Labor Day signifies the beginning fall. For the lucky few, school starts after the holiday weekend.
For the rest of us, it is our first three-day weekend of the new school year.
This is our first Labor Day living on our university campus, and we gathered with our neighbors
in our campus duplex community for a potluck. It was fun meeting and getting acquainted with neighbors that work in other schools and departments on campus.
It was an enjoyable, multi-generation evening of fellowship.
Of course, potlucks always seem to offer some of the best food!
I made one of our family favorites: Baseball Beans (a.k.a. in other families as Cowboy Beans,
Calico Beans, etc.) This is fast and easy to put together and tastes good hot or cold.
Baseball Beans
1 lb. bacon, diced
1 lb. hamburger
2 medium onions, diced
2 15-oz. cans butter beans
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans
2 15-oz. cans pork & beans
2/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. ketchup
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/3 c. dark molasses
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Brown first three ingredients together and drain fat. Drain off most (but not all) liquid from beans. Add beans to meat. Mix remaining ingredients, add to casserole and stir.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for at least one full hour or cook in crock pot on high for 2-3 hours.
Since I would much rather have too much food than not enough I also made an Apple Pan Pie.
I did it the easy way by using Pillsbury Pie Crust from the grocer’s dairy case. I rolled one crust into a long, squarish oval so it would line a 9 x 13 bar cookie pan with a little overlap on the edges.
Here’s the recipe for the filling:
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored
3/4 cup dried cranberries
Slice apples into a large bowl.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 flour (or corn starch)
2 teaspoons apple pie seasoning (adjust to personal taste)
Whisk dry ingredients together so they are thoroughly mixed and there are no lumps. S
prinkle over apples and cranberries. Toss to cover fruit with dry mixture.
Spoon filling evenly into the pie crust in the bar pan. Thinly slice one tablespoon of cold butter
and lay slices on top of pie filling.
Roll out the second crust in a long oval and place it over the filling. Crimp and trim the edges.
Make at least four slits in the top crust to allow the steam to vent.
Whisk together one egg yolk and two teaspoons milk or cream. Gently brush onto top pie crust,
and then sprinkle with a little bit of white sugar and cinnamon.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then lay foil over the pie to cover the edges to prevent burning and turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Bake for another 40 minutes. Using a cake tester or small fork prick apples through one of the slits in the pie crust to make sure they are tender.
Allow pie to cool on a rack. May be served warm or cooled, and you may want to add
ice cream or whipped cream.
Getting to know your neighbors is an expression of hospitality whether it be inviting them into your home or contributing to a neighborhood potluck. Being hospitable is a wonderful way to get to know your neighbors and to make new friends.
Sharing my heart for home through food and fun!
