Recipe: Paula Butturini's Zuppa di Fagioli / Italian White Bean Soup

Paula Butturini is the author of Keeping the Feast, a memoir in which food plays a central theme. You can read my review of it here. The book doesn't include recipes, but Paula was kind enough to answer my last minute request for a favorite simple cold weather dish, offering up this healthy and comforting Italian soup.

After cooking some up over the past grey and rainy weekend, I can see why her family likes it so much. A big pot of this soup in the fridge is the perfect thing to have on hand for quick, tummy-warming meals and filling, after-chore snacks.


Onions and tomatoes and carrots and a meaty smoked ham hock—oh my!

Paula Butturini's Zuppa di Fagioli / Italian White Bean Soup
(My version made about 9 cups)

Paula says:
Whenever it's snowing, or simply dank and cold, my family likes eating sturdy soups to ward off mid-winter chills. This hearty Italian soup—which can be made with any dried white beans or a combination of varieties—warms our kitchen while it's cooking and warms us through when we sit down to eat it.

You can speed the whole process by using a 20-oz can of good quality, canned, white or cranberry beans, and using only 3 to 4 cups of water. In that case, you simply skip Steps 1 and 3, and add the canned beans and water to the stockpot at the end of Step 2.

My notes:
This is the sort of recipe that invites improvisation and experimentation. You could make it ten different times and end up with ten different soups—all of them good. Just use what you have on hand and personalize the pot to suit your taste.

I tend to prefer thick (dare I say sludgy?) soups to brothy ones, so I reduced the amount of water, upped the veggies, and added extra beans (I used canned organic cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans).

For the pork portion, I used a small but meaty smoked ham hock from the locally raised hog we bought a while back and had butchered to our specifications (and which has sadly just about all been eaten up). Good call—it added a wonderful smoky flavor.

After the soup finished simmering, I cut the meat from the bone and into small pieces, then stirred the ones I didn't pop in my mouth back into the pot.

If you want to make a vegetarian version, you could toss in some fresh (or even dried) herbs to add more depth. It would probably also be very tasty made with good chicken stock instead of water.

Next time I'll stir in some kale (I still have a beautiful bag of homegrown 'cat cabbage' in the fridge) or Swiss chard (my favorite garden green), or maybe even a few big handfuls of fresh spinach. A little chopped arugula (so easy to grow!) sprinkled on top just before serving would add a nice zippy touch.

My plan was to cook the soup and serve it the next day, waiting, as Paula suggests, to add the pasta until then. But the texture ended up so thick that I decided the macaroni might seem out of place and simply left it out. Don't skip the parsley and Parmigiano, though—they're the perfect finishing touch.


I love cozy soup season.

Paula's original recipe is below, with my changes noted in parentheses. As always, I urge you to seek out locally produced and organic ingredients—they really do make a difference.

1 cup dried white or cranberry beans (I used two 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans)
2 quarts water (I used 2½ cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (I used 2 cups)
1 large carrot, finely chopped (I used 1 slightly mounded cup)
2 stalks celery, with their leaves, finely chopped (I used 1 slightly mounded cup)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used 1½ Tablespoons)
1 ham bone, 1 pork rib, or 1/4 lb. salt pork (I used a 10-ounce smoked ham hock)
Small can Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped (I used a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes)
1½ teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small, tubular macaroni (I left it out)
Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese (I used 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano)
Handful of finely chopped fresh, flat-leaved parsley (I used 1/2 cup)

1. (I skipped this step since I used canned beans.) In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, bring the dried beans and 2 quarts of water to a boil over high heat; let boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let beans soak for 1 hour.

2. While beans are soaking, finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot and sauté the onion over medium heat until lightly colored. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic plus ham bone, pork rib or salt pork and continue sautéeing for about 5-10 minutes. (I turned the ham hock every few minutes so each side would brown.)

Then add chopped tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. (I added 1/2 cup of water with the tomatoes, simmered 10 minutes, then added the two cans of beans and 2 more cups of water.)

3. (I skipped this step.) Once the beans have soaked for an hour, drain them, making sure to save the bean water. Add enough additional cold water to make 2 quarts. Then add beans and the 2 quarts of bean water to the vegetables in the stockpot.

4. Bring contents of stockpot to a boil, then cover and cook over low heat for about 50 minutes, until vegetables are tender (I cracked the lid and simmered for 60 minutes). Remove ham bone, pork rib or salt pork. (I cut the meat off the ham hock and stirred it back into the blended soup.)

You can pass half the vegetables through a food mill back into the pot, the way this soup is usually served in Italy, or you can pass the entire contents of the pot through a food mill, or use an immersion blender to purée the soup lightly. (I used my KitchenAid hand blender for three seconds on speed number three. I love that thing. I also love my Oxo Good Grips food mill.)

Don't over-process, as it tastes best when it still has some texture. If the soup seems too thick, you can add water to thin it; every batch seems to absort different amounts of liquid.

5. Add salt and pepper, then bring soup back to a boil and add the pasta, cooking it about 2 minutes less than called for on the box. Let the soup stand covered for 10 minutes, then stir in the parsley and Parmigiano and serve immediately. (I garnished the bowls of soup with more parsley and cheese.)

Paula's note: You can prepare the entire soup ahead of time—it actually tastes better if it spends a night in the fridge and is reheated the next day—but DON'T cook the pasta until you're ready to serve it, or the macaroni will turn to an unappetizing mush. (I cooked the soup, let it sit in the fridge overnight, then reheated it on the stove, stirring in the cheese and parsley just before serving.)

