Tonight's Menu - Results

Where to start on our dinner tonight? The beans were delicious and really not very complicated.

Bourbon BBQ Beans
from Weber
I halved the recipe, which would yield 4 generous servings

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup diced red onions or other onion
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 dijon mustard
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3-4 dashes Tabasco
2 cans (28oz each) baked beans
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
(I actually forgot the salt and pepper...we didn't even notice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Blot off with paper towel or drain half the grease. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. While cooking, rinse and drain the baked beans. Set aside. To the onions and bacon, add ketchup through tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the baked beans and bake for 45-50 minutes covered. Uncover for several minutes afterward.

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The Best Potato Salad
adapted from Mom and Cooks Illustrated

This is the best I've had so far. Regular baking potatoes crumble too easily. Try to use red potatoes as they are sturdier. I used regular baking potatoes today before reading the Cooks Illustrated recommendation.


2 lbs red potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
4 hard boiled eggs
1/3 cup green onions
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp + 2 tsp (5 tsp) dill pickle juice (correction from previous listing of 3tsp)

Cover potatoes with water in a pan on the stove. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until tender. Drain and lay out on dish towel to cool slightly. When the potatoes are still warm but not hot, gently cube them and fold in the vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes to cool further and allow the vinegar to absorb. When cool, gently fold in eggs and onions. Add mayonnaise and dill juice and fold to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Chill 1 hr and serve.

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The burgers? Tasty, though lest you think the dinner was perfect, the burgers shrunk up quite a bit. They were 5oz each and I think 7 oz is better. Noted.

The pudding? Ryan and I shared one earlier today and it is rich with real chocolate. Delicious. No changes were made to the recipe except forgetting to add the vanilla. But they were darn good and we liked them better without.

Thanks to Smitten Kitchen for a great example of food photography and for the pudding recipe.

Leave a comment if you would like the recipes in a nice Word document (picture included).