I sure do like those Christmas cookies …

Baking cookies is one of my favorite activities of the Christmas season. I enjoy baking sugar cookies - as the song goes, "The ones that look like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and bells, and stars." I also enjoy using older family cookie recipes this time of year. 

For this particular post, I am sharing cookie recipes from two of my great aunts. These great aunts were two of my maternal grandmother's older sisters. Both were born and lived their lives in southwestern Minnesota. The recipes I am sharing reflect a time when cookie recipes were much simpler and precede the introduction of the chocolate chip. One of the recipes features raisins and the other features molasses, common ingredients of the time for cookies, cakes, and other "sweets." Both also feature stirring baking soda into a warm liquid, a common step in recipes of that day. The idea behind this practice was to give the baking soda, a leavening agent, a bit of a jump start in the rising process. Here are the recipes. I hope you will enjoy them.

Great Aunt Emma's Raisin Puff Cookies

1 cup raisins

1 cup water

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

Simmer the raisins and water together on the stove. Drain the water, leaving approximately 1 tablespoon or so. Stir in the soda and set aside. Cream together the butter/margarine, sugar and vanilla. Mix in the eggs. Stir in the flour and salt. Fold in the raisins. Note: if the dough seems a bit sticky after stirring in the raisins, add some extra flour as needed. Shape the dough into teaspoon-sized balls. Roll the tops of the balls in sugar. Bake at 10-15 minutes at 350ºF.

Great Aunt Clara's Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup shortening

4 tsp baking soda mixed in 4 tsp hot water

2 eggs

3/4 cup molasses

4 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Mix in the soda and water mixture, eggs, and molasses. Stir in the flour and cinnamon. Shape the dough into teaspoon-sized balls. Roll the tops of the balls in sugar. Bake at 15 minutes at 350ºF.

Ok, true confession time now. I do have to admit that I enjoy watching Duck Dynasty. While I am not one to follow the show on a weekly basis (I simply don't have time to follow any show on a weekly basis), I do enjoy finding a repeat episode to watch when I do have the time to turn on the television. That being said, I am planning to watch their Christmas special on December 11. In the spirit of this blog about Christmas cookies, here's the Duck Commander singing the Christmas Cookies song along with George Strait. Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble

Please rest assured that the title of this posting does not imply that I hold to the "gobble 'til you wobble" mentality with regards to Thanksgiving. "Gobble, Gobble," happens to be the name of the fabric line used in this quilt. Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I thought this would be an appropriate blog subject.

I truly love the Thanksgiving season and the solace of this time of year. For our family, this is a season of settling in and reflecting on the blessings of the past year. We've always been ones to stay close to home during the Thanksgiving weekend. We're also ones who like to stay as far away as possible from the malls and stores on Black Friday. Because my children have typically had the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as a day off from school, I also take the day off work to spend time with them and begin my cooking. I do enjoy spending Wednesday and Friday cooking and preparing my family's favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

Three years ago, we had very recently moved into our new home. I had completed this quilt to serve as a memento of our first Thanksgiving in our home. Here are a couple of close up photos featuring the the completed quilt, printed center panel,  and some of the machine quilting featuring a pumpkin motif. 

From our home to yours, we wish you the very best blessings of the Thanksgiving season. We pray that this will be a season of reflecting on the blessings of the past year and sharing memories with family and loved ones.

I will close this entry with words from Psalm 100 as a call to thanksgiving and acknowledgement of God's goodness and mercy.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:5-6

Squash Soup

The last two years have found us enjoying our garden much more so than in years past. Our larger garden plot has allowed us to try growing vegetables which our previous small garden plot did not. Last year, we enjoyed some nice success with acorn squash. This year, we decided to add butternut squash. To make a long story short, our efforts at growing butternut squash were very successful. In light of this success, we found ourselves needing to identify recipes to use our squash. Our favorite, by far, has been butternut squash tortilla soup. Here is how we have personalized the recipe along with some of the techniques that we have found helpful in preparing it.

Butternut squash - native to the Americas

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 cloves of minced garlic (we like to use a couple spoonfuls from a jar of minced garlic)
1 large chopped sweet onion
3 large sliced carrots
3 ribs of sliced celery
1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled and diced
12 cups chicken broth
8 ounces of salted tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 teaspoons dried cilantro leaves (optional depending on your taste preferences)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
1 bunch green onions
2 tablespoons lime juice
Around 8 dashes of green Tabasco sauce, we also like to use some of the garlic pepper Tabasco sauce
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Additional salt to taste

Now, here are the steps:
1. Unfortunately, there really are no easy steps to preparing the butternut squash. Here is what we have found successful for this recipe:

Squash cut into sections

• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and then cut each half into about 3 sections. My tools of choice are a cheap ice cream scoop to clean out the seeds and pulp and a potato peeler to remove the outer peel/rind.
• Be thorough in peeling the squash and be prepared to make several passes to get down to the deep orange squash flesh
• After the squash is thoroughly peeled, cut it up into small chunks. You will be cooking the squash in the chicken broth along with the carrots and celery so you want pieces that are small enough so that they will cook evenly with the other vegetables.

