Baked Beans

You can tell that school has started again because the frequency of posts has dropped off dramatically. The boys (two of them, anyway) have already been back for two weeks and I did my first lecture today. I'll be grading essays before I know it! I don't have a real recipe tonight because I think baked beans is one of those dishes you just chuck stuff into. No two batches should ever be the same. I made a huge pot of beans and packed them away in the freezer for the boys' lunches over the next month (just reheat (add sliced veggie dogs if you want) and pack away in a thermos). The basic ingredients I play around with are:
1. Dried navy beans (or northern beans)
2. Tomato juice
3. Ketchup
4. Molasses
5. Brown Sugar
6. Maple Syrup
I soak a large bag of beans overnight, then cook for about 60 mins, until soft but not mushy. Drain and set aside. If you have time you can saute onions and garlic, otherwise you can use onion and garlic powder. I then heat a large can of tomato juice to bubbling along with a few cups of kethcup, about 1 cup each of molasses and brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Next, the spicing. I like to mess around with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and mustard. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper, and bring back to bubbling. Transfer to a roasting pan and bake at 350 for about 2 hrs, stirring every 30 mins. Add more tomato juice if they get too dry.