Super Good Baked Beans

I decided that I should add this recipe as well.  My mom, also made really yummy baked beans.  I loved them but maybe not as much as I love baked beans now.  A few years back, our family, along with my parents, made a cross country trip from Kansas City, to Williamsburg, to Maine, across New Hampshire and Vermont, stopped in Illinois and back to KC.  Long story, short, we ate a a place in KC called Zarda BBQ and I fell in love with their beans.  I have tried to recreate the taste.  Not sure if I have done that or not but I like the beans.  So here is a basic version of my mother's recipe, tweeked a bit.  After I share this recipe, I will also tell you how I do the short-cut but still really good version.
So, here goes!

First cook up some good old bacon (sorry I don't have a picture of the bacon cooking) I have decided that bacon is one of those things that I really never want to have to give up.  I love everything about bacon. Anyway, cook up your bacon til crispy and then crumble into piece.

Once again, I use onion.  I really love onions and cook with them a lot! Add some onion and some green pepper to about 2 Tbls. bacon grease.  Saute them until the onion starts to look translucent.

Add 2 cans of pork and beans that have been drained a bit (I don't love them too runny so I just squeeze out some of the tomato sauce that comes on them) and remove the fat pieces from the top of the beans.   Add the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, dry mustard and worchestershire (how do YOU say that "W" word?) the liquid smoke and the hot sauce if you want hot sauce in your beans.  That is optional.  Mix all together!

Add the bacon.  I tend to use a lot of bacon because I love the meatiness and flavor it gives the beans.
Mix together and pour into a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350* until they are hot and bubbly.  Serve.  These are so good.

If you like the flavor of these, here is a little secret.  You can make just the sauce without the beans, onion, pepper and bacon and use it as BBQ sauce with pulled pork.  I do it all the time and my family loves it.  I serve it warm and it is so so so good!!!

So here is a picture of our 4th of July picnic.  The beans with that potato salad and a burger- WOW!!! Yummy!

Baked Beans

Cook 6 slices of bacon until crispy (more if you like :)) crumble when cooled

2 cans pork and beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 Tbls. chopped green pepper
2 Tbls. bacon grease

Saute until onion starts to look translucent.  Add:

1/8 cup +1 Tbls. dark molasses
3/4 c ketchup
2 Tbls. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (more if you like them a little more smokey)
1/2 tsp. Franks Red Hot or your favorite hot sauce (opt)

Mix all together and add the crumbled bacon.  Pour into a sprayed (for easier clean up) casserole dish and cover with foil.  Bake at 350* until bubbly and hot.  Serve!


So I told you there is a short cut version too.  So here goes!  Again, remember I don't measure! This is usually how I roll.

I use the 2 cans of pork and beans or more if I'm going for a larger crowd.  I do use the bacon and I do saute the onion and green pepper in the bacon grease.  Then I start dumping in ketchup, hickory flavored bbq sauce, a splash of worchestershire sauce, some brown sugar to taste-(and I do taste and add more until I like the flavor) and the liquid smoke.  It works. It's yummy and there you go.  I maybe even like the throw together a little more. It's almost the same amount of work but it's pretty dang good too!  Good Luck!!!!

Skinny Baked Onion Rings

So I just love onion rings. I definately have a couple of favorite places to buy them and they are greasy and heavenly. Well, I need to leave the greasy yumminess alone and concentrate on weight loss. I found this recipe on a blog called Skinnytaste and it is really really good. It takes a little forethought and you can enjoy a big plate of these for not very many points. Try it out. It's a great little recipe.








Cut the onion into rings. Separate them and put them in the buttermilk. Let them soak for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.






Dip the coated onion rings in the bread crumbs and place on a parchment or foil lined and sprayed cookie sheet. Spray the onion rings with baking spray or use a Misto with olive oil if you have one. Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes. (Note: I think next time I make these, I might add just a little salt to the crumb mixture. I just thought they need a bit of salt) Serve them right up and completely devour them. Yummy!!!!






You know, when you are trying to lose weight but love to eat fatty stuff like onion rings, this is a really great recipe that helps to curb that craving. Give it a try. It's a tiny little bit of work but worth it.


