Smothered Green Beans

Have you ever tried this recipe?

I had it once at a potluck a long time ago, and really liked it. The recipe is kind of like a sweet and sour...and it has lots of flavor. It also has loads of sodium,sugar and fat.... so beware! It's been making the rounds on Facebook and Pinterest, so I decided to make half a batch.

It's kind of addicting with all that bacon and butter!

Smothered Green Beans

5 cans cut green beans, drained

1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

2/3 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

Place the beans in a casserole, crumble bacon on top. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over all. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, uncovered.

All American Potato Salad

We love potato salad!

 I make it quite often, and this is the recipe I use most often. When I boil potatoes for any other meal, I always boil extra to have for this the next day. My mom used to do that when she served mashed potatoes, she always reserved some to slice for fried potatoes or salad for another meal. It kind of becomes like a habit now, and I just keep peeling!

This turns out a bit different almost every time I make it, depending on the amount of mustard or milk I add. Sometimes I like to add chopped dill pickles, but Brent prefers without. Once in awhile I'll sneak them in though!

All American Potato Salad

6-7 medium potato's boiled, cooled and sliced

4 eggs, boiled and peeled, dice 3 ( slice 1 for the top)

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 c. mayo

salt and pepper to taste

mustard to taste

dash of milk

dash of sugar

Place the sliced potatoes,diced eggs, chopped celery and onion in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, dash of sugar and milk. Mix until smooth.  Fold into the potatoes and top with sliced egg. Chill.

Simple Fresh Green Beans

When I was young, I spent many a day weeding the vegetable garden and picking beans. Now I don't have a garden and have to rely on the Farmer's Market for my fresh veggies.

Beans are one of my favorites, and I love to steam them and add just two ingredients, butter and soy sauce. 

A perfect side dish!

Fresh Green Beans

1 lb. green beans, steamed until crisp tender

Toss with:

2 Tbsp. melted butter

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Crock pot Baby Carrots

This makes for an EZ side dish! 

Just throw everything in the crock pot and forget about it.

The carrots have a slightly sweet, rich buttery coating. 

I think these would be ideal for holiday meals. 

One less thing to have to make last minute!

Crock pot  Baby Carrots

2 lbs. baby carrots

5 Tbsp. butter, cut in slices

1/2 cup brown sugar

Place carrots in crock pot, add chunks of butter and brown sugar. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until tender.

Crispy Potato Slabs

I love to make these almost as much as I love to eat them!

My favorite is to dip them into some ranch, with BBQ sauce as my second favorite.

They are crispy on the outside and depending in how thick you cut them, have a soft delicious center!

Crispy Potato Slabs

large Russet potatoes

olive oil

kosher salt

Wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut in 1/6 "slices. Toss with olive oil and arrange on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 425 for 35 to 45 minutes until brown and crispy.

Broccoli Apple Salad

If you like a salad with lots of crunch, this is it!

Besides having lots of crunch, it has lots of flavor,too. It's full of chopped broccoli, apples,bacon, and onion, all tossed with a creamy ranch dressing.

The big bonus is how quick and easy it is to make using the already prepared salad dressing!

 Broccoli Apple Salad

3/4 lb. broccoli,chopped

1  apple, chopped

1/2 c. red onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. bacon pieces

1/2 c. ranch dressing ( I use Hidden Valley)

4 1/2 tsp. sugar (optional)

Combine the ranch dressing and sugar, toss with the rest of the ingredients and chill until serving.

Mrs. Wilkes mac and cheese

I ADORE the South! 

Brent and I took an unexpected trip to GA this fall, and had a wonderful time exploring the state. This time we went up into the mountains. Gorgeous!

 Here are a few photo's:

Fried apple pies at Mercers:

apple fritters at Helen

Fresh peach ice cream and pie 

boiled peanuts 

We did do a few other things besides eat:

Then we headed to Savannah, one of my favorite places, here are few more photos:

Then we headed to Andersonville, we had never been that far south in GA before. 

