Sunday, March 29, 2020

Elizabeth Penney’s Classic Baked Beans #recipe #giveaway


We're delighted to welcome Elizabeth Penney to our kitchen! Her recipe today is perfect for these days when we're hunkered down waiting for good news. Her new book HEMS AND HOMICIDE is perfect too! Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a paperback or audio CD copy of HEMS AND HOMICIDE!
ELIZABETH PENNEY: Thank you to the wonderful authors of Mystery Lover’s Kitchen for including me as a guest! I love this site for its focus on a very important aspect of cozy mysteries: food.
Although I don’t include recipes in the Apron Shop Mystery Series, set in coastal Maine, food is still a key ingredient. But the food traditions of a place are integral to writing about it, I find, and are critical to creating an immersive experience for the reader. Plus who doesn’t love food?

I grew up in Maine and the state’s down-home cooking, which often incorporates local ingredients, is still a favorite. And nothing says Saturday night Maine more than a pot of steaming and savory baked beans. Bean suppers are still held by churches and other groups, and I’ll never forget one supper in Winthrop, Maine, decades ago. A virtual posse of lovely older ladies waited on us hand and foot, bringing fresh bowls of beans and side dishes while we ate our fill. Each batch of beans was different, but I’ve chosen to share a classic recipe inspired by one from Crosby’s Gold Star Molasses.

Classic Baked Beans Recipe:

4 cups dry small white beans (navy or pea)
1 cup molasses
½ lb. bacon or salt pork
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons brown sugar



1)    Wash beans and pick over, then soak for three hours in boiling water to cover. (heat off)
2)    Boil beans on stovetop for 50 minutes or so, until skins wrinkle when you blow on them.


3)    Drain beans, reserving cooking water. Add rest of ingredients and put in slow cooker with additional water to cover on low OR
Place in covered casserole dish or bean pot in a 325 degree oven.


4)    Check frequently and add more liquid if necessary.


5) Enjoy as a side dish with almost any meat. Tastes especially good with cole slaw or potato salad. A big bowl with fresh baked bread and butter is good, too.

Thanks Elizabeth! Friends, leave a comment and you could win a copy of this yummy book!


Elizabeth Penney lives in New Hampshire’s frozen north where she pens mysteries and tries to grow things. She’s the author of the Apron Shop Series, with book one, Hems and Homicide, available now, as well as numerous titles for Annie’s Fiction and Guideposts.

About Hems and Homicide:

Iris Buckley has taken the plunge—moving her online apron and vintage linen business to a storefront in quaint hometown Blueberry Cove, Maine. But the storefront she rented with her business partner grandmother comes with something extra—a skeleton from the 1970s. Then their wealthy landlord, who has ties to her grandmother’s past, is found murdered in the shop. Is Ruffles & Bows doomed to fail before it even opens?


99 comments:

  1. Great recipe. Love the cover. Thanks for the chance.

    positive DOT ideas DOT 4you AT gmail DOT com

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  2. I look forward to reading the book! My grandma used to make homemade baked beans that were so good.
    Bleakney750 at yahoo dot com

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  3. I love the recipe and will try it, they sound delicious. Jcook22 at yahoo.com

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  4. I’ve never made baked beans from scratch but I think I have all the ingredients. suefoster109 at gmail dot com

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  5. Thank you for the delicious sounding recipe. I will have to give this one a try for sure.

    Greatly appreciate the chance to win a copy of "HEMS AND HOMICIDE". Sounds like a wonderful book and I've had it on my TBR list with hopes of reading it soon. Always glad to review.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  6. Baked beans remind me of barbecues,which I love. Hopefully the weather will get warm soon.
    My mom would love an apron store. I've never seen her in the kitchen without one.
    kathyclugston3@gmail.com

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  7. This is a new to me series and I'm in need of some thing new during this isolationism. dbahn(at)iw(dot)net

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    Replies
    1. Cozy mysteries are perfect right now, in my opinion!

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  8. Recipe sounds yummy. Next time I order groceries, I'm getting molasses so I can try it. Thank you for the chance for the book, it sounds just as good! eileen (at) eads (dot) pro

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  9. I've never made baked beans from scratch. I bet they are delicious. Thanks for the chance to win. Katherinestamps at msn dot com.

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  10. Love the recipe...would also love to read your book!
    cmeier2001@live.com

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  11. The book and the recipe sound yummy! Thanks

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  12. Baked beans with bacon is the best - your book sounds great - thanks for the chance to own it - trwilliams69(at)msn(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Salt pork is hard to get where I live, so bacon is a good substitute.

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  13. Had planned on making baked beans this week. 😎

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  14. Hhm..had baked beans from scratch growing up.
    Probably way too often :-)
    Never thought of making from scratch since I haven't had in decades. Would probably be delicious 😋
    Love love the apron part, my gran a!ways. Wore an beautiful apron. Book looks & sounds WONDERFUL
    Thank YOU for the interview and bringing it to us.

