Don't turn your nose up at beans - my husband and I are both foodies and these are 1 of his favorite things in the world! I am also including a lemonade cupcake recipe that is amazing - they are so light, fluffy and moist. They are perfect summer/cookout treats! I didn't add as much sugar to the frosting as it calls for - I used a little and made a light glaze which I criss crossed across the top (put the glaze in a ziploc and snip a tiny hole in one corner and use like a piping bag - easy and no mess!
4th of July Beans
4 strips of bacon (I used 6 b/c I had skimpy strips of bacon)
¼ cup of vinegar
½ cup of brown sugar
2 large onions cut into rings (I used 1 onion b/c it was HUGE)
1 can of dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can of large butter beans, not drained
1 can of Bush’s baked beans, not drained, taller can (I used the Bush’s original baked beans)
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch of garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
½ tsp of dry mustard
In a large skillet, cook the bacon. Right before it turns crisp, add the ¼ cup of vinegar. Then add the ½ cup of brown sugar and ringed onions. Turn down heat and cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat; stirring occasionally.
You can bake these in the oven or in a crockpot (I used the crockpot). Decide what dish you are going to cook these in and pour in the 3 cans of beans, add the bacon mixture, baking soda, garlic salt/powder and dry mustard. Stir together. For the oven, cook them @ 375 for 1 hr. and 15 mins. For the crockpot, cook on high for 2 hours.
Cupcakes:
1 stick of butter, softened
¾ cups sugar
½ tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
1½ cup cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1½ teaspoon lemon zest
6 teaspoons frozen lemonade concentrate
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour and the baking powder and baking soda. In a stand-up mixer at medium high speed mix the butter for about two minutes. Add the sugar and continue to mix for another two minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add the lemon zest and then the egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add the lemonade concentrate and the lemon juice and continue to mix. At this point the batter will look a little lumpy and weird. Fear not. Add the sour cream and mix. Lower the speed of the mixer to low and add the milk and flour alternately ending with the flour. Fill a dozen lined muffin tins approximately 2/3 full. This recipe does not rise too much. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 15 minutes. At 14 minutes, do the toothpick test. This means, poke a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes. If it comes out clean, take them out. If not, give it another minute and check again. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let the tin cool off for a few minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and let them cool completely before icing them. The icing is the really lemony part of this recipe. Feel free to scale back on the extra lemon juice. But, I really think the extra punch is what makes it different. In a stand up mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add in the lemon zest, lemonade concentrate, and lemon juice. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add in the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time. I used all four cups because I wanted a firm enough frosting to pipe. I have made these with as little as 2½ cups for a more glaze-like finish. Use a spatula, a knife or a piping bag to ice the cupcakes.