How about some homemade bread to go with your soup?
Beyond Easy Beer Bread (my most popular recipe)
Whole Wheat Beer Bread
Onion Rye Beer Bread
Savory Feta Cheese & Scallion Scones

Easy Rosemary Focaccia
How To Make Pita Bread
No-Knead Crusty Freeform Bread
Oatmeal Toasting Bread (makes great rolls, too)
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Carrot Herb Rolls (and a beautiful bread book for beginners)

And here are some more Less Fuss, More Flavor soups:
Simple & Healthy Swiss Chard Artichoke Soup
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Artichoke Soup
Cream (or not) of Artichoke Soup With Garlic, Onions & Garbanzo Beans
Broccoli Onion Garbanzo Bean Soup
Susan's Super Spinach Soup

Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup (fat free, vegan, & delicious!)
Hearty Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
Use It Or Lose It Lentil & Escarole Soup
Spur Of The Moment Summer Squash Soup
Simple Summer Harvest Soup
Simple Summer Harvest Soup: The Autumn Version
And in summer, there's Quick & Easy Gazpacho

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the soup's on foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres—and the simplest dishes are often the very best.

Recipe: Quick Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan (or Slightly Gussied Up with Garbanzos and Dijon)

A healthy vegetable side dish that's nice enough for Thanksgiving, yet easy enough for everyday.

Prefer your Brussels sprouts raw? Check out my scrumptious Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecorino, Chives, and a Lemony Caper Dressing.

"Not only are these not organic," I whispered to my hunky farmguy Joe  one day last winter as I grabbed two bags of Trader Joe's packaged brussels sprouts, "they're from Mexico!"

"Am I going to have to stage an intervention?" he asked, as I flung yet another bag into our cart, both of us knowing full well that I'd be picking up a few more pounds during the next stop on our St. Louis grocery shopping trip, "just in case I didn't get enough at Trader Joe's." I couldn't help myself.

Confession: I've never tasted a truly fresh Brussels sprout, let alone one that came straight from the garden. I started some Brussels sprouts seeds this year (way too late, I later learned) but they were apparently duds.

I'm also guilty of letting my imported, non-organic Brussels sprouts languish in the fridge for several weeks before eating them. Nevertheless, during the past year I've become ridiculously addicted to these scrumptious little cabbages.



I'm the sort of person who looks forward to eating leftover roasted Brussels sprouts for breakfast with a lot more enthusiasm than would probably be considered normal. Unfortunately I'm also the sort of person who almost never has leftover roasted Brussels sprouts around for breakfast because I end up devouring them all the night before.

It's a lot easier than you might think to put away an entire pound of these (thankfully healthy) little things.

I did force myself to adhere to a strict sprout moratorium last spring and summer; even in my severe sprout craving state I had trouble justifying the purchase of foreign produce when so much garden bounty was at hand. But that's all over now.

Fortunately this is the time of year when it's easy to find Brussels sprouts grown here in the US, often made even sweeter by a frost. If you're lucky enough to have a local source for sprouts, please go snap some up.

You can often find them still attached to the stalks at farmers' markets and even at some grocery stores. If not, the ratty old ones at the supermarket are pretty darn delicious.



Less Fuss, More Flavor Quick Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves at least one - Adapted from Fine Cooking

**Click here to print this recipe**

These are quick and easy, one bowl, one pan Brussels sprouts. There's no need to cut a little X in each stem or boil them before roasting (why do people do this?). You don't even have to turn them while they're cooking.

The unbleached parchment paper keeps the nicely browned bits sticking to the sprouts instead of the pan and also makes for easy clean up.

I finally figured out how to increase my chances of having leftovers for breakfast—roast two pounds of brussels sprouts at once. Simply double the ingredients below. I can fit two pounds of sprouts on one 12"x17" commercial half-size sheet pan.

I love to toss roasted Brussels sprouts with farfalle (bowtie) pasta and plenty of freshly grated Romano or Parmesan. For a real treat, fry up some bacon, then sauté some coarse fresh breadcrumbs in a few Tablespoons of the bacon grease over medium heat until golden and crisp. Toss the pasta and Brussels sprouts together, then top with the crumbled bacon, bread crumbs, and cheese. So good.

Basic Version:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if desired
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste (I like lots of lemon juice)
1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Slightly Gussied Up Version:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if desired
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Optional:
Handful or two of drained and rinsed canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Heat the oven to 475°.

Remove any yellow or funky outer leaves on the Brussels sprouts, then trim the core ends and halve lengthwise.

In a large bowl, toss the sprouts with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until thoroughly coated. For the gussied up version, whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in your mixing bowl and then add the Brussels sprouts, tossing until thoroughly coated.

Arrange the sprouts cut side down and evenly spaced on a rimmed heavy duty baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. If they don't cover the whole sheet, spread them around the edges for the best browning.

Roast until the sprouts are tender and brown, about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven, the size of your sprouts, and how done you like them. Start checking after about 10 minutes if you prefer that they still have a little crunch.

Place the hot roasted sprouts back in the mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, Parmesan or Romano, and garbanzo beans (if using) and toss until combined. Season to taste, adding a little more olive oil if desired, and serve.