    Kathy levernier
    Gkathgoldin@yahoo.com

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  15. A yummy recipe which the family would enjoy. My mother and grandmothers wore aprons always. Thanks for your giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Those generations did wear them and I think they're making a come-back.

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  17. Hmmmm? Wondering if this is a recipe I should share with my boys! But it sounds so delicious, I just might need to take a chance! And thank you for this opportunity to try out a new author!

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  18. The book sounds great, and thank you for sharing the recipe. Thank you for this chance! areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  19. Thank you for the opportunity!
    lindalou64(at) live(dot)com

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  20. I love Baked Beans. Sounds yummy! I would love to read Hems and Homicide! Thanks for the chance! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net

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  21. These beans sound yummy. Thanks for the giveaway!
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  22. The cover looks amazing and a delicious read. Thanks for your generosity. lindamay4852@yahoo.com

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  23. oh but this recipe looks wonderful. thank you. i love this cover. i am a sewer/quilter and i just love this cover. i would love to read your book. thanks for the chance. quilting lady 2 at comcast dot net

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  24. I love baked beans but have never tried making my own. Thanks for the recipe. And I love the idea of an apron shop. I wish it were real!
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  25. had homemade baked beans every Thursday night when auntie came for dinner,while I grew up. love them and its a very good source of protien. thanks for the chance to win a book, being in lockdown for virus reading has become more than normal routine

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  26. Recipe sounds delicious! The book has caught my attention too! Thanks for sharing and the chance!

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  27. Another to add to my To Be Read pile! Thanks for the chance!!
    dee mh 56 seven at gmail dot com

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  28. The baked beans recipe looks really tasty. Looking forward to reading the book, sounds like a great story.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  29. Baked beans takes me back to wonderful childhood meals, especially picnics!
    An Apron shop is a very appealing setting for a cozy mystery. I sewed aprons for my daughter's bridal shower. We tied one each to the back of every chair, no two alike! Such a wonderful memory for me.
    I would love to read Hens and Homicide!

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  30. Love reading and getting recipes to enjoy. Cozy mysteries are great reads
    judytucker1947(at)gmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. They sure are! Comfort food of the mystery genre!

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    2. Thank you for the recipe and the chance to win your book!
      I have beans to soak and cook this week - your recipe will be great to try. madamhawk at gmail dot com

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  31. I haven't made my own baked beans in forever! I need to do this again. Thank you for offering your book, it's very much appreciated.
    meg85242 (@) gmail (dot) com

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  32. The beans sound so good! I would love to read or listen to this cozy, too, as it sounds fascinating! Thanks for the chance to win! jeaniedannheim (at) gmail (dot) com

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  33. They look so yummy I can almost smell them.

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad, always a challenge to take food pics.

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  34. Love baked beans and now I have a new recipe to try. Thanks

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  35. Thanks for the great bean recipe and the giveaway. I would love to read this book. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  36. Thanks for the recipe, would love to be included for a print copy! tWarner419@aol.com

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  37. Thanks for the great recipe. Looking forward to reading this book. Love the color.
    donnaing1(at)gmail(dot)com

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  38. The perfect recipe to make during this time at home:)
    Thank you and stay well
    sandrashenton13@gmail.com

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  39. Worcestershire sauce is my secret baked beans ingredient, but this recipe looks good. Lovely book cover.
    browningterry(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm going to try that! I love worcestershire sauce.

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  40. Yay! Found another series I can start!

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  41. I have never tried to make baked beans from scratch but this recipe looks like wonderfully little work for a great amount of flavor. Thanks for sharing it!
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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  42. Love baked beans on toast - thanks for the recipe.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  43. The book sounds great! I love cozies

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  44. Your book has such a great cover! I would love to win a paperback copy! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  46. This has been a year of adding legumes to my diet....so I appreciate the recipe and the chance to be the lucky recipient of a copy of Hems and Homicide.... Such fun! rcraftlady@gmail.com

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  47. Sounds like a good recipe. The book looks like an interesting read. rgp1950@yahoo.com

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  48. I love baked beans thank you for the recipe. Looking forward to reading this book. Thank you for the chance

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  49. I love Maine so, so much! I also love baked beans, and surprisingly have never made them from scratch. You've inspired me to give it a try - when I have all the ingredients! Thanks for sharing this recipe, Elizabeth! picard1900 (at) gmail.com

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  50. There are so many different recipes, and at gatherings I've had good ones and bad ones. I have made them a few times over the years, but for the last 10 years or so, I have used a recipe done in the crockpot that uses ingredients including several varieties of canned beans ( don't judge me ), bacon, a small amount of ground beef, and some ketchup and barbecue sauce. It's so tasty!
    gnluciow ( at ) gmail ( dot ) com

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  51. Awesome recipe. Can't wait to try. Thank you

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  52. I look forward to trying this recipe. A pandemic is the perfect time to cook.

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  53. I love beans and this looks delicious. No one in my family likes beans much, maybe I can change their mind with this recipe! Thank you!

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  54. Yum Baked Beans recipe! Thanks so much! nani_geplcs@yahoo,com

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