Low Fat Baked Onion Rings
Adapted from Life as a Lofthouse
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1/2 • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 2 pt
Calories: 74.7 • Fat: 0.6 g • Carb: 14.7 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Sugar: 1.7 g • Protein: 2.9 g

• 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
• 2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
• salt to taste
• olive oil baking spray (I used my Misto )
Place slices of onion in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and let them soak for about 1 - 2 hours, refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Combine panko, bread crumbs and corn flakes and place half of the crumbs in a large dish, season with salt. Reserve the rest for when the first batch is used up. This should help avoid clumping and they should stick better to the onions.

Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well. Place rings onto two cookie sheets. Lightly spray with oil. Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately

Potato Pancakes

Have you ever had potato pancakes or Latkes? They are really so easy and a little different than just fried hash browns. If you don't mind a little fat in your diet, these are really fun to try. I really love them. They can be served with applesauce or sour cream or whatever you like. You can eat them just the way they are.











Mix the egg, shredded onion and seasonings together in a large bowl. Add in the shredded potatoes but be sure you squeeze the liquid out of them. Add the flour and mix all together. They are that easy and ready to cook.







Drop the potatoe mixture into a pan with a littl hot canola or olive oil and fry until crispy and browned. MMMMMMM





These little crispy yummies are very easy to make and they are just different enough to shake things up a bit. Hope you will give them a try!


Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
• 4 large potatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ground black pepper to taste
• oil for frying
Directions
1. Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.
2. Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons all together.
3. Turn oven to low, about 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
4. Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all potato mixture is used.

Easy Greek Patates on the grill.

I had read about these wonderful Greek Patates before we went to Greece. Once there, though, I only found them one time and believe me I asked at every place we ate. They would say, "Yes, we have those" and then here would come a plate of french fries. Anyway, I found a recipe and played with it a bit and these are pretty close. If you like potatoes and oregano and olive oil, you will love these. Give them a try. So Good!








The ingredients! Not too scary:)






Slice the potatoes to about 1/8 inch thick. You can use russets, reds, or your favorite kind of potato.









Layer about half of the potato slices on the foil. Season with salt and pepper, garlic, and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil. Spread the onion over the top and then top with the rest of the potatoes. Season and drizzle one more time.







Wrap up the center and the ends. I usually add another layer or two of foil but that's because I have cheap foil. If you have the heavy duty you should be ok. Put them on the grill turned on high and cook for about 30 minutes. If you make individual servings they will cook faster. Turn with tongs about half way through. The foil should start to puff when they are done.






Slice through the foil and serve! MMMM

These are the yummiest potatoes. I didn't use lemon juice on them but after they are done you can squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top. These are super easy on the grill but are just as easy in the oven. Try them out. SO SO GOOD!



Easy Greek Patates on the Grill

Potatoes ( about 1 medium per person)
onion sliced
olive oil
oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Slice the potatoes to about 1/8 inch thick. Slice the onion.
Spread a double layer of foil out and spray so the potatoes won't stick

Spread a layer of half the potatoes and season with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil. Layer on the onions. Top with the rest of the potatoes and season again and drizzle with oil. Fold up the foil and roll in the ends. Use another layer of foil if you think it's necessary.

Put on the grill on high and cook for about 30 minutes. (Individual packs will be less) Turn with tongs about half way through cooking time. Package will start to puff up when they are done. Cut open the foil and devour!

My version of Baked Potato Skins or Twice Baked Potatoes

This is my version of Baked Potato Skins. As alot of you know, many of my recipes aren't really written down. I kind of make things up in my head. When my kids or others ask for a recipe I have to give it from my head and sometimes I am guessing. When I cook without a recipe, I add a little of this and a little of that til it tastes good. We like potatoes at our house and so I decided to try this out. I have made twice baked before where I cut just the very top of the potato off and scoop everything out but this time I wanted them to be a little more crunchy. So, good luck trying to follow. The great thing about these potatoes is that you can add anything and everything that you love on top. Try them out with peppers, mushrooms, grilled onions or green onions, the sky's the limit. LOL





These potatoes are really easy and taste really good. If you are looking for a side dish for any meat, these work great. Happy Eating:)


Baked Potato Skins or Twice Bake Potatoes

Bake as many medium sized potatoes as you want.
Bake them without foil so the skins crisp up a bit,

