Well, you know, we've only had the beans three times so far in the last 10 days or so. We can keep up with them at that pace, but I was just looking ahead in case I do have extras that I can keep till later in the year. I had heard of blanching, but I didn't quite remember. Let's see if I have it right. Throw the beans in boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes, take out and immerse in ice water, dry, and then put them in a ziplock bag. Try to take as much of the air out of the bag (Mary, interesting idea about the straw). Alternatively, I might try 'blanching' them in the microwave and then the rest as above. Is that right? Now I almost hope I have extras just to try this procedure out! Thank-you, everyone. P.S.- Carol, how do you make oven-roasted beans? Anna

I do the same as Mustangs, more or less. 1 lb bacon, cooked, placed whole on the top 2 tablespoon vinegar 1/2 C ketchup 1/2c molasses 1/2c brown sugar 1 medium onion, chopped and fried in bacon grease 1 3lb 7oz can B&M baked beans Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly. Be careful that the bacon doesn't burn. If you want to bake for a while, put the bacon on uncooked. This is what my mother - from Boston - used when she made her beans. It was always a hit at the potluck dinner. We ONLY use B&M baked beans - my dad grew up around the corner from the factory. They are getting harder and harder to find.

Kinda labor intensive but I've never had any complaints: Keri's Hog-Apple Baked Beans 3 or 4 slices bacon, diced 2 (16 oz) cans pork and beans, mostly drained (modified to 2 28-oz cans Bush's Baked Beans - see note below) 1/2 c. Blues Hog BBQ Sauce (or other sweet-spicy favorite) 1 lb. smoked leftover smoked pork or beef, more or less, or 1 lb crumbled cooked pork sausage 1 can apple pie filling (chop up the big chunks some) 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1/2 c. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp. Mustard (prepared) 1 tsp chipotle or cayenne powder (optional, to taste*) 1 tsp Blues Hog barbecue rub (or your favorite de jour) Brown bacon, and saute onion and green pepper in bacon grease. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake at 325º for 1 hour, or simmer on stovetop in large pot for 30 minutes if you don't have time to do them in the oven. Serves 12. This recipe began life as APPLE PIE BAKED BEANS from somewhere on the web, but I think I've made enough changes to it now to claim it as my own. This is my standard for baked beans anymore. *This is a rather spicy recipe due to the chipotle/cayenne powder. Feel free to leave it out if you'll be feeding those who prefer a less spicy taste.

My recipe is very different from yours but I can't really see why your's wouldn't freeze well. Next time you make it and plan to freeze some, undercook your noodles as they will continue to cook in the oven and perhaps get sofer than you would prefer - the sauce will provide enough moisture for the oven cooking. Do you have a Food Saver seal a meal thingie? I do and it works beautifully, I can take out baked spaghetti, bake it and serve it as long as a year or even two later. It sucks out all the air, which is why it will last so long. If not, you could use the Hefty freezer zipper bags, it will keep in that for a couple of months, try to "squeeze" out as much air as you can before zipping it completely. Soft freeze your spaghetti in order to cut it to the size you want for the dish you want to bake it in when you take it out of the freezer to eat. Trying to cut it without soft freezing it will only make a mush mess but soft freezing it keeps it's form fairly well when you cut it up. You can use the baking dish you want to use as a meal serving as a template for the size you plan to cut it to. I have these little corning ware baking dishes that are the perfect serving size for two, so I cut them that size, then remove them from the dish, place it in the plastic seal a meal freeze it up with the date on the bag. Remove them from the bag while frozen for keeping it together, place in the baking dish, then top with a little fresh cheese and bake it uncovered. We 'heart' baked spaghetti :)