Calico Beans

This recipe is something my Mom makes and has made for as long as I can remember. I LOVE these beans! They go perfect with a bbq.

Calico Beans

Brown together:
1/2-1 lb bacon - I cut the bacon into 1 inch slices and cook it separately from the beef and then add it to the beef and onion once the beef is all browned)
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion chopped

Add:
1 can pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can navy lima beans
(This is a really loose recipe, I just pick whatever beans I think look fun and add them to my beans. I usually double {at least} this recipe and give myself a bigger variety of beans)

Sauce:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. ketchup (or more)
3 tsp. dry mustard
3 T. vinegar

Mix sauce ingredients together well. Add to the beans and meat mixture.

Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours or on low in crock pot all day. (if using a crock pot, slightly drain the beans (except the pork and beans).

This is a really loose recipe, buy any beans that look fun. I usually at least double this recipe and use all sorts of different beans Black beans, pinto beans, large and small kidney beans, etc. Just dump them all in. Canned corn is great in it and so are mushrooms (if you like those nasty things). Don't drain the beans. Leave the lid on for about an hour, then stir and take the lid off for the rest of the time. Bake until it bubbles and some of the water cooks off.

Potato Salad

Yummy! This Potato Salad came from Gary's Mom and I'm not sure where she got it from but it is certainly a family recipe. Gary always said that if the woman he chose to marry could not duplicate this recipe then she really wasn't the one. So, I'll that as a compliment, thank.you.very.much!

Potato Salad
2 1/2 c. cooked potatoes (boiled and then cooled)
4 eggs (I really like more eggs than this, so I add almost double)
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped sweet pickles (I use the vlasic sweet gherkins)
1/4 c. chopped green pepper

Dressing:
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp.celery seed
1 c. salad dressing or miracle whip

Combine it all and if possible refrigerate it for a while before serving.

French Toast Casserole

This was our Christmas morning breakfast...and it was perfect. Prepared the night before. Popped in the oven morning of. Ready to be devoured as soon as presents were open.

Lucky for me I had some homemade Challah bread - - we enjoy eating it with clam chowder on Christmas Eve. You can find the recipe here if you want. It is delicious!

French Toast Casserole

Adapted from Virginia Willis’ “Bon Appetit, Y’all”

In a perfect world, you’ll be able to find brioche or challah for this recipe, but if your world isn’t so perfect, go with what you can get your hands on – French bread, country loaf, Texas toast, even cinnamon-raisin bread.

Serves 8

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar ( I thought this was a lot of brown sugar - you could definitely go with less!)
  
• 1 loaf brioche or challah, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Accompaniments: confectioners’ sugar; sorghum, cane or maple syrup

1. Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Arrange the bread slices in the dish. (It’s fine if they overlap.)
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread, and let it soak in.
4. Top the bread slices evenly with the pecans.
5. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 to 12 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the meantime, take the casserole out of the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
7. Bake the casserole until it’s browned and set, 30 to 45 minutes. Let it cool slightly on a wire rack. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the casserole, and serve it with sorghum, cane, or maple sugar.

(as found on Ezra Pound Cake.com)

Cheese Garlic Bread {Pizza Dough}

This one here is a total keeper ladies. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and knew I HAD to try it out. I am a total lover of pizza but even more...BREAD STICKS! Yum! You will NOT be disappointed in this one. The Pizza Dough recipe was great too. Only one thing, if you have a big bosch, I would maybe try to double this recipe, there just wasn't enough dough to mix well enough. I had to take it out and transfer it to my smaller bosch.

Basic Pizza Dough:
Yield: 2-12 inch pizzas, approximately 1 lb. of dough

Ingredients:
1 C. warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 Tbs. honey {or sugar, but go for the honey if you have it}
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive or canola oil
3 C. bread flour {give or take 1/2 c. depending on heat, humidity, and altitude}

Directions:
In mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubble form and mixture starts to foam. Add salt, oil, and half of the flour and mix.

