Kim’s Coleslaw Salad

Instead of the traditional mayonnaise-based dressing, Kim's Coleslaw Salad uses oil & vinegar with a touch of sugar.  It's zesty, fresh, crunchy and hard to stop eating.  This particular recipe is a BIG HIT for potluck meals.  Kim has told me that even when she has doubled the recipe for parties, hoping to bring home leftovers, she ends up bringing home an empty bowl.

Beside using oil & vinegar, this recipe calls for the uncooked noodles from a package of Ramen Noodles. Don't be put off, the noodles are delicious!  They absorb the dressing and soften without becoming too soft.  And this extra layer of texture just makes it harder to stop eating.

HERE'S ALL YOU DO
This could make 10 to 15 servings, folks will come back for seconds.

• 1 small green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 small purple cabbage, shredded
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 package Ramen Noodles, crumbled, discard season packet
• 3 to 4 ounces sunflower kernels

Toss all the vegetables, crumbled noodles and sunflower kernels in a large salad bowl.

Mix the dressing in a separate bowl

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup neutral tasting oil
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Add the dressing to the tossed coleslaw salad when ready to serve.  Toss well and serve.  Leftovers are delicious the next day and the next day after that.

Tastes wonderful on the side of any meal.  See?

Truly Simple Baked Beans

This truly SIMPLE DAILY RECIPE comes from Cousin Amanda.  She made it for one of our family cookouts and it was a BIG HIT! I could have made it a whole meal with a slice of bread on the side.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 6 Slices Bacon cooked crispy - diced
• 2 Cups Chopped Onion - I used 1 1/2 lg white onions
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 cans pinto beans - drained
• 2 cans ranch style beans - drained
• 2 cans pork and beans - drained
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar - or add to taste
• 2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies - do not drain!
• 1 cup water
• 1 can ranch style beans - use liquid only
• 1 small poblano pepper - diced

Combine all ingredients and refrigerated over night.
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Jo’s Ducat Salad

This is a very nice salad that Jo fixes quite often for her pastors.

Salad

• 1 large container of Fresh organic baby greens

The following are amounts to your liking:

• Red Grapes sliced in half
• Avocado's peeled and cut into bite size pieces, sprinkled and tossed with lemon juice to prevent browning
• Bacon cut into 1-inch pieces and fried to a hard crisp

Dressing
On the reverse side of Good Season Italian dry salad dressing package is their recipe to make their dressing.  The only change you make to this recipe is to substitute the vinegar for balsamic vinegar, then make as directed. Let sit for 30 minutes before using.

Toss the greens with the dressing JUST before serving.  Then layer in order written.  You can plate the salad or make a large bowl.

Thank you for sharing your recipe, Jo K.!

Beans n’ Cornbread

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit!..."

The other night, we had friends over to the house.  For dinner, we ate baked ham, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. -- I heard that! Yes, I know I served two starches. Half the crowd consisted of children that I knew would not touch the sweet potatoes. So technically, I served one starch to each age group.

Anyhoo. I naturally planned to cook a big pot of pinto beans using the leftover ham bone. We eat pinto beans every other week or so. Sometimes, I only make enough to cover one dinner and one lunch. Other times, like this one, I wanted to take full advantage of the flavor of that ham. Unfortunately, my pressure cooker wasn't big enough. I had to cook these bad boys the long, slow way and it was worth the 3 hour wait.

HERE'S HOW TO COOK GREAT BEANS

• 4 cups dried pinto beans, washed clean
• 1 leftover ham bone
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

In a large pot, fill with pinto beans and enough water to cover one inch higher/deeper than the beans. Bring water to boil, boil for 2 minutes: remove from heat. Cover and let stand, 1 hour.

Come back and drain off any water remaining. Toss in ham bone, onion, and seasonings. Add enough water to beans to cover the bone. For good measure, I make the water about 2 1/2 -3 inches higher/deeper than beans. Heat to boiling: reduce heat. Cover and simmer until tender. 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Check the water at the first hour mark and give it a good stir while you're there.

Serve with your favorite rice and cornbread pancakes.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT COOKING BEANS

• Having enough water is key to getting those beans tender. Always have at least 2 1/2 inches of water above the beans.
• Salt! It makes the world go round. Get it in in the beginning and at the end.
• Fat adds depth to the beans. I always have bacon drippings stored tightly in the refrigerator. So normally, I use 1/4 cup to season 3 cups of beans.
• Cooking beans in a pressure cooker is awesome! I still do the first boil for 2 minutes, drain off, then start fresh. Pinto beans will cook tender in 50 minutes!

SUBSTITUTIONS

Instead of the ham bone, 4 ounces of salt pork (with rind), diced, or 6 slices of bacon, cut up, will do the job.

GOT LEFTOVER BEANS?

Turn them into refried beans and make burritos! Try using them in the Chipotle Burrito recipe. They also make a great topping for nachos and chalupas.

Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs

Every time our church gets together to eat, I serve this up for the kids in the crowd. Their faces light up when they see something on the buffet table they recognize & love to eat.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 box Thick & Creamy Kraft Mac & Cheese,
• 4 tablespoons real butter instead of margarine
• 1/2 cup hot milk
• 3 or 4 wieners, use your favorite brand

Cook macaroni directed on the box; drain. Slice wieners into bite size pieces and microwave on High for 1 minute.  Blend the macaroni, cheese powder from box, butter and milk.  Stir in heated wieners.  Add a few tablespoons of milk at a time to keep it from getting sticky.  Note: Butter gives the dish a creamier texture and the extra milk keeps it smooth until ready to serve.

SERVE A CROWD

3 boxes of Thick & Creamy Kraft Mac & Cheese, use real butter instead of margarine 1 package of wieners 1 cup of hot milk Follow the directions above.  You'll want a disposable roasting pan with a lid to carry this size dish.

YOUNGER COOKS CAN HELP

Wieners can be cut up using a butter knife. Younger cooks can mix the butter, milk and dry cheese into the macaroni.