Peeled squash pieces

Cut up squash pieces

2. Melt the butter or margarine in a large stock pot over medium high heat. You will see in the pictures that I am using my pressure cooker to accommodate a double batch of soup.

3. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and squash. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. I typically sauté until the onions start to become transparent.

Vegetables ready to be sautéed

4. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is soft and tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. I typically press a chunk of squash up against the side of the pot. If the squash is nice and squishy, it has cooked long enough. I also check the carrots to see if they are soft and tender.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the tortilla chips until they are wilted.

6. Add the cilantro and cheese and allow the cheese to melt in the pot.

7. Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender. You can also remove the soup in batches and blend it in a regular blender. (In my opinion, spending about $40 for an immersion blender at Target is a worthwhile investment.)

8. Stir in the chiles and green onions.

9. Season with lime juice, Tabasco sauce, black pepper, and salt. 

10. Enjoy!

Plane Projects

The term "plane" in the title is correct. The months of September, October, and November typically find me doing a more than just a little bit of traveling. My fall traveling adventures include presenting my research at professional meetings, receiving ongoing training related to my research interests, and participating in professional meetings. As such, I end up spending more than just a few moments on an airplane. I'm also one who likes to keep myself busy while traveling. As you can see from the above picture, my packing includes resources for projects that can easily be tucked into a carry on bag.
My plane projects of choice are ones that can be transported easily and ones that I can work on without creating a disruption to others. For the last few trips, I have been working on more snowman blocks. I introduced the snowman project in one of my January postings. These wool appliqué blocks will be included in a quilt (possibly the topic of a future post). They also have been fun to complete, and I've enjoyed giving each snowman its own personality. 

I've taken on another wool appliqué project this fall. (For good or for bad, I do enjoy moving from project to project.) This one features a monthly series of "blankets" that can be used with a wool sheep who will be featured in a future post. The monthly blankets involve some smaller pieces and a finer degree of detail. Just the same, I've enjoyed completing them.

As much as I enjoy my traveling opportunities, my favorite part is always returning home. I am very grateful for a family who supports me and a God who sustains all of us while I am gone. Through this season of traveling, I've been reminded of God's words to Jacob in Genesis 28:15 when he was fleeing to his Uncle Laban's home and experienced the dream of the stairway extending to heaven. This verse features the Hebrew word "shamar" which translates as "to keep, preserve, protect, guard, take care, and watch over." Through the miles of traveling and days of separation, I can rest secure in God's sustaining presence and knowing that He will be faithful to accomplish His purpose for me and my family.

Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. 

Genesis 28:15 

Stuffed Squash

As I shared in my last post, fall is my favorite time of year in Utah. I think that "fall foods" are some of my favorites as well. For our family, the term, "fall foods," includes dishes such as soups, hot dishes, and other items that incorporate ingredients associated with the fall harvest. 
One of our favorite fall foods is stuffed acorn squash. The above picture, however, illustrates a butternut squash in addition to the acorn squash. This year, our acorn squash did not fare as well as they did last year, so we decided to try this recipe with one of our butternut squash. It turned out great. Take home message: Use the stuffing with the winter squash variety of your choice.

Ingredients:
Squash:
The stuffing recipe will fill about four average-size acorn squash (8 halves)
Stuffing:
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 pound Italian sausage (we prefer mild for this recipe)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sage (we like using sage from the garden - see note about drying sage below)
1/4 to 1/2 cup pecans (optional - we like the extra texture that they give to the stuffing)

Preparing the squash: 
 Cut them in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place them, cut side down, in a pan with some water in the bottom. Poke holes in the top of the squash for ventilation. Bake at 350 degrees until they are baked - about 30 to 45 minutes.

Preparing the stuffing:
Cook the rice. You can cook the rices separately or together use 2 parts water to 1 part rice and boil for about 20 minutes.
Cook the sausage in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the sausage is nearly cooked, add the onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the onion is translucent.
Stir in the cooked rice, sage, and pecans. On a side note, the stuffing is very yummy by itself.

