Soda Jerk Beans #Recipe by @LibbyKlein

 Libby Klein I used to have a subscription to Epicurious Magazine. I would pour over the recipes of every issue and plan what wonderful dishes I would make. I didn't always get around to making everything I'd earmarked due to raising four kids. But this recipe for stovetop "baked" beans has been a staple in my home since it first appeared in July of 2006. It's a very simple recipe that gets a big reaction because it is so tasty. And it's a great dish to take to a backyard barbecue or picnic. The most surprising ingredients are right in the title.

Here is the recipe as it was printed in 2006. The photo is mine.

Let me know in the comments: What is the most unusual ingredient you have cooked with?

Soda Jerk Beans

Ingredients

2 cups 1/2-inch cubes cooked ham (full disclosure - I've been using thick bacon for years)

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

1 15-ounce can pork and beans, rinsed, drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 15-ounce can butter beans, rinsed, drained

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1 large onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup cola-flavored soda

1/2 cup lemon-lime soda

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon dried savory

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until juices are thick, stirring gently and frequently to prevent burning, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister and her aunt Ginny are looking forward to a quiet, homey Christmas at their B&B in Cape May, but unfortunately, death isn’t taking a holiday this year . . .

Ever since Thanksgiving, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery of the romantic kind. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.

For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn't labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all.

 

Libby Klein grew up in Cape May, NJ where she attended high school in the '80s. Her 
classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/