French-style Green Beans

We're going to call this French-style because I found the recipe on a French website. And translated it for your dining pleasure. Really, though. It's now my favorite way to cook green beans. Actually, I wasn't a big fan of green beans before, but I could eat these every day.

It's the onion. I'll eat anything that has caramelized onion in it. I'd eat caramelized onions on ice cream.

The cream doesn't hurt, either.

Oh, and the almonds are great.

So yes, it's just generally a good recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of your favorite green beans - whole, French cut, regular cut, whatever. Use fresh if you want to. It's all good. Use two cans if you're really hungry. Use three if you have company.
  
• 1 onion, caramelized. The original recipe called for, like, 1/4 of an onion. As if.
• Slivered or sliced almonds. I use half of one small packet. Use as many as you like.
• 1-3 tbsp cream or coconut milk, depending on how decadent you feel.
  

Make sure you start caramelizing the onion early enough. Then start the green beans cooking and the almonds browning in some butter. Watch them closely. Do not burn them.

When everything is done, just drain the green beans (if all the liquid hasn't cooked away), mix everything in, and serve! It's a very pretty dish, as well as being super good and feeling way more indulgent than it really is.

Sweet & Savory Squash Casserole

This is adapted from a recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It's ostensibly a side dish, but it could be my whole dinner. And lunch. And breakfast. Seriously.

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small butternut squashes (I'm sure sweet potatoes would work, too)
• 1 large, ripe pear
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 tbsp bread crumbs
• 4 slices bacon, crumbled
  
• 1/4 c chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
  

As soon as you think of it, start caramelizing the onion. I like to cook mine for about two hours over low heat, but do what you have to do.

Peel the squash (not as daunting as it sounds - just a regular potato/carrot peeler will do) and slice into 1/2" - 1" slices. Peel the pear, and use your best knife to slice it as thin as you can. Place one layer of squash into a baking dish, then one layer of pear. Repeat.

If you thought ahead and already have some beautifully caramelized onion, scoop that over the top now. If not, keep cooking and you can add it at the last fifteen minutes like I always do.

Bake - covered - at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the squash is nice and tender. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. When the squash is tender, take it out of the oven and spread your onions evenly on top, then sprinkle on the topping. Bake another 10-15 minutes uncovered.

Serves one. Unless you're not greedy like me. In which case it serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

I love the name. I love the potatoes even more. I think the recipe originated here, but it's been making the rounds on lots of different websites. With good reason. They are sweet and spicy and creamy and completely addicting. Try them. Try them right now.

Ingredients:

• As many sweet potatoes as you think you can eat (and you'll be stuffing yourselves with them). My amounts will be for about 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes. Adjust as needed.
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt (I used no salt and substituted onion salt for onion powder)
• 1 tsp ground cumin (don't be scared, it tastes great in the end)
• 1 tsp New Mexico chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika (regular paprika, if regular and hot are the only two choices)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic (I'm sure garlic powder would work, too)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  

I found the chili powders and the paprika (and the granulated garlic) at The Spice Merchant in Wichita. I'm sure they're not too difficult to find. And they're worth it. Actually, the original recipe didn't call for ancho chili powder, but ancho chili powder is a bad idea never, amiright?

Peel your sweet potatoes and then slice them about an inch and a half thick. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in your sweet potatoes, be suspicious of any that sink, and boil them for 10-20 minutes, until they're smashable but not cooked completely through.

Take them out and let them cool.

Now, if you're adventurous, you smash them. You can do it right on the parchment paper (yes, you need parchment paper. They'll stick otherwise.) with a clear bowl so that you can see what you're doing. Use a spatula to slide the smashed potatoes off the bottom of the bowl. What we're doing here is making pretty edges, and giving them an opportunity to get sort of crispy and brown in the oven. Mine didn't, so I might not be smashing them next time. You could even do this to an entire sweet potato, but for that I would recommend smashing it, just to get more surface area for the spices.

Mix the spices in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Melt the butter in small bowl, mix with olive oil, and then brush onto each potato. Sprinkle some of the spice mixture onto each one. Don't be stingy. Try gently patting the spices on to make sure they stick to the butter and oil. Flip each one over. They flip surprisingly well. Brush on the butter and oil, sprinkle with the remaining spices, and pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Take them out, flip them over (this does not work surprisingly well - it's kind of messy), eat all the crusty black caramelized sugar-spice from the spatula, and put them back in the oven for another ten minutes or so.

ETA: If you want a quicker and/or potluck appropriate dish, try it this way: Peel and slice your sweet potatoes like you're making scalloped potatoes (if you have a food processor with a slicing blade, it works just fine) and spread about half of them in a greased baking dish. Brush over some butter/olive oil mixture, then sprinkle a goodly amount of spice over them. Add another layer of potatoes and brush with butter/olive oil again. Sprinkle on some more spice. Bake, covered, until potatoes are tender - about 45 minutes to an hour. In the meantime, prepare some more spice mixture by combining it with equal part of brown sugar - we have a lot of surface area and we don't want it to be too spicy. Spread this over the top, put it back in the oven uncovered for another fifteen to twenty minutes to get the top all caramelized, and you're good to go. I think I may actually prefer them this way.

Roasted Broccoli

I wasn't really sure what to title this recipe. When I found it, it was called The Best Broccoli of Your Life, which was appropriate. I considered Broccoli to Make People Beg, or Everybody's New Favorite Lunch, Dinner, Side Dish, or Snack. But those are rather long and complicated. So I'm going with the subtle, understated, boringly descriptive Roasted Broccoli. This broccoli is amazing. It could be a meal all by itself. It should be. It's that good. Oh and also it's super easy.