Putting it all together:
By this time, the squash should be ready for stuffing. Remove the squash from the oven. Turn them flesh side up, and fill with the stuffing. Return the pan to the oven and bake another 20 to 25 minutes until the squash and stuffing have heated through.

Drying sage:
We have enjoyed seasoning the food we cook with herbs from our garden. This year, I grew sage for the first time. In contrast to herbs such as parsley, oregano, or thyme, sage has large, heavy leaves. They do, however, dry easily and in much the same manner as any other herb. Here is a picture of my sage plant. It looks a bit scrawny because I had just picked a bunch of its leaves.
After picking the leaves, I wash them, pat them dry, and then place them in a pan on my kitchen windowsill to dry. Once they have dried up, I crumble them up into a container to use later. The crumbled sage leaves take on a distinct almost "heavy powder" consistency that is distinct from other crushed leaf herbs. The sage flavored our stuffed squash rather nicely, and I am looking forward to seasoning our cornbread stuffing with it on Thanksgiving.

Sage leaves set out to dry 

Crumbled sage leaves ready for use

Passels of Pumpkins

Fall is my favorite season of the year in Utah. I absolutely love the exquisite colors of the changing leaves on our mountains. While I don't exactly enjoy that the hours of daylight are decreasing, I do enjoy the cooler air. Fall colors are also my favorites. As September progresses, I eagerly wait for the temperatures to get cool enough to pull out the fall clothes.

One of my favorite sights during the fall season is the abundance of pumpkins. By late September, pumpkins seem to be about everywhere. From in front of the grocery store to the roadside fruit stands to neighborhood porches, pumpkins are in abundance. 

During our 2012 summer vacation, I picked up a kit for a wall hanging featuring a group of pumpkins framed by a checkerboard border of orange and black. The kit ended up sitting in the unfinished project box until late August of this year. As you can see from the picture below, it features wool appliqué with the pumpkin pieces sewn onto a black background. Given that I didn't have my first class in wool appliqué until January of this year, it probably is a good thing that I put off working on it until more recently. I was even brave enough to do the machine quilting work myself using the walking foot attachment on my machine. 

For the second year now, we have enjoyed a successful garden with space to accommodate pumpkin vines. While we didn't have as an abundant a yield as last year, we still managed to grow an assortment of good-sized pumpkins. Here are some of them while still on the vine and here they are adorning the steps leading to the front door.

In this season of harvest, I am going to close this posting with a verse in which God is speaking through the prophet Hosea to call the nation of Israel to repentance.  Even though Israel had been faithless and would experience God's judgment, God was still calling them to to be restored to Himself. These words still ring true for us today. Are we willing to allow God to break up the fallow ground within us and truly seek Him with our whole hearts?

Sow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with kindness;

Break up your fallow ground, 

For it is time to seek the LORD

Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

                    Hosea 10:12

Peach Days

One of the best things about the month of September is that it is the time of year when fresh peaches are in an abundance. In fact, the small town in northern Utah where I grew up hosts "Peach Days" the weekend after Labor Day each year. Peach Days was first celebrated in Brigham City, Utah, in 1904 and is one of the longest running harvest festivals in the United States. The celebration includes a parade, Peach Queen pageant (yes, really), antique car show, window displays on Main Street, and large display composed of peaches and other produce in front of the court house. 

Our family wasn't able to go to this year's Peach Days celebration, but we did celebrate Peach Days in our own way. During the years that we lived in Layton, we planted a peach tree in our side yard. This tree produced some of the best peaches we have ever had, and we were very sad to have to leave it behind. Fortunately, the new owner has kept in touch with us and invites us to come pick peaches this year. Friday night, we picked peaches, and Saturday we canned them. Here is a brief summary of our adventures in pictures.

Lots and lots of peaches

Peeling and cutting up peaches 

Processing jars 

The finished product - 46 quarts!

Of course, peach season brings with it the opportunity to make desserts using fresh peaches. Although I do like making pies, I usually don't have the energy or counter space to deal with pie crust when I am in the throes of canning peaches. As such, we have come to enjoy peach crisp as our peach dessert of preference. Here is our recipe:

Peach Crisp

4 cups of fresh sliced peaches

3/4 cups of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oats (you may use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats - do not use instant)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup softened butter or margarine - allowing it to soften at room temperature makes it easier to stir into the dry ingredients

1. Place the peaches in a greased 9 x 9 square pan (okay to use non-stick cooking spray)

2. Mix the brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon together in a separate bowl. 

3. Stir in the butter or margarine so that the mixture sticks together.

4. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the peaches.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes

This dessert is best if served warm and topped with ice cream.
Note: If you are reheating leftover peach crisp, warm it in the oven using the broil setting for a few minutes to allow the topping to become crisp again. With the juice from the peaches, the oatmeal-based topping can become soggy.