More Farmgirl Fare vegetable side dishes:

Easy, Creamy Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic

Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions, Apples, and a Hint of Orange
Kohlrabi Purée (I love this stuff)

Napa Cabbage Broccoli Slaw with Radishes & Creamy Dijon Dressing

Shredded Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemony Caper Dressing

Still hungry? You'll find links to all of my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the roasty toasty foodie farm blog where some of us even eat Brussels sprouts for breakfast.

Summer Pasta Recipe: Sun Dried Tomato & Artichoke Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, and Fresh Basil with Linguine or Farfalle

Cooking with Less Fuss, More Flavor

Enjoying more fast farm food from the kitchen garden

Tomatoes and basil on the third day of fall? You bet. The calendar may say summer is over, but the kitchen garden keeps to its own schedule, and mine says that tomato season is finally (finally!) in nearly full swing. The beautiful green and purple basil I've been picking since the end of June is still going gangbusters, too.

There's no better—or simpler—way to celebrate your garden fresh tomatoes and basil than to toss them with hot pasta, but adding this quick sun-dried tomato and artichoke pesto to the mix brings the dish to a whole other level.

I've made this with larger tomatoes chopped into chunks, but cherry tomatoes really work best. A mixture of red and yellow looks especially nice. I like to make this with fettuccine or farfalle (because bowties are always so much fun), but other pasta shapes would probably be good, too.

Baby Chocolate Chip and Toffee Shortbread Cookies: A Really Easy Dessert Recipe

These buttery little cookies are so cute—and you know how we love cute!

"Hi!" said my friend Beth.

"It's about time you called."

"Oh?"

"I've practically gobbled up half this cookie dough already. Talking to you is the only way I'm going to stop eating it!"

This dough really is good, and the baked cookies are even better. While I adore a good butter cookie—and am constantly amazed by the number of bad butter cookies out there—I've never been much of a shortbread fan. And maybe it's just me, but shortbread recipes often seem rather fussy.

This dough comes together in less time than it takes the oven to heat up, and there's no patting anything into a pan or making decorative designs with a fork.

These cute little cookies are a like scrumptious cross between butter cookies and shortbread, combining the best qualities of each. They go well with mugs of hot coffee or cold glasses of milk, would make a dainty addition to an afternoon tea tray, and travel well so they're perfect for toting to picnics and potlucks.



I usually make my cookies extra large, but after doing some experimenting, I've decided that these taste best when small. I also applied my More, More, More philosophy, upping the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits, but ultimately reduced the amount called for in the original version. That way you taste more of the buttery cookie.

Like most shortbreads, these will keep for several days (which makes them a wonderful choice for holiday goodie boxes mailed to faraway loved ones), and I think they taste better the day after baking. They also freeze beautifully. Pack them in little cello bags tied with a colorful ribbon for handy gifts, perhaps tucked into oversized cappuccino cups. Everyone loves them.

I have no idea if they're good warm from the oven, because by the time they've finished baking I'm always way too full of batter to want one.



Baby Shortbread Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips and English Toffee Bits
Makes about 4 dozen 1¾-inch cookies — Adapted from the kitchn

**Click here to print this recipe**

The original recipe has you shape dozens of spoonfuls of dough into tiny balls and then press them lightly onto the baking sheet to flatten the bottoms. I don't have that kind of patience, so I just use a little scoop instead.

I also skipped the part where you dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate because I've never been able to do that without making a big mess, plus my chocolate never seems to completely dry. If you want a fancier looking cookie you might try it, though I think they're perfectly fine without.

I'm a sucker for any recipe that calls for English toffee bits, but these would also be good made with all mini chocolate chips or mini chips and finely chopped pecans. And for shortbread purists, I bet they'd be very nice without anything extra added at all.

1 cup (2 sticks/8 ounces) organic butter (I use salted), softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups organic all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup English toffee bits, such as Heath (the ones without chocolate)

Heat the oven to 350°.

With a hand held electric mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla, and then add the flour and salt. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits.

With a small stainless steel scoop (these are so handy; for this recipe I use one that's 1¼" across), drop cookies onto a heavy duty baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. (I love my commercial half sheet pans and have been using some of them for 20 years, for everything from baking lemon scones to roasting Brussels sprouts. Two dozen of these cookies will fit on one sheet, so the whole batch will bake on two trays. Unbleached parchment paper is wonderful stuff, and you can reuse each sheet several times.)

Bake until the edges are just starting to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container or freeze.

Still have a sweet tooth? You might also enjoy these:

Cookies and Bars
Molasses Ginger Spice Snaps
Chocolate Biscotti For Beginners
Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies (and how to hug a sheep)
Yip Yap Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Snaps
Choco-Oat-Butterscotch-Coconut Crazy Cookies

Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Just Peachy Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Apple Blueberry Crumble Bars

Muffins and Scones
Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
100% Whole Grain Bran Muffins (four different flavors)
100% Whole Grain Ginger Pear Bran Muffins
White Whole Wheat Scones with Currants and Oats

Cakes, Tarts, and More
Autumn Pear and Apple Crisp
Quick Emergency Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Babycakes
Easy Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake
Heavenly Lemon Coconut Quick Bread
Chocolate, Cinnamon & Banana Mexican Monkey Cake
Really Raspberry Tartlets

Still hungry? You'll find links to all of my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the dessert first foodie farm blog where we sometimes start the day by eating cookies for breakfast—with a big glass of milk to make them healthy of course.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip / Spread Recipe with Rosemary, Pecorino Romano, & Kalamata Olives

I Love this Stuff

I'm always surprised when I look back through my photo files and realize just how few pictures I've actually posted, compared to all the ones I meant to post (and the thousands of others I've taken). The same goes for recipes. I couldn't believe it the other day when I realized that I've shared a pathetic grand total of eight recipes with you so far this year—and one of them can hardly be called a recipe. How can this be?