Ingredients:

• Two large heads of broccoli
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 lemon
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets. Either don't wash them at all (on the theory that half an hour in a hot oven will kill all the germs) or dry them obsessively after you do wash them. They need to be dry.

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and throw down the broccoli. Toss it with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, and the garlic. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The tips of some of the broccoli should just be starting to brown.

You're not done yet. Here comes the fun part. Dump the broccoli into a pretty serving bowl and zest the lemon into it. Then squeeze out the lemon juice. Then add another tablespoon olive oil. Then add the parmesan cheese, freshly grated or from a can.

Stir well. Be prepared to hand over the recipe.

Frog-eye Salad

Weird name. Yummy salad.

Start with one cup Acini Di Pepe macaroni: Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil in 3 quart saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. Return to rapid boil, stirring to separate. Boil only 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to chill.

3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple shown below)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon juice

In small saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt; stir in pineapple juice and egg. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thickened (or cook in microwave). Add lemon juice, set aside and cool.

Combine cooked, cooled mixture with cooled Acini Di Pepe. Cover, place in refrigerator until chilled. Add the following:

2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) dairy whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows

Stir lightly. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Corn Supreme

This is a great dish to take to a potluck or holiday dinner because it's very rich and makes a lot. I got this recipe from Kathryn Compton after she brought it to a Friends of the Library dinner.

1 can whole kernel corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint sour cream
1 can creamed corn, undrained
2 sticks butter or margarine
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix

Grease a 10 x 15 inch baking dish. Mix all ingredients, pour into baking dish, and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Asparagus-Cheese Casserole

I've taken this to many luncheons and pot-lucks. I'm always asked for the recipe. It's simple and delicious.


1 lb. cooked, cut asparagus
3 slices toast, cubed
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
dash pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Place half the cooked asparagus in bottom of a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Add half of toast cubes, then half of cheese. Top with remaining asparagus, toast, and cheese. Combine egg, milk, and seasonings; pour over all. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Add-ins: mushrooms, ham, tuna, or ripe olives.

Working Woman's Easy Macaroni and Cheese

Mix this together, pop it in the oven, and while it is baking you'll have an hour to prepare the rest of the meal. Or, go put your feet up.


6 Tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish; place in oven until butter melts. Pour uncooked macaroni into melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until macaroni is coated. Pat macaroni into an even layer in the pan. Cover top of macaroni evenly with shredded cheese. Pour milk slowly over top of macaroni and cheese layers. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for one hour. Do not stir. Makes 9 - 12 servings.

Carrot Crunch

This is an interesting relish to serve as an accompaniment to almost any meal. Make it 3 days in advance of serving, as it needs time for the flavors to blend.


4 large carrots
1 cup sugar
1 large lemon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Peel carrots and finely grate them (or use a food processor). Place in a large bowl. Finely grate lemon peel and add to carrots. Squeeze the lemon juice over the carrots. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Store, covered, in refrigerator for three days to allow flavors to blend. Just before serving, stir in the walnuts. Makes 1 pint.

Christmas Cauliflower

Because this is so rich, I only make it for holiday gatherings. This recipe is from "Taste of Home".


1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1 jar (7.3 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tablespoons diced pimentos
1 teaspoon salt

Cook cauliflower in a small amount of water until crisp-tender; drain well. In a medium saucepan, saute green pepper and mushrooms in butter for a couple of minutes. Add flour and stir to make a smooth paste. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add pimentos and salt. Place half the cauliflower in a greased two-quart baking dish, top with half the sauce. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Vietnamese Fried Rice

1Well, this recipe started out as Vietnamese fried rice, but I've tweaked it so many times that it's probably a totally different recipe now. Also, I apologize for the vagueness: I basically made this recipe up and I never measure.

Cook some rice. I usually start with between 1 and 1 1/2 cups dry, and use a rice cooker.

Heat up a skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom, and a bit to spare.

Add rice.

Then, add (about):

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Chinese 5 spice

garlic powder

onion, in some form (if it's not dried or powdered onion, then you should simmer it for a while before adding the rice)

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp sugar

And mix that together really well. If you have some cooked, cut-up meat, you can add that now. I usually don't, and it's still delicious.

Spoon all the rice to one side of the skillet and add an egg to the empty side. Let it cook a little bit, and then stir it in. Pour another egg over the rice and mix that in until it cooks. And, if you have lots of rice, add another one.

If you're a healthy person you can add some peas or other relevant vegetables, or you can do it my way and call it done with the egg.

Pat's Green Beans

Pat gave me this recipe many years ago. It's put together the night before, so it is great for a holiday meal.


2 cans French-cut green beans, drained
1 onion, sliced in rings
1/2 cup slivered almonds
8 strips of bacon, diced and fried, reserve drippings
6 Tablespoons bacon grease
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons vinegar

After bacon is cooked, drain grease, then add 6 Tablespoons back into the pan with the bacon. Add sugar and vinegar. Cook and stir for a few minutes. Place drained beans in a baking dish, place sliced onion on top, then pour bacon mixture over all and marinate overnight in refrigerator, covered. Sprinkle almonds over top just before baking. Bake, covered, 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Harvard Beets

Mom has been making this dish for as long as I can remember. It's my favorite way to serve beets.

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 16-ounce can of sliced or diced beets, drained

Mix sugar with cornstarch in saucepan. Add water and vinegar. Heat and stir until thickened. Add drained beets and cook until heated through.

Craig's Hawaiian Baked Beans

Dad got this recipe from one of our very first computer programs, called Cook'n. When we walk into a Friends of the Library potluck dinner with it people say, "Now the good food's here!"

2 (16oz) cans pork and beans (Bush’s are best)

1 (8oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained

3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon instant minced onion

1 Tablespoon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a 1 ½ quart round baking dish. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Makes six to eight servings.