Baked Beans

Making beans today for a Greenwood BBQ and thought I'd make an effort to measure the recipe out since I never have. This recipe comes from the Jackson side of the family. I remember it being at meals at my grandmother's house and then my mother made them. I shared them with my Greenwood peeps after marrying Aaron and someday I hope they'll be at family dinner gathering for my children. These are serious baked beans; super yummy.

Makes a 13x9 pan of beans.

Bake at 300 for 2 1/2 hours.

2 large cans (53oz each) of VanCamps Pork and Beans (You may think this doesn't make a difference, but it does. Do NOT substitute.)
1 heaping cup Ketchup
1/2 heaping cup packed brown sugar
2 medium onions or 1 large, chopped into large pieces
1 lb package of bacon.

Drain your beans. I usually pour the cans into a colander for about 15 minutes and then come back to it. Pour into a bowl and add ketchup, brown sugar and onions. Mix together and then pour into 13x9 pan. Next, lay your bacon across the top of the beans, from side to side, not handle to handle. You shouldn't be able to see the beans through the bacon.

Bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. After the first hour, push the bacon down into the beans and push the edges down on the sides. Scrape the sides down and push the bacon in further at the second hour and then stir again after the last 30 minutes and you're good to serve.

Enjoy!

Italian Beef

This is a really easy to make main dish that goes great on a Ciabatta roll topped with some provolone cheese. My MOPS table mentor, Kathy May, made these for us when Thomas came home from the hospital and it is her recipe. :)

Large chuck roast
4 packets Good Seasons Italian Dressing
1 carton-32 oz (or less) beef broth
Provolone cheese slices
Diced or Sliced jalapenos, if desired
Horseradish, if desired
Ciabatta Bread

Spray inside of crockpot with nonstick spray. Place chuck roast on bottom. Pour Italian dressing packets over beef. Pour beef broth around roast until it almost reaches the top of the roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred beef and remove fat. Pour some of the excess juice/broth over cooked meat. Build your sandwiches and broil the tops of ciabatta bread with provolone in the oven.

Fluffy Waffles

These are super yummy Belgian waffles that Aaron makes for the kids almost every weekend.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk milk, egg yolks, and oil in medium bowl. Whisk milk mixture into dry ingredients just until dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Using electric mixer beat egg whites in small bowl until stiff. Fold whites into batter, leaving a few fluffs. Preheat waffle maker. Pour 1 cup batter onto the center of the bottom grid. Close top and flip waffle maker. Bake until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.

Makes 4 waffles.

Bacon Hearts

 I saw this idea on Pinterest and just had to try it for Valentine's day:) All you do is cut a piece of bacon in half, form it into a heart shape and bake for about 20 minutes!!!

Talk about love on a plate;)

Braided Spaghetti Bread

A friend told me about this wonderful recipe and I just had to make it for my family... it is basically spaghetti wrapped in garlic bread!!! Doesn't that just sound delicious!?!? And if you have a child like one of mine who doesn't really like spaghetti with meat sauce... they still might like it!!! Mine did!!!

1 roll of Pillsbury French Loaf
6 oz spaghetti, cooked
1 cup thick spaghetti sauce (I added meat to ours)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg white
Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes
Garlic Powder

~Place loaf on parchment paper and roll it out into rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
~Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly. Mix sauce together with spaghetti.
~Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of dough. Top with cheese.
~Make cuts 1 ½-inches apart on long sides of dough to within ½-inch of filling. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.
~Transfer parchment paper to baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, parsley and a little garlic powder.
~Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve. Enjoy!!!

Carmel Apple Cake

I found this recipe on Pinterest (it is a Paula Dean recipe that has been modified) and it is absolutely delicious!!! I have made it twice in the last two weeks (once for a church get together and another for when we had family in town... just so you didn't get to thinking that our family was sitting around doing nothing but eating these;)

Ingredients for the Cake:
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (you can add these but I didn't)
2 1/2 cups apples, canned or fresh (diced)

~Preheat oven 350 degrees. Cream together sugar, eggs, and oil. Add flour; mix together until well blended. Add vanilla, nuts, and diced apples. Spread into a lightly greased and floured 13 x 9-inch baking dish; bake for 45 to 60 minutes. 
~Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. When cake is done, punch holes in it with a knife and pour topping over.

 

Ingredients for the Caramel Topping:

1 1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/8 cup of milk

~Heat all ingredients together over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for about 2 minutes. Pour over warm cake. Enjoy!!!

Apple Tea Ring

I found this recipe at Flour Me with Love... and it is so very good!!! I modified it a little bit so that I could use my bread machine but other than that I followed her recipe pretty closely. If you don't have a bread machine, you can follow her recipe:)

Dough... 1st layer:
3/4c milk
1/4c butter
1/4c water
1 egg

2nd layer:
3c flour
1/2c sugar
1/4tsp salt
1 pkg instant yeast

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A BREAD MACHINE:
~Mix together milk, melted butter, water and a beaten egg... and add this to the bottom of your bread machine pan.
~Mix together flour, sugar and salt... and add this to the top of the wet mixture. Sprinkle yeast on top.
~Run these layers on the dough cycle.

***Take dough out of bread machine and roll it out into a rectangle on a floured work space. Mix together filling and spread evenly over dough.
Filling:
8oz cream cheese
1/2c sugar

***Mix together apple mixture and spread over filling.
6 apples, peeled and diced
2T cinnamon
2T sugar

***Roll the dough up and form it into a circle... make sure the ends are all sealed. Placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet and make cuts 3/4 of the way through the ring every 2 inches... all the way around. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

***After it is done cooking, you can drizzle cream cheese icing on it to make it even more delicious:) Enjoy!!!