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Summer Baked Beans

Brittany wrote this on 4 August 2016 cannellini beans, dijon mustard, onions, sausage

These Summer Sausage Baked Beans are super easy thanks to the slow cooker! {Brittany's Pantry} A few months ago I hosted a summer birthday shindig for my husband.

You know what that means, don’t you? Man food. Spicy things and salty things and meat. Wanting to play and visit and chill with our guests, I tried to plan a menu that would be more hands off, ensuring I didn’t spend the day in the kitchen. I knew I wanted to make a slow cooker full of beans, but decided to do something different in order to meet the spicy, salty, meaty requirements.

These aren’t very salty, and actually, not very spicy either, but the men (and women and children) were more than happy to devour them. It is entirely possible that I may never make beans any other way again. Like, ever. They are that good.

In addition, they are a great dish to travel to a potluck type of situation, so be sure to share. The slow cooker is a beautiful thing, friends and this one is our absolutely favorite! Especially in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the house. Perfect for a birthday shindig or any other event you need ‘man food’ for.

These Summer Sausage Baked Beans are super easy thanks to the slow cooker! {Brittany's Pantry} Just mixed up and ready to cook! You can tell because the color hasn’t deepened yet and the onion is still raw. You can absolutely make these the night before and then start them in your crockpot the next day! These Summer Sausage Baked Beans are super easy thanks to the slow cooker! {Brittany's Pantry} Summer Baked Beans
You can substitute cannelini beans for this recipe, but they don’t hold up to long cooking times as well as great northern beans do, so don’t let them go all day! Also, note that this feeds a crowd! Feel free to halve the recipe, but leftovers reheat wonderfully!

4 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1-14 oz package, smoked sausage or kielbasa of your choice (we like the all beef versions), diced
1 large onion, diced small
1/2 c ketchup
1 c brown sugar
2 T dijon mustard
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a standard, 3 quart slow cooker (or a larger one) and stir carefully. It will be full! Turn it on low for about 6 hours (or high for 3) or until the flavors meld and the onion is cooked. Depending on your sausage and the size of your onion, the time may vary, but the beans hold up well so no worries. Give them a stir once or twice if you can so that they heat evenly. Enjoy!

Posted by Brittany Arcand

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Honey-Ginger Cucumber Salad

Brittany wrote this on 29 July 2016 cucumbers, ginger, gluten-free, honey

This quick and easy Honey Ginger Cucumber Salad is crisp and refreshing. Not to mention healthy! {Brittany's Pantry} Just dropping in to pass along a quick recipe for the weekend!

Simply put, this fresh and crisp cucumber salad is just an easy kind of dish to make. It is light and refreshing and great along side heavier barbecued or grilled food. There is very little to it, making it so easy your kids can make it! I like to use it when I need a vegetable, but don’t want to cook anything. Because…yeah. The whole country is hot and steamy right now. We do NOT need to be making anything that will add to the heat and make us wilt any further. It can sit in the fridge for several hours before you serve it and won’t spoil if it is out on the table for too long. No mayo here!

So lets review.

Green? Check. (I’m not sure why this is a requirement, but I think green food is pretty and gravitate toward it…)

No cook? Check.

Healthy and easy? Check check.

Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnddddddddd…my work here is done!

Honey-Ginger Cucumber Salad
My favorite cucumbers to use are the English cucumbers. They have very thin skins so there is no need to peel them, and less seeds inside as well so they are easier to digest. We LOVE them at our house and they are the only kind I buy anymore. SO much easier! Look for them with the rest of the produce; they will be shrink wrapped in plastic to protect them from damage.

2 large English (hothouse) cucumbers, cut into bite sized pieces
1 T honey
1 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp freshly grated ginger, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss well to evenly distribute the flavors. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper if needed. If you like the string flavor of fresh ginger, feel free to add a bit more. Chill until ready to serve.

Posted by Brittany Arcand