Baked Beans

Regina A. Hatch of Bloomery, W.Va., wrote that many years ago she had a recipe for Boston brown bread that "I believe is cooked in a coffee can. I enjoyed eating it with baked beans." Ann Whelan of Oella responded. She wrote: "The following is an adaptation from that great American culinary bible, The Joy of Cooking." Boston Brown Bread Makes 2 loaves 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup rye flour 1 cup whole-wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups buttermilk 3/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses 1 cup black raisins, roughly chopped Combine dry ingredients in a big bowl.

By the time mid-January rolls around, everyone I know is feeling a bit blue. I call it the post-holiday- doldrums syndrome. Houses look bare with all the Christmas decorations put away, the weather is cold, the days often gray and, worst of all, bills have started to arrive. My remedy for this seasonal condition is to sit down, plan a menu of my favorite comfort foods and invite a few friends for a meal. Such get- togethers warm souls and lift spirits. For this January, I've decided on a barbecued meat loaf (made with a homemade barbecue sauce)

Mary Angela Zerhusen of Millersville requested a recipe that she had lost for baked beans. "It was my favorite and was called Sandy's Baked Beans and was published in a magazine. If anyone has it, I'd appreciate receiving it." From Helen Szwast of Whitmore, Pa., came a positive response. "I happen to have this recipe so I thought I'd help this lady and pass it on." Baked Beans Makes 8 to 10 servings 1 pound (2 cups) small white navy beans 2 onions, sliced 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper hambone and leftover baked ham 2 cups ketchup 2 cups light-brown sugar 1/3 cup vinegar 2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon dry mustard Soak beans, covered, overnight in enough cold water to cover.

We are tired of frozen food, dinner out of a box, meals from a package. No matter how many ways food companies devise to sell us home-style food, nothing beats the real McCoy. Think of hot macaroni and cheese, the noodles tender and the cheese sauce bubbling and yellow, not freakishly orange and powdery. Visualize a potpie that comes out of the oven with your own creative stamp on it, not Swanson's. Or a heavy pot of baked beans that has spent time sweetening up the whole kitchen, not just the microwave.

Baked beans like those made by the old Horn & Hardart restaurant was the request of Marci K. Weiner of Baltimore.Frank C. Alfonso of Baltimore responded with a recipe he said Weiner is sure to like. He added: "I like using an old earthenware crock and I sometimes place strips of bacon on the top of the beans towards the end of the baking period. What a hearty and tasty dish!"Cynthia Sparks of Baltimore wants to make spareribs like those she had on vacation this past summer at J. K.'s Ribs in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. She wrote, "My family cannot wait to go there again just for the rib's sake.

A dressing table in the bedroom was an 18th-century idea, but the concept was expanded in the 19th century. A mirror was added to the back of the table about 1800, and small top drawers were made to hold toiletries and valuables.The mirror-topped table remained in fashion for big rooms, but small bedrooms required less furniture. The table became a chest of drawers to store additional clothing.The Empire-style dresser was made from 1820 to 1850, with several overhanging top drawers. It seems that the designer, after seeing a dressing table, squeezed some extra drawers under the table in the space between the legs.

Karolyn St. Clair has a great sense of humor. When I called to ask about "the unpronounceable New Year's Eve party," she laughed and said "HOG-ma-Nay." Between us we couldn't come up with the origin of the word, but it's the traditional Scottish New Year's Eve Celebration, and it's being hosted by the Robert Burns Society at the Moose Club in Annapolis, beginning at 8:30 p.m.Hogmanay's traditions include dancing, eating and "first footing," wherein the first person to cross your threshold after the New Year brings good luck if he's tall, dark, handsome and carrying symbolic coal.

For all our celebrated food differences, Americans have some foods in common: baked beans, for example. They appear automatically at any picnic or potluck dinner, whether anyone is assigned to bring them or not.2 This recipe is from "The New Basics" cookbook.All-American baked beansServes 10 to 12.1 pound dried navy or great northern beans, or 2 (16-ounce) cans pork and beans, drained, liquid reserved8 ounces slab smoked bacon, cut into 1/4 -inch cubes1 cup chopped onions2 cloves garlic, chopped1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed2 cups ketchup6 tablespoons maple syrup6 tablespoons dark molasses1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepperRinse and pick through beans; soak overnight in a large pot of water.

Bohager's, 515 S. Eden St., (410) 563-7220. Open every day for lunch and dinner. Major credit cards. No smoking area: yes. Wheelchair access: yes. It's tempting to call Bohager's Bar and Grill a yuppie hangout. It has all the ingredients: the right location (between Fells Point and the Inner Harbor), happy hours and trendy events galore, trendy food. There are even T-shirts for sale in Bohager's signature colors (purple and green) with Bohager's logo splashed across the front.But the truth is there are middle-aged folks eating dinner on the restaurant's two-level deck, and even a few parents with kids.

The county government's annual picnic, an employee staple for more than a decade, has been canceled for lack of interest -- done in, it seems, by low morale and increased costs.The break-even point was 250 to 300 persons, said Maggie Brown, assistant to the county's chief administrative officer. By Friday, fewer than 200 people had signedup. Last year, more than 1,000 attended. The picnic was to have beenheld Sept. 29 at Centennial Park."They eliminated some things and raised the price. This is the first year I was not planning on going," said M. Patricia Britt, an 18-year veteran of the county Public Works Department.