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These are my favorite baked beans… actually, they’re the only baked beans I eat.   I searched and searched for a recipe like this.  You would not believe how many “recipes” said called for “1 can of baked beans.”  How is that a recipe?  Instructions for heating up canned beans?   When I came across this Three-Bean Baked Beans recipe from Simply Recipes, I knew it was the one I was looking for.

The texture of my favorites: kidney, garbanzo and butter beans make it far superior to any white bean recipe and the sauce is a smoky, not-too-sweet base.  It calls for kidney, black and cannellini beans, but sub in your favorites like I do for a perfect harvest side dish.  Finish with a tablespoon of cognac or bourbon to enhance the flavors.

Monday evening my family and I attend Foodportunity in Seattle at the Palace Ballroom.  We had sooo much fun as we sampled, schmoozed and snapped our way around the ballroom!  And now I have sooo much to blog about!  

Of course I started with the spirits.  Here’s Mark Newton of DiStefano:

I tasted Domenica, a Bordeaux style Merlot-Cab blend.  I’m not usually one for strong reds, but this well-balanced red wasn’t overly tannic (as Washington wines usually are) and it’s full-bodied taste was matched by an alcohol content that didn’t pull its punches either.

Next was the highlight of the event, for me, anyway.  Cupcakes from Wink!

This red velvet with cream cheese was the. best. cupcake. i’ve. ever. had.

Did I mention Tom Douglas was there?  It is his palace, after all:

My son and husband’s favorite food of the night was Farro Fries with Duck Egg Aioli at the Bluebird Grain Farms and Emmer and Rye booth.  Farro, also known as emmer, is a type of wheat mainly grown in mountainous areas.  It was prepared polenta style and then toasted on the grill.  I have some emmer to try and some notes on this preparation, so I’ll let you all know how it turns out when I try it myself. 

Beecher’s Cheese also had a really interesting dish they were serving.  It was hominy and poblano smothered in their flagship cheese sauce.  I found the recipe for flagship cheese sauce  and their signature mac ‘n cheese on the Seattle PI website.  The texture of the hominy was very similar to potatoes, so I didn’t believe it at first and had to go back for seconds.  : )

Foodportunity had such a diversity of people from the food industry.  There were food photographers and videographers, restaurant owners, grocers, farmers, makers of food products and accesories and bloggers.  I even got to meet Robin Leventhal from this season of Top Chef!  I have some crackers from Fieri (same makers as Croccantini) I’ll be reviewing soon as well as restaurants and spirits to try out.  If you’re really into food and didn’t make this event, I highly suggest you mark your calendar for the next Foodportunity!

We had a great time on vacation, but I’m so glad to be home. The happiest place on earth was not the happiest place for my digestive system, so I’m thrilled to be cooking at home.

Monday – Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup and salad (dried cranberries, feta cheese and the mâche lettuce that I love thanks to Kim!)

Tuesday – Chicken Teriyaki and edamame

Wednesday – Breakfast for dinner – I know pancakes aren’t that hard to make from scratch, but Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle mix fell into my cart. So, we’ll have the pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup, fruit, and scrambled eggs.

Thursday – Chicken Curry Salad

Friday – Steak, hot dogs, and corn on the grill

Saturday – Leftovers

Sunday – Butternut Squash Soup – I heard it on good authority that Kim has a great butternut squash soup recipe. Maybe she’ll share it with me – hint, hint!

For more great menu plans, check out OrgJunkie.com.