Cousin Dawn’s Baked Bean Recipe

Cousin Dawn actually got this recipe from one of her relatives. I find it's easy and portable to make in a crock pot and bring to cook outs. That way, you can plug it in when you get there and keep it warm (at a food-safe temperature).
"Special sauce."

Minus the meat. For vegetarian friends, feel free to omit the meat but be sure the baked bean can is vegetarian since most contain pork fat.

Taster approved!

Cousin Dawn’s Bean Recipe

Cook 5 strips of bacon and crumble.

Saute a chopped up onion, then add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and saute briefly.
add 1/2 lb lean ground beef and brown it up once onions are cooked

and add to:
1 Large can of baked beans (any variety)
3 cans of beans (butter, canellini, navy, pinto, ect) the butter are the best!!
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup bbq sauce
tsp mustard powder

Bake @ 350 for about an hour or cook in a crock pot on high.
Feel free to cook longer; just keep and eye on it and stir occasionally.

Soba Noodle, Tofu and Edamame Salad with Soy Ginger Sauce

I've been looking for ways to enjoy soba noodles and I was happy to find this healthful recipe, which I've adapted.
This is a light and delicious salad and keeps well in the fridge (just add spinach when plating).
Feel free to vary the amounts to your liking.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

• 1 bundle soba noodles
  
• 3 TBSP Annie Chun’s Shiitake Soy Ginger Sauce or Trader Joe's Gyoza Dipping Sauce
  
• 1 cup prewashed spinach leaves
• 2/3 cup pan-fried or fried tofu cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup shelled edamame beans, cooked (microwave frozen beans in small covered bowl with a little water added, for 2 minutes)
  
• 1/4 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple, thinly sliced and in bite size pieces
  
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts

1. Cook noodles as directed on package (4 minutes in boiling salted water); rinse with cold water and drain well.
2. Add sauce to keep noodles from sticking.
3. Then add remaining ingredients except spinach if saving the salad for later.
4. Toss until all ingredients are well mixed.

Serves 2 or 3 (you can increase the amount of delicious fried tofu to make it more substantial)

** To fry tofu:

Preheat skillet (preferably a sauce pan with high sides to help with splattering) on medium high.
Season tofu pieces with garlic powder on both sides.
Add oil to pan (canola is good, keep in mind your oil should have a high smoke point).
Cook without turning until first side is brown (about 5 min.) The pieces may stick at first; make sure you give them enough time to brown (they'll become easier to turn).
Tofu should have a crisp outer skin.
Once flipped and cooking for a bit (about 3 min.), sprinkle soy sauce over them.
Remove to paper towels to blot excess oil.

Make-Ahead Country Casserole

When cleaning house the other day, I ran across this oldie but goodie from the 2003 Farmer's Almanac. My mom made it for the first time "way back then" and I made sure to get the recipe from her.
What's great about it is that you can prep it the night before and it's really easy to make!
The ingredients are easily adapted to your liking- experiment with the cheeses, herbs, meat (for my vegetarian friends, try out some fake meat or suitable protein).

Butter a 2 1/2 quart square baking dish
(I used a known 1 quart plus a dish I guessed was 1 1/2 quarts)
Heat oven to 350º

4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes (Ore Ida shreds are good)
1 to 1 1/2 cups (1/2 lb) diced deli ham (prefer Black Forest)
1 cup (4 oz) Monteray Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (Cabot) or sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup green onions, sliced & any other herbs you'd like to try
4 eggs, beaten
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
salt & pepper, 1/4 tsp each

Arrange the potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish.

Cover with ham, cheese and green onions.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
Pour over potato mixture.
*dish may be refrigerated overnight at this point

Bake, uncovered, in a 350º oven for 55 to 65 minutes (10 minutes less for 2 dishes), or until center is set.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Green onions & oregano, fresh from the garden.

Assembly line.

Chocolate Ice Cream

This recipe is courtesy of Alton Brown. I Googled "chocolate ice cream recipe" and it was the first to come up. It's so incredibly rich. We added chocolate chunks at the end of the blending but I could also appreciate brownie, cookie or pecan bits in there, too!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 large egg yolks
• 9 ounces sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Three-Bean Salad

This is tasty and one can't help but feel so good eating something so healthy for you.
It's best made a day ahead.
You could make this more of a lunch salad by adding some tuna or smoked salmon.

Three-Bean Salad
2 Tb olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 15oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed
3 Tb cider vinegar
1 16 oz package (divided in half) frozen edamame beans (not in the pod)
1 bell pepper (any color), cored & chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 lb organic fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in thirds
2 Tb chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Heat the oil on medium high in a large skillet.
Add cumin and kidney beans, cook until they're warmed up, a minute or two, stir occasionally.
Add vinegar and edamame, cook another minute. Turn off the heat and leave to cool in skillet while you prep the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, add bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt & pepper. Add bean mix and allow to cool.

Cook green beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and cool them with cold running water.

Add the cilantro to the salad, toss, then gently fold in the green beans.

Enjoy!