Things have to change. Enough with all the cute animal pictures.* Let's eat!

Rosemary white bean dips abound, but the Fine Cooking recipe I came across last year was the first one I'd seen that called for artichoke hearts. It sounded like a perfect combination, and it is. It doesn't taste all that artichokey—and someone might have a hard time actually guessing they're in there—but they really add a lot of flavor.

I applied my usual More, More, More philosophy to the original recipe, upping the fresh rosemary (since my rosemary bush in the greenhouse is thriving), cheese, and even olive oil. I substituted Pecorino Romano for the Parmigiano Reggiano because I love the flavor—and much lower price—of Romano, and besides, somebody needs to support all those Italian sheep farmers!

On a whim, I decided to stir some kalamata olives into the second batch I made, and this turned out to be a very good idea. That was many months and many batches ago. This dip is the sort of thing I can quickly become addicted to, happily eating it morning, noon, and night. Fortunately the recipe doubles easily. It also happens to be pretty good for you, which is nice to know if, like me, you're unable to stop eating it. I actually had to hide the recipe a while because I was afraid I'd eat so much I'd end up permanently sick of it, and I'd hate for that to happen.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip/Spread with Rosemary & Kalamatas
Makes about 2 cups (may be doubled) — Adapted from Fine Cooking

Cans of organic beans are a handy staple in my farmhouse pantry because they're so convenient and versatile. They're readily available in natural foods stores and many supermarkets and can often be found for the bargain price of about a dollar apiece. Some places such as Whole Foods will even give you a case discount if you stock up and buy 12 cans at a time.

I've used fresh lime juice in place of the lemon juice here a few times, and I really liked the flavor. Don't add the kalamatas in the food processor or they'll turn your dip a creepy purplish grey—stir them in at the end instead. I like to make half the batch with olives and half without and serve them up side by side, as pictured above.

I don't usually drizzle extra olive oil onto my food (preferring to save those calories for a couple of cookies or a hunk of chocolate cake instead), but in this case I highly recommend it. Besides, you'll probably be so full of dip you won't have room for dessert anyway.

You can serve this dip with just about anything—fresh veggies, crackers, pretzels, baguette slices—but it's heavenly on homemade pita chips. I also think it would be delicious spread on a sandwich.

To make your own pita chips, simply brush triangles of pita bread with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and a little finely grated hard cheese if you're feeling decadent, and bake them at 400° for 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pitas and how crisp and brown you like them.

I like to bake up small batches of pita chips in my beloved toaster convection oven (which also helps me keep from eating way too many pita chips at once). Homemade pita chips made from homemade pita bread are out of this world; see how easy it is to make your own pitas in my previous post, The Pita Project.



1 15-ounce can organic cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and rinsed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or lime juice)
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on top
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup (about ¼ ounces) finely shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Several grinds of fresh pepper

2 heaping Tablespoons chopped kalamata olives (about 10 olives), optional

Combine the cannellini beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in the 3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add a Tablespoon or two of water or more olive oil if you prefer a smoother consistency.

Blend in the rosemary and Pecorino Romano, then salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the kalamata olives if using. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with pita chips, crackers, baguette slices, or fresh vegetables.

This dip tastes even better after chilling for several hours or overnight, and will keep in the fridge for three or four days. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Still hungry? Here are a few other dips and spreads you might enjoy:
Radish, Scallion and Feta Cream Cheese Spread/Dip
Chives and Herbed Yogurt Cheese
Sour Cream and Onion Dip (and Foodie Travel)
Ridiculously Easy White Bean Pesto Spread
Quick Refried Black Bean Dip
Salsa-Like Green Tomato Relish
Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip

Other Farmgirl Fare recipes that call for canned beans:
Garbanzo Bean Salad with Red Onion, Cilantro, & Feta
Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzos, Broccoli Stems, & Cottage Cheese
Fast Black Bean Soup/Chili
Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw with High Kickin' Creamy Tomato Dressing
Simple Broccoli Onion Soup with Garbanzo Beans

Other Farmgirl Fare recipes that use artichoke hearts:
Quick & Healthy Cream (or Not) of Artichoke Soup
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Onions, Garlic, Garbanzos, and Artichokes
Swiss Chard Artichoke Soup
Swiss Chard & Artichoke White Pizza

* © Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the recipe hoarding foodie farm blog where my plan really is to seriously start catching up with all the backlogged recipes I've been wanting to post, but of course I was just kidding when I said forget about the cute animal photos. I know some of you like them the best—and in my opinion it's impossible to ever have too much cute!

Recipe: Radish Cream Cheese Spread / Dip with Parsley, Scallions and Feta

Plus Advice for New Vegetable Gardeners and What Else to Do with Radishes


French Breakfast Radishes (Love that Name) Harvested in My Kitchen Garden last June

It's so easy to get sucked into the romantic allure of vegetable gardening. You scatter some seeds in the dirt, watch them burst forth and grow, and a few weeks later you gleefully skip outside wearing a straw hat and toting a cute basket to harvest armfuls of picture perfect bounty.

So effortless! So rewarding! So not what really happens most of the time—which is why many new gardeners quickly become frustrated, vowing to never again spend $164 and countless hours only to end up with four tomatoes, two small heads of bug-bitten cabbage, one scraggly basil plant, and so many giant zucchini their neighbors have started avoiding them (sort of like what happened to this guy).