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out most the pulp (leave a little rim) into a bowl. Add a little salt and a little garlic salt and pepper, butter, a little sour cream and a little milk and mash them all together. Taste to make sure it's flavorful. Brush the insides of the skins with some melted butter and place under the broiler with the rack two slots below the broiler. Broil until the skins start to get crunchy. Watch them so they don't burn. Remove them from the oven and scoop some of the mashed potato on top of each skin. Top with bacon bits, shredded parmesean cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. Return to oven on middle rack and let heat through. At the end, turn the broiler back on and let it really get the cheese bubbly. Enjoy

Roasted Broccoli

This roasted broccoli recipe doesn't take very many ingredients to make. I like broccoli but I can't say I'm in love with it. I was heading to my siblings monthly dinner party at my sister's house and I was to bring the veggie. Well, I wanted to something more than just boil up a vegetable of some kind- but I knew these people, especially the men, are great judges of really good food and I wanted to impress. I went right to my computer and did some searches. I came up with the recipe and I do believe that I have found a winner. If you want a treat, try this roasted broccoli recipe. It might just change the way you look at the little green trees. Bring on the broccoli!






Spread the broccoli florets on a large cookie sheet.









Drizzle with the olive oil and then mix with your hands so they are all coated with the oil. It goes a long way.






Sprinkle on the sliced garlic cloves (I used two) and the kosher salt and pepper. Put in your hot oven and roast. I only roasted it for about 17 minutes and it seemed perfect.






I guess that once you've seen a picture of broccoli stems how much more interesting can they get. This is the last picture, I promise. If you look close, the broccoli has turned a little brown, a little carmelized. After you take them out of the oven, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top and then sprinkle with some shredded parmesean cheese. I don't have photos of the finished product because I whisked it off to my dinner party and finished it up there. Needless to say the judging panel completely scarfed this broccoli the first time around the table. They all liked it and I really loved it. It looks like this will be my new way of cooking broccoli. You might even find out that you like it too.

Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise

I have been wanting to make Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise for over a year now and just never have done it. I really had high expectations because the recipe blog I took it from made it look so heavenly. I went a little nuts with the garlic. No one will want to be around us for the next few days. I am a salt-a-holic and these definately were more mild than I like. So here are the photos and the recipe follows. Maybe you will want to try them. Maybe you will experiment with them. Let me know if doll this recipe up.



There aren't very many ingredients in this recipe. Just a very few. These are the players!



Make the slices about an 1/8 of an inch thick!



As you slice the potatoes, slide them into a bowl of cold water until ready to use. Make sure you dry them well before you layer in the pan.



Layer with the butter and garlic. (you could probably use a little garlic powder instead of the real stuff if you prefer)



Ready for the oven. Make sure to cover with foil for the first 30 minutes!



Out of the oven. I left them in the oven a little longer because I wanted the brown on top. I even used the broiler a little bit.




The finished product. Serve them with any meat that you might have. They are on the fancy side and would be good for a nice dinner. The potatoes were good but not really what I was hoping for. I love food that has more flavor and these seemed on the mild side (except for the garlic). I am not sure if I will make them again or not but I'm glad I made them once. Maybe you will like them better than I did.


Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise
Source: Williams-Sonoma Vegetable
Serves 4.

5 large russet potatoes, about 2 1/2 lb total weight, peeled (I actually used 2 1/2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes)
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 1 clove, halved (optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices. Slide the potatoes slices as you cut them to a large bowl with cold water (enough to cover all the potatoes when you are done). Let the potatoes soak for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Center a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Rub the bottom and sides of a 2-qt baking dish with the halved garlic clove (if you are using it), then butter the dish with 2 tablespoons of the room temperature butter.

Drain the potato slices and dry them well with a clean kitchen towel. Cut the 4 tablespoons of butter into small pieces. Arrange a layer of the potato slices in the baking dish, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, then dot with pieces of butter, and add a light scattering of the chopped garlic, if using. Repeat the layering until all the potatoes are used, seasoning each layer as you go along. Reserve some of the butter for the top of the gratin. The potatoes should reach no higher than within 1/2-inch of the rim of the dish. Pour the cream evenly over the potatoes. Dot bits of butter across the top and sprinkle the top with some salt and pepper.

Cover the gratin with foil and bake until the potatoes are translucent and the cream is bubbling, 30-40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is crusty and the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes more. If it seems dry, baste the top occasionally with the liquid in the dish. Serve at once, directly from the baking dish. You can sprinkle the gratin with chopped fresh parsley right before serving, if desired.