A- HA! (and warning: there will be some rambling)

SO, i've been quite distressed of late at the fact that i can't have baked beans. british baked beans to be exact. they are totally different from anything american and i used to be able to buy a can from time to time at the local market. but since i can't have canned anything, i've been trying recipe after recipe for homemade beans. which never turn out how i liked. i want the CANNED texture and flavor not the grainy tomato stuff i make. sigh.
on sunday, i made a huge batch of navy beans in the crock pot while i was at church. nothing was in it, just dried beans and water. when i got home, i used a cup of them for the stew i was going to make and then i realized that i had no idea what i was going to do with the rest of them. i gloomily thought of my wonderfully missed baked beans and reluctantly agreed to myself that i would once again try to make something as close to the canned beans as i could. i decided that this time i wouldn't follow any recipe and that i would just throw in whatever i thought to make it taste like i remembered. i went into my storage and while i was muddling around i got my A-HA!!! moment. i had previously used jarred tomato sauce which lift the beans grainy and have a funny taste, but what about using jarred tomato PASTE? maybe that would work. so i tried it and it worked! i finally got that creamy smooth texture i've been craving this whole time! i'm so stinking happy, you can't even imagine! i'm posting the recipe (if you can call it that) for anyone else who might want to try it! enjoy!

yep, that's a HUGE garlic clove...

okay, so as a warning, whenever i cook i kind of follow recipes. i mean, i'll look at them to get the jest of it and then i'll adjust according to what i like and want in it. so i never have the measured amount. i'll just put in whatever i have on hand or i'll add more of something i really like. you can do the same with this recipe. play around and have fun with it.

bag of any white beans you want
jar of tomato paste
onions
garlic
chicken bouillon
salt and pepper

put the beans in a stock pot and sort through. add enough water to cover a couple inches above.
heat to boiling, boil for 2 minutes then take off the heat, cover and leave for one hour.

put the beans (and water) in a crock pot and cook on high until cooked through. add to the beans the remaining ingredients and stir well. leave to cook on high for about another 2 hours. taste the beans to see if you need more seasoning. you may need to add a bit of sugar if the tomato paste is acidic. it's up to you to do this. remove the lid and cook until you have the thickness preferred. (it took about 20 minutes for me) taste. adjust seasoning again if needed. leave to cool a bit (it will thicken up even more when it cools) then serve with toast. yum yum! :)