So, the recipe from back in the day was:
Empty beans into shallow baking dish (10 x 6 x 2"). Bake in a 350° Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. Arrange marshmallows on top; bake another 15 minutes. Insert candles. Light. Makes 6 servings.
Lots of thoughts ran through my head when I saw this originally. Why eight marshmallows when it serves six? Why do only 8-year-olds get birthday beans? What was this served with for the rest of the birthday meal? Sure hope it was hamburgers and potato salad and not fish sticks and mac and cheese. Blah, blah, blah. Then I realized I was being a snob and food shaming those whose lives I didn't know. Who am I to judge? I mean, I have fond memories of eating cold beanie weenies out of the can. With that realization, I began imagining being a child and getting excited because tonight we were having birthday beans! Then, as an older adult, being overwhelmed with nostalgia when having these again on a birthday. The comfort, the memories, the gratitude for having made it through the hard times. This led me to want to update/upgrade the recipe, and a side quest was born.
Of course, I decided to find a baked bean recipe as I thought the sweetness of the marshmallows would be better integrated, and selected this one:
Stir the beans, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, bacon bits, and onion in a 1 1/2-quart microwavable dish. Microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes. Stir the bean mixture and microwave for another 2 minutes or until hot. Let stand for 2 minutes (leave in the microwave) and stir before serving. Serves 6.
Perfect! Easy, and contains multiple sweet ingredients, easily modifiable for the marshmallows and simple enough that adding a little zhuzh will elevate it to a celebratory side perfect for birthday parties.
Now, for the final recipe. Drum roll, please:
- 6 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 15-16 ounce cans pork and beans in tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 12 marshmallows
First off, wash all those dishes in the sink, you might need one or two. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 °Fahrenheit. In a 12-inch skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add onion and black pepper to reserved drippings; cook and stir over medium heat about 4 minutes or until tender.
In a 2-quart casserole combine undrained beans, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Stir in cooked onions.
Bake, covered, for 35 minutes. Remove lid, arrange marshmallows on top and bake, uncovered, another 10 to 15 minutes or until marshmallows are nicely browned and the contents are bubbly around the edges. Sprinkle with reserved bacon, Insert appropriate number of birthday candles into marshmallows, light and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
Enjoy and let the good times roll!