cup barbecue sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce)

Instructions

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 (22-ounce) cans baked beans (such as Bush’s Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin’ Beans)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bacon slices in a single layer in a 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium-low, flipping occasionally, until browned and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; reserve drippings in skillet.

2. Increase heat under skillet to medium and add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is crumbly and just browned, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Push beef to one side of skillet; tilt skillet to let drippings drain to empty side. Using paper towels, carefully soak up drippings; discard.

3. Return skillet to heat over medium, and add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, paprika, and cinnamon; stir until well combined. Stir in baked beans, and bring mixture to a simmer over medium, stirring often. Pour mixture into a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.

4. Bake beans, uncovered, in preheated oven until bubbling in center, about 50 minutes. Crumble bacon evenly over top and bake 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine at foodandwine.com

• Chicken A La King

• Buttered Egg Noodles

• Carrots

• WW Dinner Roll

• Mandarin Oranges

Menu Subject To Change. Coffee, Tea and Butter are served daily at sites. The suggested contribution is $2 per meal. There is a $8 fee for guests under the age of 60. Please make checks payable to: Saratoga County Treasurer, c/o Saratoga County Office for the Aging, 152 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020