Beans and Cornbread

Yesterday I decided to take a more proactive approach to family dinner and get back to meal planning again.  Rafe will eat just about anything, but the main reason I wanted to do it was for Amelia.  She isn't a big fan of not knowing what is for dinner.  I think she feels frustrated overall because it's her perception we never have anything she likes to eat, although she tells everyone that "Mama is a good cooker!".

I took out Rachel Ray's cookbook for kids, the Double Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, and one of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food mags for them to look through and point out the pictures of food they wanted to try.  First off, RR didn't have pics and a lot of the food didn't seem that appetizing to me, so there were few takers on that one.  They found a lot in the other two they liked, including quinoa for breakfast (YEAH!).  But somewhere in the family planning session talking about favorite meals, Rafe told me what he'd really like to eat would be beans. Specifically, his dad's beans and cornbread.  His other favorite meal would be tbone steak, creamed corn, mashed potatoes and gravy and raw sliced onion.

Beans.

If I'd known this 10 years ago, I could have saved myself a lot of rushing around on busy nights making dinner!  Although once he told me he liked to eat raw onions with it as well, I was sort of glad when I thought about that combination coming back to haunt us later.

So for dinner that night he got the T-bone dinner (seasoned with smoked paprika, kosher salt, steak seasoning with fennel and garlic) with all the trimmings.

But today, apparently, was the bomb.  I made beans, sausage and cornbread.   Using nothing from scratch and it was the hands down favorite.  Good to know!

1 28oz can maple baked beans
1 15oz can pinto beans
1 slice leftover overcooked bacon, crumbled up to get rid of it in the beans
1 lb all beef smoked sausage, cut in half moon slices
Heat to simmering.

1 package of Betty Crocker cornbread mix
(which isn't that good by the way unless you eat it immediately, and very crumbly... I like my recipe better0
I subbed bacon grease and some leftover garlic butter for the butter in the cornbread recipe because I didn't feel like melting my good butter for the cornbread.
Cooked in cast iron skillet

1 sweet onion, diced and served on the side raw
 Mix in your beans right before eating.


Now we're all smelling fabulous and Rafe is taking Amelia to a blues concert.  Easy Sunday :)