Now you know I'm the last person to dissuade someone from starting an edible garden, and I personally think every unused, chemical-laden front lawn in the country should be torn up and turned into an organic potager. Homegrown anything always tastes better, and even after all these years I find nothing more rewarding than being able to step outside and pick part of my own lunch or dinner from my garden.

That said, I do have a few words of advice for budding gardeners. Please don't go crazy and mail order 75 different kinds of seeds during a snowstorm and/or cram your entire car full of seedlings from the nursery on the first day of spring. You're only going to end up totally overwhelmed—and annoyed. Instead, start small. Start with radishes. Radishes? I can hear you saying. Yes, radishes.


Colorful Easter Egg Radishes (and One French Breakfast) from My Garden

Most people don't know this, but homegrown radishes taste wonderful—crisp and peppery and alive with freshly dug flavor. They have fun names like French Breakfast, Crunchy Royale, and Easter Egg, come in a rainbow of beautiful colors, and are actually two crops in one because you can also eat the leaves, which are full of Vitamin C and calcium.

A member of the cabbage/cruciferous family (you know, the one whose members all have those amazing anti-cancer properties), the low calorie radish has been used over the years to help everything from runny noses and respiratory problems to digestive disorders and liver troubles.

But, most importantly, radishes will almost never let you down in the garden. You really do just scatter some seeds in the dirt (they prefer cool, moist soil), watch them burst forth and grow, and then a few weeks later gleefully skip out and harvest armfuls of picture perfect bounty—straw hat and cute basket optional. You can even grow radishes in pots.

That's all well and good, I can hear you saying, but what am I supposed to do with armfuls of radishes besides toss them in salads and carve them into mice and musicians?

All sorts of things. Chopped radishes add a pleasant zing to tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, and even fresh tomato salsa. You can toss them into your favorite coleslaw, and I just realized they'd be a great addition to my Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw.

Try layering sliced radishes on a roast beef sandwich, or use paper thin slices to garnish hot soups. Ooh, some finely chopped radishes would probably be perfect atop a chilled bowl of Quick & Easy Gazpacho (which I've been meaning to make for days). You can even braise radishes in a little butter, with or without some minced shallots, though I have yet to try this.

It's still too hot here in southern Missouri to plant more radishes yet, but when my next crop is ready, I'm determined to finally make some pickled radishes. I also don't want to be the only radish lover around who still hasn't enjoyed the classic French sandwich people are always swooning over: spread a halved crusty baguette (I'll use one of the Four Hour Parisian Baguettes I love so much) with your favorite butter, top with thinly sliced radishes, and sprinkle with some nice salt.

But what I really want to do is make a whole lot more of this simple yet scrumptious dip.

So what's your favorite way to eat radishes?



Refreshing Radish Spread/Dip
Makes about 2 cups
Inspired by Helen's recipe at Beyond Salmon via Alanna's version at A Veggie Venture

My Less Fuss, More Flavor way of cooking usually involves simplifying recipes, but this time I applied my More, More, More philosophy to the original three ingredient version of this healthy spread—upping the scallions (purple spring onions work well, too) and adding in some lemon juice, chopped parsley, and feta.

To make a thicker sandwich spread, use a little more cream cheese. I also like this mixed with cottage cheese, either eaten as a dip or in a dish with a spoon. I would have used even more radishes, but the spread started to get a little watery. Alanna makes her version with only 4 ounces of cream cheese, though, so it may depend on the variety of radishes you use.

The flavors improve after mingling for a little while, so make this at least a few hours before serving if you can. As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients—they really do make a difference in so many ways.

2 cups (8 ounces) halved or quartered radishes
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (purple spring onions are nice, too)
½ cup (or more to taste) packed chopped fresh parsley
8 ounces (or more) cream cheese, softened
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt (start with less if you're including the feta)
Several grinds of fresh pepper

Cottage cheese (optional)

Whiz the radishes, scallions, and parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the cream cheese, feta cheese (if using—or you can always stir it into part or all of the batch later), lemon juice, salt, and pepper and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary. Add more cream cheese if you'd like a thicker sandwich spread, or stir in (or process in) some cottage cheese if desired.

Serve with fresh veggies, crackers, pita chips (made from homemade pita breads perhaps?), pretzels or baguette slices. Helen says her favorite springtime open-faced sandwich is a slice of bread with radish spread and smoked salmon, and Alanna likes stirring her spread into steamed broccoli. It will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Still hungry? Here are a few more Farmgirl Fare dips and spreads you might enjoy:
—Chives and Herbed Yogurt Cheese
—Sour Cream and Onion Dip (and Foodie Travel)
—Ridiculously Easy White Bean Pesto Spread
—Quick Refried Black Bean Dip
—Salsa-Like Green Tomato Relish
—Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the crisp and crunchy foodie farm blog where homegrown radishes aren't just a way of life—they're an adventure.

Easy Summer Picnic or Potluck Recipe:Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea) Salad with Red Onion, Scallions, Cilantro, Parsley, and Feta Cheese

And the winners of Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros


My new favorite way to eat organic garbanzo beans

This was such a fun contest. I loved reading all of your 'around the world' food and travel entry comments. What a wonderful collection of personal memories and stories—and what a well traveled (and well fed) bunch you are! I truly felt like I'd journeyed around the world without even leaving the farm.

