Baked Beans

 One of my blog friends made beans the other day and inspired me to do the same.  My boys love baked beans. This recipe changes a bit each time I make them but basically this is how I throw them together.   Soak 1 pound of beans overnight.  Pour 1 cup of molasses into a bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1/4 cup brown sugar, salt and pepper, 1/2 tomato paste, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, a few shakes of red hot and a bit if liquid smoke.

 Whisk the mixture with 1 cup of apple cider.  Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar.

 Dice 1 large onion, some peppers and a few stalks of celery.  Dice 1/2 pound of smokey bacon.

 Spread a layer of beans in the bottom of your pot.

 Sprinkle on some diced bacon.

Add a layer of the diced veggies.

 Another layer of beans.  I soaked some lima beans and added them as well.

 Sprinkle the rest of the bacon on top.  Pour the sauce mix in and add more apple cider until it barely covers the beans.

 Cover the pot and bake the beans at 275 degrees for a long time....haha...for about 4 hours.  Stir them occasionally.

It's really best to let them cool off and then refrigerate overnight so the beans can absorb the liquid.  These really get better after a few days.