Slow Cooker Apple Bourbon Baked Beans

 

My parents used to have a very large house at the Lake of the Ozarks. Every holiday, all five of those bedrooms were filled, many sections of the floor covered in sleeping bags, and it was always a whirlwind of activity. Some people would be out fishing, others boating, I would be in the water with my friends, the men would be stoking the outdoor barbecue, and the women in the kitchen working on desserts and sides, and happily chattering away. I don’t think I appreciated those times nearly as much as I probably should have.

 

My number two son, now in his 30s, caught his first fish at the lake. 

But before I bring all of you down with sweet nostalgia, I’ll tell you that one of the ways I deal with holidays, now lacking all of the senior family members with whom I used to enjoy them, is to make myself a good, holiday meal. For me this past Memorial Day that meant pork steaks, my grandma‘s mustard potato salad, deviled eggs, and baked beans. I have a lot of good recipes for baked beans, but wanted to vary from what I normally do by looking up recipes online, and adding my own special spin. These turned out to be phenomenal! I ate more of them than I probably should, but I could not stop. They were that good.Slow Cooker Apple Bourbon Baked Beans

2 22-oz. cans baked beans

2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling

1 small onion, diced

½ c. BBQ sauce

1 12-oz. pkg. bacon, cooked and rough chopped

¼ c. bourbon

1 t. Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning

Place all ingredients into a 6-quart slow cooker in the order listed. Give it a good stir, and cook on low for 4-5 hours; high for 2-3 hours. Serve hot.

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Grammy's Mustard Potato Salad

 

Is it permissible to have a barbecue without serving potato salad? Because from my experience, I can tell you it is not. The first time I had potato salad was at my grandmother's house when I was a little girl. Hers was always the creamiest, most delicious potato salad. Not too tart, not too sweet, just flavorful, perfectly textured with an equal amount of potato creaminess to vegetable crunch. She didn’t have a recipe saying that she would just mix things together until it "looked right." I’m sure that a lot of your grandparents described things in a similar fashion. Through trial and error, this is what I came up with that is the closest to my grandmother's potato salad that I can remember.

Grammy's Mustard Potato Salad

  2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 T. sherry vinegar

¾ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

¼ c. sour cream

2 T. yellow mustard

1 T. sugar

1/3 c. dill pickle relish

2 T. pickle or olive brine        

3 stalks celery, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

3 hard boiled eggs

Paprika, for topping

 Put the potatoes in a large saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until fork tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

 Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt; toss, and let stand for 10 minutes.

 In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and sugar. Fold in relish, brine, celery, and scallions. Pour over potatoes and fold together to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper; fold in hard-boiled eggs and parsley. Refrigerate two hours or overnight. Sprinkle with paprika to garnish.

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