The two random winners of Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes are:

Lisa, who said: When I was 11, I travelled to Australia to visit relatives and was horrified when I was offered lamb to eat, which I refused. Now, at 46, I am always on the lookout for new lamb recipes as I raise sheep myself. I never imagined it at the time, but I did always dream of living on a farm. My farm is small, but it's mine and it feeds me.

Missallizoom, who said: I am dying to try Edna Lewis's Fried Chicken Recipe. It is so simple sounding. I don't have lard on hand and want to go pick up a cast iron chicken fryer to do it right. Some day soon I will... it is supposed to be the best!

Congratulations, ladies! I think you'll really enjoy this book. Please e-mail me your shipping address (farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com). As for the rest of you, I'll be giving away several more books throughout the summer—including a few great beach reads—so stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's another recipe from Falling Cloudberries that I've fallen in love with. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to use garbanzo beans (because it keeps me from munching on them straight from the can), and this refreshing salad caught my eye because it calls for two things I have plenty of in the garden right now: onions and cilantro.


Red Candy Apple onions—one of the nine varieties growing in my kitchen garden this year

Last year I asked you for suggestions on how to use up the 125 scallions I had in the garden (thank you!), and this year—because I'm crazy like that—I planted even more onions. Some of them have already formed good-sized bulbs, and yesterday I made another batch of this salad using the red beauties you see above.

If you love cilantro but have never tasted homegrown, I urge you to do whatever you can to lay your hands on some. You know how everything harvested from the garden has so much more flavor than storebought? Well, it's the same for cilantro. I haven't grown any cilantro in a while, but I planted some seeds on a whim back in March and was rewarded with a bumper crop.

Cilantro is easy to grow from seed as long as you keep in mind one thing: despite often being associated with summer and salsa, it's actually a cool weather plant. I've even had volunteer seedlings come up in the snow.

I never would have thought to put cilantro in a salad like this, but it really works. Of course that's what a new cookbook is supposed to do—surprise and persuade and inspire you, which is exactly what this one has been doing for for me.

While I definitely recommend Falling Cloudberries, I do have a small word of warning, as I've come across a few discrepancies with measurements. For example, this recipe calls for cooking 1¼ cups of dried garbanzo beans or using one 14-ounce can of beans, but a can is about 1½ cups, and 1¼ cups of dried beans will cook up into a fair amount more than that.

And the Greek-Cypriot Salad (which sounds wonderful) calls for one '6-ounce jar (about 3½ cups)' of Greek olives, but a jar that size won't hold anywhere near 3½ cups of olives (and it would be way too many olives in the salad). If you carefully read through the recipes, you should be just fine.

So what's your favorite way to eat garbanzo beans?




Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea) Salad with Red Onion, Parsley, Cilantro, and Feta
Makes about 5 cups—Adapted from Falling Cloudberries

**Click here to print this recipe**

Lately I've been converting my recipes to measured amounts of ingredients rather than saying 2 onions or 3 cloves of garlic, because I've come to realize that there is often a huge size discrepancy among fruits and vegetables. Just look at lemons. Some are golf-ball sized, while others will barely fit in your hand. The 'juice of half a lemon' could be almost anything.

I don't consider myself obsessive when it comes to cooking, and I admit to rarely following a recipe exactly, but this has started driving me a little nuts because there are times when it can make a real difference. 'Six apples' might literally weigh anywhere from 2 pounds to 5 pounds. Measuring ingredients by weight is often the best way to go, but not everybody has a scale (I love my Oxo Good Grips digital kitchen scale and use it almost every day).

That said, this is the kind of recipe where you don't need to be exact. Use my measurements as a starting point and adjust things to suit your taste. Next time I'll probably add extra red onion, and I'm thinking that using half red kidney beans and half garbanzo beans would be interesting.

The original recipe calls for lots more olive oil (like about a cup more) than my version does, so feel free to add extra, either while you're tossing everything together or drizzled on top just before serving.

Cooking the onions and garlic is the real trick here, as it makes them mellow and sweet, but allow them to cool before mixing them in or the feta cheese will melt. The optional olives add a flavorful, salty bite.

Tote this salad to picnics and potlucks, or serve it up along with a loaf of crusty bread and grilled chicken or steaks on those hot summer nights when nobody feels like cooking. You could also serve it on a bed of soft butter lettuce that you drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients whenever possible; they really do make a difference. Organic garbanzo beans are a staple in my pantry and can usually be found for under two dollars a can.

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if desired
3 cups chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh garlic
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed (or 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans)
3/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
1½ cups chopped green onions (scallions), green parts only
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A handful of chopped kalamata or black oil-cured olives, optional

Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large frying pan and add the red onion, stirring to coat it with the oil. Cook the onion gently over medium or medium-low heat, stirring often, until the it is soft and starting to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute; don't let the garlic brown. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, stir together the garbanzo beans, cilantro, parsley, green onions, and lemon juice. Add the cooled onion garlic mixture. (If you're impatient like I am, you can mix the onions and garlic into the beans while they're still warm, and the other ingredients will help cool them down.)

Mix in the crumbled feta cheese and olives (if using). Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (remember that the feta and olives will already be salty) and up to ½ cup more olive oil if desired.

