Green Beans à la Deb

Forget the green bean casserole. These are wonderful

5 cans green beans, drained
1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled
    
     place in 9 x12 dish

Mix
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

     pour over beans

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

Bean Salad

2 cans black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 sweet pepper (red, yellow or orange-red adds nice color)
1 small bag of frozen corn
1 good sized celery stick
Green onions
Salt
Pepper
Ground Cumin
Salad dressing (I like Italian, but oil & vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and raspberry vinagarette are also good.)
Cherry or grape tomatoes
1 or 2 ripe avocados


Drain juice from canned beans. Rinse beans. Put in large bowl.
Remove stem, veins, and seeds from pepper. Cut into pieces about the size of small peas. Add to beans.
Add corn to beans. Do not cook.
Remove strings from the celery. Cut into tiny pieces (about 1/4" or so) and add to beans.
Take a handful of green onions, rinse, remove roots and tops. Slice the sweet white part into slices about 1/4" or less. Separate the slices into rings. Add to beans.
Add a little salt, pepper and ground cumin.
Add a little salad dressing. Go light --just add enough to moisten.

If you have the time, refrigerate this mixture overnight. This allows flavors to blend. If you don't have the time, you can skip this step, but make yourself a note to start earlier next time. It is better if it sits overnight.

Cut up the grape or cherry tomatoes and add to beans.
Cut up avocado(s) and add to beans.

Not Quite Olive Garden Salad Dressing

This recipe was described as a copy cat for the salad dressing at Olive Garden. It is not quite, but it is still good.  Once made it lasts about 10 days.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp grated* Parmasean cheese
2 Tbsp grated* Romano cheese
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp lemon juice
sugar (optional)

*Use grated cheese, not shredded

Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate unused dressing.

Mary Jean's Hot Cheese Dip

This recipe comes from one of the women who meet on Tuesdays at Bead and Fiber Fantasy in Marion, NY. Once a year we have a pot luck Christmas gathering and Mary Jean brought this. I loved it.

Mix
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
2 T milk
4 oz. shredded dried beef  (Mary Jean notes she washes and dries this first)
2 T minced onion
2 T minced green peppers
1/8 t pepper
1/2 cup sour cream

Top with seasoned, buttered crumbs.

Bake at 350F for 15 min.
Serve warm.

Kathryn's Peanut Brittle

Kathryn K is a fine cook. Her Italian Cream Cake is unbearably good. Her husband didn't want cake for his birthday, asking instead for peanut brittle. Oh, yum!

1 c sugar
1 c raw peanuts
1/2 c corn syrup
1/8 t salt

Mix together and microwave 4 minutes, then stir.
Cook another 3 minutes.

1 T butter

Stir in butter and cook another 2 minutes.

1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda

Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Quickly spread on buttered foil.

Kathryn's hint: I use my glass batter bowl to make this. You need something with a handle because the bowl gets really hot.

Cheddar, Bacon, and Ale Soup

Parkwood Heights is a retirement community in Macedon, NY. Every January they host a soup tasting event. This recipe came from what I hope someday will be my "old folks home"...seriously.

1/2 lb. bacon
2 TBSP salted butter
1/2 cup minced onion
5 cloves minced garlic
1 small bay leaf
1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
12 oz. Scotch ale
2 1/2 cups milk
14 ounces chicken broth
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp hot sauce
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP soy sauce
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; crumble and set aside.

In the same large saucepan, over medium eat, melt butte; add onions and bay leaf. Cook stirring often until onions are translucent and softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and bacon; cook until golden brown.

Stir in flour and cook about 3 minutes longer.

Gradually whisk in ale; stirring for about 2 minutes or until mixture is bubbling and thickened. Whisk in milk, chicken broth and dry mustard. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring often so it doesn't scorch bottom of pan.

Add cheese a handful at a time; stir until cheese is melted and soup is hot. DO NOT LET SOUP BOIL. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.