Sunflower Season

August can be one of those unsung months of the year. Although the heat of summer is still very much present, the excitement associated with the start of the summer season has passed. Just the same, August brings uniquenesses of its own that mark the transition from summer to the beginnings of fall.

As August begins, the decrease in hours of daylight is becoming palpable. By the end of the month, the shortened hours of daylight are clearly evident. Although the daytime temperatures can still reach 90+ here in the Intermountain West, the mornings and evenings become cooler, a welcome transition after the peak heat that we experience in July. Another significant August transition is the subtle transition in the colors on the mountainsides. At the start of the month, the leaves are still the deep green of summer. As the month passes, some of the greens begin to lighten. By the end of the month, some very faint orange hues are present, heralding that the onset of fall is not far away.

One of my favorite sights during August is the preponderance of sunflowers that can be seen along the roadsides and in the wild; hence the title, Sunflower Season, for this posting. These flowers also are a marker of late summer and the transition to early fall. Because of the vacant lot behind our home, we have something of a backyard border of sunflowers. The goldfinches have been enjoying the seeds this season. On several occasions, we have disturbed a flock of them while passing by on an evening walk. A few weeks ago, some of the neighborhood girls set up sunflower stand. How could we resist?

The picture at the top of this posting is one of a sunflower table runner that I made last year and use during the months of August and September. It was a fun project that involved learning a "quilt as you go" technique as well as some handwork. Here is an up close image of one half of it that shows how the strips were attached as part of the "quilt as you go" process and then the appliqué shapes were added and hand embroidered.

As the seasons change, I am reminded of God's faithfulness in establishing the seasons and His promise that they will continue. As each of us experiences different seasons of life and challenges that may accompany them, we can rest assured in God's constancy and faithfulness. As Paul assures us about God's faithfulness,

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13  

This period of changing seasons also supports reflection on God's promise to Noah after the flood and the assurance that:

While the earth remains, 

Seedtime and harvest, 

And cold and heat, 

And summer and winter, 

And day and night

Shall not cease. 

Genesis 8:22

Summer Salads

 

One of my favorite aspects of summer cooking is trying new salad recipes. Living in the Intermountain West, we experience 90+ degree days on a regular basis from late June to mid-August. As such, I enjoy recipes that don't generate large quantities in heat in their preparation and result in dishes that can be served cool or at room temperature. I also enjoy recipes that allow me to include fresh vegetables and herbs from our garden. 

This summer, I have enjoyed making a roasted corn and edamame salad on several occasions. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with edamame, it is the term used to identify immature soybeans in the pod. The pods are often steamed and served with coarse ground salt. We have had them on several occasions as an appetizer at Asian restaurants, and they are quite delicious. You can buy edamame, either in the pods or shelled, in the frozen section of most grocery stores. The shelled edamame somewhat resemble lima beans. The picture to the right is of some prepared edamame pods.

From a historical perspective, the term edamame is Japanese in origin and first appeared in a document dating to 1275 in which a Japanese monk thanks a parishoner for a gift of edamame that was left at the temple. The term edamame also appeared in Japanese poetry dating to the 1600s. The term didn't appear in English until 1951, and first appeared in an English dictionary in 2003.

From a nutritional perspective, edamame are rich in carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, folates, manganese and vitamin K. The US Department of Agriculture describes edamame as a soybean that can be "eaten fresh" and is "best known as a snack." The USDA also describes edamame as a crop option that can help diversify farming options in western Kentucky in light of declining tobacco prices. While enjoying the health benefits of edamame, you can also help support the US agriculture industry and help decrease tobacco-related deaths.

Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad

Ingredients:

12 ounce bag of frozen, shelled edamame

1 can of niblet corn (You can substitute 2 ears of corn and cut the kernels off.)

2 or 3 small onions (You can see from the picture that I used small yellow onions from my garden. You could also use a small bunch of green onions or a larger yellow onion that would give you roughly the same amount of onion.)

1 teaspoon of minced garlic (You can see from the picture that we like to buy the large jars of minced garlic because we end up using so much of it. One teaspoon is roughly the same amount as one clove.)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2-3 chopped tomatoes (Because 2 of the 3 tomatoes I picked were rather small, I used a total of 3. Use enough tomatoes to yield approximately 1 cup of chopped tomatoes.)

Fresh basil leaves (I typically pick a small handful of basil leaves and then just chop them up finely. You also could used dried basil and season to taste.)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions: 

Set the oven to broil.