This salad tastes best if made ahead and allowed to sit for a few hours before serving. Serve at room temperature, with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Other Farmgirl Fare recipes that call for garbanzo beans:
A Perfect Spring Salad
Arugula Pesto (garbanzos are the secret ingredient)
Broccoli Onion Garbanzo Bean Soup
Colors of Summer Salad
Lowfat Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad (a fresh twist on coleslaw)
Quick and Healthy Cream (or not) of Artichoke Soup
Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato, and Artichoke Soup (and lambing with your mom)

Still hungry? You'll find links to all of my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes over in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the bonkers for beans foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Lemon Coconut Quick Bread Recipe: A Little Slice of Toasted Heaven

Moist and flavorful, this hearty lemon coconut bread is my new favorite breakfast, snack, and dessert.

I love taking pictures, and whether I'm feeding the animals, working in the kitchen garden, picking up hay in the field, or walking on the ridge above the farm, my beloved little camera is strapped around my neck. The few times I don't have it with me, I usually miss some great shot.

Like the other day when my favorite 5-year-old cowboy, decked out in his kid-sized hat and boots, was holding one of the new baby chicks to his chest and nuzzling it with his chin. Or when he said, "Susan, look! I got the cat!" and I turned to find his skinny little arms wrapped around the upper half of a very patient Topaz, her tortie belly displayed to the world, bottom legs dangling nearly to the ground. Talk about a daily dose of cute.

I don't, however, have a whole lot of enthusiasm for food photography. When my friend Beth sent me an e-mail message yesterday that said, Have to figure out how to get a decent photo of my pomegranate limoncello sorbet... ugh, I knew exactly what she meant.

But the truth is, I don't have enough patience for all the technical aspects involved, not to mention the whole lighting and tripod thing. Confession: I've never actually used my tripod, and my lighting comes from two four-foot-long bare fluorescent bulbs on the kitchen ceiling.

I have no tolerance for positioning minced chives with tweezers and will never be able to fold kitchen towels in that perfect, magazine spread way. I'm a point-and-shoot girl at heart and would rather be outside finding farm art, snapping away at sunrises, or capturing cuteness than trying to make a delicious but murky bowl of soup or batch of brown bran muffins look appealing.

I also have a kitchen counter space availability situation—as in, I never have any available kitchen counter space on which to conduct a photo shoot. Sometimes I take stuff outside. Usually I just procrastinate.

Consequently, I know of at least two bowls of soup that went straight from the photo shoots to the compost bin because they still looked fine but were inedible. And the All-Purpose Arugula Cottage Cheese Dip/Spread/Sauce I've become addicted to lately was photographed in an itty bitty dish because I'd already eaten most of it—as well as the two previous batches.

This probably isn't the sort of stuff I should be admitting on a food blog.

When it came to taking pictures of this lemon coconut bread, the real challenge lay in the fact that I was unable to stop devouring it long enough to clear a space on the counter. When I finally did, I decided it was far too late at night to begin styling, so I had another slice and put the photo shoot off until morning.


Lemon Coconut Quick Bread
Makes one 8½-inch or 9½-inch loaf—Adapted from bills restaurant via Baking Bites

**Click here to print this recipe**

This easy recipe (no mixer required!) is Nic at Baking Bites' new lemony version of the coconut bread served at bills restaurant in Sydney, Australia. What first caught my attention was how much coconut is packed into one loaf—a full two cups.

Nic makes hers with sweetened coconut, but I strongly suggest you try the unsweetened kind. If you've never tasted natural, unsweetened coconut, you're in for a real treat. The coconut flavor really comes through, and unlike the sweetened stuff, it doesn't contain preservatives like propylene glycol and sodium metabisulfite. Look for it in the bulk section at natural foods stores, or you can order it online. I buy Bob's Red Mill brand from amazon; it's only about $4 a pound, and you get quite a few cups per pound.

While I find that most quick breads are really cake in disguise, this is more like bread, which means you can eat a slice or two for breakfast with nary a twinge of guilt. Not that I've ever had a problem eating cake for breakfast. It's sweet but not too sweet, heavy and dense but not too dense (this is not a light and fluffy cake!), nicely moist, and altogether scrumptious any time of day.

Unlike last year's popular Orange Yogurt Cake, this lemon coconut bread doesn't cry out to be served up with fresh berries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, though I think a dollop of lemon curd spread on a slice would be dreamy. Next I'm going to try replacing the lemon with orange.



A slice is very nice all by itself, but something heavenly happens when you toast it and slather it with butter, which is how they serve it at bills. If you do your toasting in a toaster oven, try dotting the toasted slice with butter and then popping it back into the oven for a minute or two so the butter melts into the warm bread. Mmmmm.

I made a few small changes to Nic's recipe: rounded the butter up to an even stick, added a little more sugar to make up for the unsweetened coconut, and baked it in a smaller pan because I prefer a taller loaf. You'll need to reduce the baking time by a few minutes if you use a 9-inch pan. As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients; they really do make a difference.

A note about loaf pans: Sizes vary! In the U.S., loaf pans are generally referred to as 8-inch and 9-inch, but the actual dimensions (measured across the top) of my Chicago Metallic 8-inch loaf pans (which they simply call 1-pound loaf pans) are 8½" x 4½" and they're 2¾" tall. (I love these pans for baking both quick breads and sandwich loaves like Farmhouse White.) If your pan is smaller than this, use a larger size for this recipe or the batter may overflow. (My Chicago Metallic 1½-pound loaf pans measure 10"x5"x3".)

2½ cups organic all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2 large real farm eggs
¾ cup organic milk
½ cup fresh organic lemon juice
1 Tablespoon organic lemon zest (or more if you want a bigger kick of lemon)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick or ¼ pound) organic butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8½x4½x2¾ inch or 9x5 inch loaf pan (see note above regarding loaf pan sizes).