Once flour has been incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch ti it doesn't stick to your hands.

Once you reach this state, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away. Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes. Once done mixing, the dough should be smooth and easy to work with and the bowl should be clean.

Lightly grease the bowl and the dough so it doesn't dry out, cover with plastic wrap (or a clean towel) and let it rise 1-2 hours. Done!

We made our own version of Margarita Pizzas on the grill. Fabulous! I love the Classico Tomato and Basil Sauce, Mozzarella cheese and a little Parmesan because I love it so much, chicken pieces and some basil straight out of my beloved garden. Yummers. Oh yes, and we cook it on the grill which is so much better than the oven!

So, I used half the the dough to make two smaller pizzas and the other half to make some Cheesy Garlic Bread...keep reading.

Cheese Garlic Bread Sticks
Yield: 1-12 inch pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Pizza Dough (above)
2 Tbs. softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (use the real stuff)
1/4 lb. grated mozzarella cheese
{salt and pepper, if desired}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. Mix butter and garlic in small bowl and set aside. Roll dough out into 12 inch circle. Spread butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 9-10 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Remove from oven and cool 1-2 minutes before cutting. Serve hot with marinara.

{Recipe from www.laurenslatest.com}

Fabulous Zucchini Bread

Just in time for the harvest people. I came across this recipe the other day and with a few minor changes (simply because I didn't have the right ingredient) to the original recipe, this has been something I have made quite a few times and will yet make a few more times until I use up all that Zucchini in my fridge! :) It was wonderful...truly wonderful.

The original recipe is for one loaf of bread baked in a 9-inch by 5-inch size loaf pan. However, I made multiple smaller loaves. I like to share the goodness around, you know. Plus, it makes it so that I can't eat as much. :)

Zucchini Bread

1 lb. Zucchini (about 1.5 cups zucchini once is has been shredded and wrung through a towel to rid of excess liquid.
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 c. vanilla yogurt (not fat free)
1 tbs. sour cream
6 tbs. butter, melted

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 375. Generously coat and flour bread pan(s)

Chop the ends off zucchini and finely shred zucchini, peel and all. Place shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel, wrap the towel and wring the ends to squeeze out all the excess water. You will need about 1 1/2 c. dry zucchini. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the sugar, yogurt, eggs, sour cream and butter until combined.

Gently fold in the yogurt mixture and zucchini into flour mixture, using a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan(s). Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Store well-covered for up to three days.

Notes: I used a couple different sizes of pans. A double batch will yield you 4- 5.75x3-inch pans cooked for about 30-32 minutes and 6-3.5x2.25-inch pans cooked for about 25 minutes.

I should also note that the original recipe came from My Kitchen Cafe.

Chinese Chicken Salad

My husband requested this salad this week. And when my husband actually wants to eat a salad, you better believe I jump at the request. This tasted fresh and delicious...just what he wanted.


Chinese Chicken Salad

2 green onions
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 head cabbage, chopped (or you can do a cole slaw mix, whatever)
romaine lettuce (I added about a cup to mine)
chow mein noodles
cooked chicken, diced or cooked
Asian dressing (I went with store bought because we had some)

Toss everything together and enjoy! Simple as that.

Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting

My baby turned one this week. I wanted something fun, flavorful and colorful to help introduce her to the magical world of desserts. This did just the trick.


Chocolate Cake

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Set oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x9 cake pan.

Combine eggs, sugar and oil until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to egg mixture while alternating with boiling water. Stir in vanilla extract.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Completely cool before frosting.

Fresh Strawberry Frosting

1 cup strawberries, finely chopped
about 1 lb of powdered sugar
4 T. butter, softened

In a large bowl, combine butter and (2 cups) powdered sugar. With a hand mixer on medium speed, mix the butter and powdered sugar. Add the strawberries and mix on low for about 2 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth. Continue to add powdered sugar until it is the desired consistency.


{recipes modified from Rookie Cookie}