It’s that time of year again! It seems like the Kids have only just gone back to school and then the next thing you know Halloween is here!
We normally let the kids stay up a bit later on Halloween. They don’t go out trick or treating but they love it when other children come knocking on our door.
We have our own bag of tricks and treats to give out… we have a bag full of sweet things but lurking within are a few unpleasant surprises that I have made. In the past we have had chocolate coated sprouts, last year it was chocolate coated Fishermans Friends! This year… Ahhh, that would be telling!
Kit will have used her artistic skills to make them all masks. A task which needs a lot of patience! For those that haven’t got as much may want to head over to The Amazon Halloween Store
I’m sure we will have to have a pumpkin carved out. I can’t wait until the kids are old enough to do it themselves!
We tend not to cook something special for Halloween. If anything we’ll have some jacket potatoes and fillings. Easy to prepare and fuss free. Although we quite often have baked beans with them.
Now there’s nothing wrong with the tinned variety but you just can’t beat ‘Ome Made!
It’s really quite easy to make your own baked beans and of course it’s loads cheaper. You really can customize your recipe.
Here’s a recipe that I’ve used many times. I used to make these when I was working at a Bar opposite the Sheffield Crucible and Lyceum. There was one gentleman that used to come in especially to have beans on toast (even though it wasn’t on the menu!) because they were so good!
 ‘Ome Made Baked Beans
500g dried Haricot beans (soaked overnight in cold water).
800g of chopped tomatoes (tinned or fresh)
140g tomato puree.
250ml of water.
2 teaspoon of veg bouillon.
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of chilli powder.
2 teaspoons of paprika.
2 teaspoons of dried basil.
2 teaspoons of dried oregano.
2 teaspoons of dried parsley.
3 teaspoons of sugar.
Seasoning.
Method
Drain and rinse the beans. Place the beans in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and boil for ten minutes. Turn down the heat and simmer for another twenty minutes.
Drain the beans and then put in a casserole dish or oven proof pan along with all the other ingredients. There should be enough liquid to cover the beans, if not add a little more water. Put a lid on the pan and place in an oven preheated to 160°C (140°C if fan assisted). The beans should be ready after 6 hours but could happily left for 8.
This basic recipe could easily be customized to your own liking. You could try adding some fried onion, bacon, a bit of diced pork or even sausages. A little diced carrot and/or celery gives your beans a bit more depth.
If your really brave you could make your own curried beans… just don’t blame me for the after effects!
Things really could go ‘Pump’ in the night!