Combine the edamame, corn, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. I typically just use the bowl I am planning to serve the salad in and then will return the ingredients to the bowl after roasting them.

Transfer the mixture to a large metal baking pan and roast for about 15 minutes. My reference recipe says to roast until the edamame start to turn brown. I haven't yet had mine turn brown, but I find that 15 minutes is about enough time to let the flavors start to meld together, allow the onion to cook a bit, and avoid having the corn dry out too much. After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Mixture on the baking sheet ready to go into the oven

When the mixture is cool, return it to the bowl. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and basil leaves. The picture below gives an idea as to how coarsely I prefer to chop them.

Sprinkle the red wine vinegar over the vegetable mixture and toss together. Add any additional seasonings if you wish. This salad can be served either chilled or at room temperature.

Ocean Waves

Given the title of this entry, my initial plan was to compose it while I was still on the other side of the Atlantic. As of late last night, I have been across the Atlantic and back, so the title still is fitting.

The image above reflects a block from the Ocean Waves quilt (yes, that's really the name of it) that I made for my son and his wife in celebration of their marriage last December. I was able to have the quilt top completed to show them at Christmas, however, the work of getting it quilted and having the binding put together took until just a few weeks ago.

The planning stages for this quilt actually began about a year ago when I knew that the engagement was pending. Once I learned from my son about his fiancee-to-be's favorite colors, I started considering designs for the quilt. I decided to use the Ocean Waves pattern because it would allow the opportunity to feature a number of greens and blues in a variety of different patterns. I actually had a lot of fun going to the quilt store and picking out the different colors, mostly batiks, that would be included.

The Ocean Waves pattern is one that dates back to about the mid-1800s. As you can see from this picture from the National Museum of American History's website, this is a pattern that lent itself well to using up multiple scraps of leftover fabric. 

The basic unit for this quilt is a block comprised of two large triangles and 24 smaller triangles that are sewn together. The resulting blocks are rotated to complete a larger 4-block unit that is repeated throughout the quilt. In comparing my photo at the top and the picture of the antique quilt, you can see that I elected to have the points of the triangles for each 4-block unit point inward rather than alternate the direction of the points. 

I obtained the pattern that I used from the web: Ocean Waves Quilt. I used fewer 4-block units than were illustrated in the pattern and also included a white inner border and a sawtooth half-square triangle outer border. I also liked that this pattern featured a different color for the large triangles rather than just white.





I am particularly grateful to the wonderful quilter who did the machine quilting work for me. Her work is absolutely exquisite as you can see from this close up photo. Her website is Speckled Hens Quilt Co.

In contemplating life's challenges and, I am so very grateful that we are not at the mercy of the waves of the oceans with their randomness and uncertainty. Even though we may feel tossed about by our present circumstances, we can rest confident in the One who commands the waves of the ocean and find peace in the storm. As James reminds us:

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. …  But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

James 1:2-3,6

Boston Baked Beans

Last year for the Fourth of July, I got it into my head to prepare homemade Boston baked beans to go with our dinner. After consulting some cookbooks and internet sites, I found a recipe that sounded easy enough. The combination of ingredients were ones that we had on hand so I decided to give it a go. I do have to say that the end result was rather impressive, and I don't think I have opened a can of baked beans since. 

Ceramic bean pots

Baked beans can be regarded as an American dish given that the beans are native to North American. Traditionally baked beans were prepared in a ceramic bean pot that was set in a bed of embers near the edge of the hearth and allowed to cook for six to eight hours. Baked beans also tend to have a bit of a regional flair depending on the region of the country in which they are prepared. In northern New England, beans often are seasoned with maple syrup while in Boston, they tend to be seasoned with molasses. In the South, the addition of mustard gives baked beans a tangier taste. Baked beans were traditionally prepared on Saturdays. Because they were left overnight in the embers, they would still be warm for Sunday dinner the next day.

The following is a picture of the ingredients for preparing a batch of baked beans.

Ingredients

2 cups of navy beans (16 ounce bag)

1/2 pound pepper bacon (other bacon can be used; we particularly like the flavor that the pepper adds to the beans)

1 large sweet onion finely chopped

3 tablespoons molasses

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

Layered beans, onion, and bacon

• Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until the beans are tender. Drain the beans and reserve the liquid.
• Layer the beans in a 2-quart casserole dish or bean pot alternating with the onion and bacon.

• Combine the molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the beans. 
• Pour the reserved bean liquid over the beans until the beans are covered.
• Cover with a lid or foil and bake at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. About halfway through the baking time, remove the cover and add additional liquid if needed. 

Beans with liquid added

Beans with sauce added