1 lb. lg. dry white beans
5 c. water
1/8 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter
1 whole peeled onion
3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp. dry mustard
6 slices bacon, cut up
Salt & fresh ground black pepper

Rinse and sort beans. Soak overnight. To cook, pour off soak water, add the 5 cups of water along with the soda, salt, butter and onion. Cover and simmer with little or no stirring for 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are almost tender. Drain and reserve the liquid. Remove the onion.

Place half the beans in a casserole. Sprinkle with half the mustard and brown sugar; add remaining beans and do the same. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add reserved liquid and enough hot water if needed so liquid can be seen at the edges of the casserole. Top with bacon. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Makes 8 servings.

For a change of pace, sometimes I like to have buttered noodles instead of potatoes or rice. Here's a quick and delicious way to fix `em.