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt using a rubber spatula, then stir in the sugar and coconut.

3. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture, stirring just until combined.

5. Add the melted butter and stir just until smooth; do not over mix.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking to see if it's done after about 60 minutes (50 minutes if you're using a 9x5 inch pan). If the top of the loaf is getting very brown and the center isn't cooked yet, cover it lightly with a piece of aluminum foil.

7. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes and then carefully remove it from the pan. Try not to slice into the loaf until it's completely cool, but that probably won't be possible. Store in an airtight container for 3 days or wrap in plastic and/or aluminum foil, pop in a plastic zipper bag, and freeze.

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the gladly going coconuts foodie farm blog where it's probably a good thing I didn't try toasting a slice of this bread until the loaf was already halfway gone.

Recipe: Quick and Easy Refried Black Bean Dip with Tomatoes, Onions, and Cilantro

Going Bonkers for Canned Beans


Leftover Grilled Pork and Garden Tomatoes Became a Quick and Healthy Late Summer Lunch

I'm a big fan of canned beans. I buy them by the case and always have stacks of them on hand in the pantry. They're cheap, convenient, keep for ages, and go with practically everything. Don't get me wrong—I think it's great that everybody seems to be jumping on the dried bean bandwagon these days (my Roasted Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup is one of the most searched for recipes on Farmgirl Fare), and I'll be the first to admit that canned beans aren't as tasty as home cooked.

But while I live for slow food and cooking from scratch—and routinely let homemade chicken stock simmer for five or six hours on the stove (which not only tastes fabulous but makes the house smell so good)—last year's plan to start cooking up a pound of dried beans once a week still has yet to begin. Sometimes you just need to bypass your best intentions and head for the canned bean aisle instead, because everybody knows that canned beans are infinitely better than no beans.

For years I've snacked on garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) simply rinsed and sprinkled with salt. I also toss them into everything from Arugula Pesto to Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. A handful of garbanzos or kidney beans can turn a salad into a meal, and canned black beans are the star of my Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw.

A while back I discovered cannellini beans, which are sometimes called white kidney beans, and quickly began adding them to everything from Greek Salad to summer squash sautés. Then I got hooked on white bean spreads, which have to be the easiest appetizer ever. Plunk a rinsed can of beans, some sort of flavoring, and a little olive oil into the food processor and whiz for a couple of seconds. I started with pesto and quickly moved onto pretty much anything in the pantry: artichokes, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and that yummy olive bruschetta stuff sold in pretty octagonal jars at Trader Joe's. White bean spread is guilt-free and addictive.

Full of fiber and nutrients and a good source of protein, beans are one of the healthiest foods around, and moderation isn't really necessary. But when I began craving cold leftover baked beans for breakfast a while back, I started to get a little concerned. And when I found myself standing in the kitchen scooping up refried black beans straight from the can with tortilla chips, I knew I could do better.

So what do you like to do with canned beans?




Quick and Easy Refried Black Bean Dip

This is the kind of thing I love to have in the fridge because it keeps me from grabbing a cookie or a slice of chocolate cake or a handful of cheese and crackers instead of something healthier and more substantial when I walk into the kitchen starving. It's incredibly versatile and can be made in summer with juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes or in winter with some good canned tomatoes.

Use it thick as a dip with tortilla chips or a burrito filling, or thin it out and top a platter of nachos. You can even turn it into a dressing for a Tex-Mex inspired salad like the impromptu one pictured above that I made last summer with heirloom tomatoes from the kitchen garden and chunks of leftover grilled pork.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients, as they really do make a difference in so many ways. Quality of canned beans can vary greatly by brand, and I've found that the organic ones taste best. Cans of organic beans are readily available in natural foods stores and many supermarkets and can often be found for the bargain price of about a dollar apiece. Some stores, such as Whole Foods, will even give you a case discount if you stock up and buy 12 cans at a time.

1 can refried black beans (I like the jalapeno flavored kind)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/4 cup (or more*) chopped onions or scallions
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin (freshly ground is amazing)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 4-1/2 ounce can chopped mild green chilies or 1/2 cup salsa
Large handful cilantro, chopped

Garnishes:
Cilantro
Salsa
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Chopped scallions
Chopped tomatoes
Avocado chunks
Guacamole

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. This dip tastes best after the flavors have had a chance to mingle, so try to make it up at least a few hours before serving and let it chill in the fridge. Serve warm or cold, garnished as desired.

Still hungry? Here are more Farmgirl Fare recipes that call for canned beans:
Arugula Pesto, Arugula Pesto Cream Cheese Spread, & Arugula Pesto Pizza
Basil Pesto and White Bean Spread
Colors of Summer Tomato and Fresh Vegetable Salad
Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw & Quick Vegetarian Tacos
Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Cottage Cheese and Broccoli Stalks
Fast Black Bean Soup/Chili
Broccoli, Onion, and Garbanzo Bean Soup
Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato, and Artichoke Soup
Quick Cream (or Not) of Artichoke Soup
Swiss Chard Artichoke Soup with Garbanzo Beans

*6/09 update: I'm loving my sweet spring onions from the garden so much I tossed at least a cup of them into today's batch of dip. Delicious!

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the bonkers for beans foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres—and leftover baked beans for breakfast are actually rather tasty, especially when warmed up and served over a piece of toasted homemade honey bran bread.