We toured museums, plantations, hiked, shopped, and best of all ATE!

The highlight of my trip was eating in Savannah at Mrs.Wilkes boarding house.

 I wanted to go there last time we were in GA, but never got a chance. Mrs. Wilkes has passed now, and her grandson is running it. We had to get there early....as a line starts to form, and not everyone makes it in. They only let in as many as can be seated at their tables, then lock the door,opening it to let others in as tables clear. We were there about 9, it opens at 11,closes at 2, and there was already a line! We did not make it in to the first group, but did the second group. When we left the line was down the street and around the corner!

 It is"pass the plate" style:

There were 16 dishes, and YES I tried each and every one! I have to say the fried chicken and mac and cheese were my favorites. It was all so delicious!!!!

I bought a cookbook and made some mac and cheese once we got home, and it was just as delicious as what I was served there. I can't wait to try the rest of the recipes!

You can check Mrs.Wilkes out here.

Macaroni and Cheese

(adapted from Mrs.Wilkes)

2 c. elbow macaroni

2 c. cheddar, shredded

3 c. milk

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

Boil the macaroni according to box directions. Drain and pour back into pan. Stir in butter until melted. Beat the eggs,milk and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to the macaroni and stir well. Stir in the shredded cheese. Pour into a greased casserole and bake at 350 for 30 minutes until liquid is firm but not dry. ( in my oven it took between 45 to 60 minutes)

SW Smashed Potatoes

This is one of those recipes you can alter to your liking. I like to smash the potatoes so that they are a bit chunky. Sometimes I add more butter, less cheese, etc. You can judge it as you are making it! It's great with garlic, or different cheeses.  And bacon...I almost forgot about that! we love it with bacon and sharp cheddar. It's a nice side to any meal!

SW Smashed potatoes

4 to 5 medium sized red potatoes

1/4 c. butter cut in cubes

1 c. shredded monetary jack cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

3 green onions, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes,drain and smash slightly. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and serve warm!

Roasted broccoli..pinned it and tried it

Pinned it , tried it, and liked it!

I really like roasted veggies, but I have never tried roasting broccoli. Glad I gave it a shot, it was really good!


Roasted broccoli
pointless meals

4 c. fresh broccoli florets
1 T. olive oil
½ tsp. sea salt
1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated



Wash broccoli, dry and toss with olive oil  and sea salt. Place on parchment paper and roast at 400 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesaen cheese and serve. ( serves 4 at 2 pts. )

Baked Beans

This combo has just the right amount of tang and sweetness for some great baked beans. It made a perfect side dish for our grilled wild rice brats. I made a third of the recipe, as it was just for the two of us, but it would be a perfect recipe to take to a picnic or potluck!

Best Baked Beans

allrecipes

3 (28 oz.) cans baked beans

1 tsp. minced onion

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. ketchup

5 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

Combine all and bake at 300 uncovered for 2 hours.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

Just a quick and simple salad dressing to share today...perfect for just the two of us!

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

1 tsp. Dijon 

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. honey

2 tsp. olive oil

Shake well and drizzle over salad.

Country Time Potato Salad

I've been making so many salads lately! I guess the warm weather hit, and that's what I've been hungry for.

I got this recipe from a friend years ago, and have made it many times. I think it's the bacon that makes this so special, I think bacon makes EVERYTHING special!

I like to take this to the lake, it lasts well for a few days, and is perfect with whatever we are grilling for the weekend. It's also a great salad to take to a potluck...or anywhere!

Country Time Potato Salad

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 lb. small red potatoes, cooked,cooled and sliced

2 boiled eggs, chopped

2 sliced green onions

1/2 c. mayonnaise ( may need a bit more)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Place potatoes, eggs, and bacon in a bowl. Combine mayo and mustard and stir into potato mixture. Chill.