Apple Pie Baked Beans

 

Your family knows you better than anyone else in the world!  This recipe was a challenge from my best cousin, Becky, and she knows that I can't pass up a dare from her!  Apple pie mix in baked beans...who in the world thought of this!  I can't pass up a family dare so I took this one on and honey is it good!  The bonus on this is that I got my first cast iron Dutch oven and I LOVE HER! Mark this one in your favorites for Labor Day and any cookout that you want to show off for!

You'll need:

1 lb breakfast sausage (I strongly recommend Tennessee Pride Mild) 
1 red sweet pepper diced
1/2 small sweet onion diced (1 Tbl onion flakes are fine as a substitute)
1/2 bottle of bar-b-que sauce (your choice on brands - inexpensive is fine)
2 Tbl yellow mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 28 oz cans of Busch's baked beans
1 can apple pie filling
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

2-3 shakes of red pepper flakes

Dice your onion and red pepper then add to your sausage and brown the mixture until your sausage is well done and your veggies have cooked thru.  Drain and place this in your Dutch oven.

While your sausage and veggies are cooking, I recommend using a potato masher or a fork to cut up the texture of the pie filling so you don't have big slices in your beans.  I mashed mine into small tender bites.

Add your baked beans to the sausage mix in your Dutch oven then add your bar-b-que sauce, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple pie filling (all contents of the can) and your red pepper flakes.  

Mix the ingredients well and place them on your smoker at 275* for two hours.  If you don't have a smoker grill, you can use your gas grill or your oven - still 275* for two hours.

This makes one big pot of baked beans!  The sausage, red pepper and apples make for such a unique taste that your guests will rave about this!  My niece ate it twice today and she does not even like baked beans!  This one is a winner all the way back to my cousin in Tennessee!  Good One Becky!

Do-Nothing Cake

 

It's hot outside and no one feels like making a big fussy cake......so we're not going to!  This is a Do-Nothing Cake!  You don't even need your mixer to put this one together.  You probably have most of these ingredients in your kitchen right now and this on only takes 30 minutes to make!  

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups white granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice (do not drain)

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick butter or 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup
1 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

1 cup shredded coconut

Cake Instructions:

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla extract and pineapple. Stir with a spoon to combine all ingredients. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and add batter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 -35 minutes until the center tests done. Make frosting below and poke holes in hot cake with a wooden spoon.

Frosting Instructions:

Bring butter, sugar and milk to a boil in a pan on top of the stove. Cook and stir about 3 minutes. Remove from stove and stir in nuts and coconut. Pour over hot cake.

Notes
The original recipe calls for 2 cups sugar in the cake.  I use only 1 cup and the cake is plenty sweet.  I also make my frosting with 1 1/2 cups coconut instead of just one.