Baked Beans

I've never made baked beans before, but I did know that I didn't want to use some random recipe I found on the back of a can. I wanted to impress people, so I scrolled through at least two dozen recipes online and picked and chose which ingredients I wanted to add to mine. Again, this was used to create a LOT of beans for a class reunion, so unless you're planning on using this at a potluck, I'd cut this recipe in half.

1 #10 can (large, bulk sized cans) of pork and beans, drained
½ lb bacon, fried & crumbled with the drippings
1 full onion, diced
½ c barbecue sauce
¼ c beer of your choice (stale beer is fine to use)
1 c brown sugar (separate into ¾ c and ¼ c)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper (separate into two ½ tsp)
2-3 dashes cinnamon
1 T "All Purpose Seasoning" (typically a salt/pepper/garlic/onion mix)
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp seat salt, coarsely ground

Chop bacon into bite sized pieces and put in hot skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ c brown sugar, ½ tsp black pepper and cook until crispy. Don't drain the drippings.

Put beans in a large baking dish (aluminum pans work best because there's no clean-up afterward) and add bacon, its drippings and the remaining ingredients & seasonings. Mix well, cover with foil and bake for 35-45 mins at 350°. (You can also skip the baking part and put them in a crockpot instead. 6-8 hours on low, 3-4 hours on high. This saves you from heating up your kitchen in the blazing summer sun.)

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, skip the canned beans and make them from scratch using navy beans (you can find the instructions on how to cook those on the bag). I haven't felt that adventurous yet, thought I'm sure it's coming.

Vidalia Pasta Salad

***UPDATE***

So, I discovered that unless I go to Sam's club or order it online, I can't find this particular salad dressing. What I *CAN* find, though, is Ken's Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing (they have a light version, too!), which tastes exactly the same and is a lot cheaper. I've found that dressing almost everywhere I shop for groceries, including Walmart & Target, so it should be easier to make this recipe.

I came up with this recipe while in Sam's Club the other day buying groceries for my class reunion that my husband and I were preparing for. I'd picked up the typical Italian dressing that goes in every pasta salad ever known to man and when I saw the Virginia Brand Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette (Sorry, folks at Virginia Brand, you have it spelled incorrectly), I decided to change things up a little. It's super easy, but it does make a lot, so condense according to your needs.

2 bags tri-colored rotini pasta
¾ C Virginia Brand Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette dressing (about half the bottle)
1 envelope Vegetable Soup/Dip mix (I used Lipton, but Knorr works well, too)
¼ C Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta per package directions, making sure you lean toward the side of undercooked rather than over-cooked. The pasta will absorb some of the dressing causing them to plump up, so you don't want it real soft to begin with. Drain and rinse in cold water until there's no heat left in the noodles. Shake off excess water and put in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and the soup mix, stirring well until all the pasta is coated with dressing. Just before serving, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Optional ingredients:

• Chopped cooked chicken breast
• Crumbled bacon pieces
• Diced pimientos
• Croutons
• Sliced olives
• Chopped red and green bell pepper
• Sliced fresh mushrooms

Meatball Soup

Can you tell I'm trying to make space in my freezer?

I've been in a total Italian mood this week. Pasta, tomatoes, rich flavors. Can't get enough of it. I've been looking online for recipes to use for this particular dish for a couple weeks and nothing looked even remotely appealing. So I remedied the situation. Enjoy the fruits of my labor.

4-6 C beef broth
1 c spaghetti sauce
1-14oz envelope vegetable Soup/Dip Mix (I used Knorr, but store brand is fine, too)
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes (I use petite cut)
10-12 meatballs (your own or store-bought, your choice - frozen is fine)
1 c fresh kale, stems removed (too bitter) and chopped finely
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 bag frozen cheese tortellini (most any type of pasta will do, as will diced potatoes)
Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Mix the beef broth, spaghetti sauce and soup mix together. Add the meatballs, tomatoes, kale and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering 10-15 minutes.

In a separate pot, cook the tortellini according to package instructions. When read to serve, ladle the soup into bowls and add the tortellini. (I tried putting the tortellini directly in with the soup and they absorbed too much water, making them mushy. I would rather starve than eat mushy pasta, but if you like that sort of thing, knock yourself out.) If you choose to use potatoes instead of pasta, make sure to add those in with the soup, increasing your simmering time 5-10 minutes to allow the potatoes to cook thoroughly.

You can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on it when serving or serve it French Onion style by putting it in mugs, adding Mozzarella cheese over the top and baking it until it melts. I wasn't that patient.

Also, this recipe doesn't call for a lot of kale but you have to buy it in larger bunches so you'll probably have plenty left over. I clean mine, cut it up into more manageable sized pieces and freeze it. You can pull it out, run it under hot water and add to soups, stews and sauces for added color and taste. Frozen spinach would work too.

This soup is freaking AHHH-mazing, if I do say so myself. It's got excellent flavor without a lot of effort.

Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Confession time. I totally cheat at Alfredo sauce. I can't, for the life of me, make a decent true Alfredo sauce using cream, butter and cheese. I can't. I screw it up EVERY time. The consistency is perfect and then something changes chemically/physically when I add the cheese. I've tried every type of cheese I've ever seen/heard of going in Alfredo sauce - cheap, expensive, rare, doesn't matter. It all turns to a lumpy mess when I cook it. If y'all have suggestions on how NOT to screw up Alfredo, lemme know. That being said, this is my version. To me, it tastes similar enough to the real thing that I don't mind it, but if you know of a better "real" Alfredo, you're welcome to use it in exchange for mine.

Al-fake-o sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
2-3 C heavy cream (milk can be used in a pinch, but it can curdle if you're not careful)
3/4 C Parmesan cheese (don't be skimpy and buy fake cheese. You'll regret it.)
¼ tsp garlic powder
pinch of basil (oregano or Italian seasoning work well, too)
salt & pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together with the butter and let heat until the doughy consistency is gone and the roux returns to a somewhat soupy state. Let it brown a little while to get the raw flour taste out of it, ten minutes usually does the trick. Add the cream all at once, stirring constantly until the lumps are whisked out of it. Mix in the spices and let it come to a simmer. It will be extremely soupy at this point and that's okay. It's supposed to be. As it cooks over medium heat, the sauce will thicken to the right consistency. When you're ready to serve, stir in the cheese, a little bit at a time so it can melt. You can serve over hot pasta of your choice at this point or you can add the tomato-ey part. Also good with steamed broccoli or asparagus.


Now the tomato-ey part! (I love imaginary words, can you tell?) Anyway, I cook a lot in the winter, which means all spring and summer I've got a pantry and freezer full of food to use up. Remember those meatballs I froze last winter? I've still got 150 of them left. I also had some leftover spaghetti sauce that I needed to use up. A dish was born. A dish my finicky family won't touch, but I like it well-enough.

The Rest of the Ingredients
10-12 Fresh or pre-packaged meatballs (store-bought is fine, just make sure they're thawed completely)
½-¾ C leftover spaghetti sauce or your favorite store-bought sauce, any flavor
1 tsp fresh minced garlic (1-2 cloves)

I tossed about 10 meatballs in the food processor and let them spin until they were a ground-up, ravioli filler consistency. (There's another secret recipe of the day, kids!) You don't want them totally pureed, but chunky will do nicely. Once your Alfredo sauce has finished cooking, add the meatball mixture to the sauce along with your spaghetti sauce and garlic. You can substitute a can of Italian style diced tomatoes if you want a looser texture. I just used what I had on hand. You can also use Italian sausage instead of the meatballs. Again, I just used what was in my freezer.

Cook over medium heat (add extra cream or spaghetti sauce if it gets too thick) until the sauce is bubbly. Serve over hot pasta with steaming garlic bread.