Country String Beans

Country Green Beans

Simple food is used to describe this green bean dish. This recipe is from my childhood days … And it actually involved string beans, now modified into the green beans we find today. String beans when snapped had a string along the side of the bean … giving the name. And if I remember correctly these beans were a little tougher too.

This recipe requires an hour of cooking time. The texture and the color are far different from the al dente bright green beans we see today.

Several have requested I post this recipe. The simple truth is I love these beans, too!

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Grandma Rose’s Baked Beans

Baked Beans

The taste of Baked Beans … rich, sweet, tangy and just a hint of smoky bacon. This is so delicious and put together again for someone special. She’s been ill and requested this recipe!

Thank you Grandma Rose for another family favorite.

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Texas Sheet Cake Roll

Good Idea Or Not!

Texas Sheet Cake

This might have worked if I’d gone about it at a slower pace … Letting things cool a bit … rolling the cake in a towel sprinkled with powered sugar. But iffy at best. This is a heavy cake not spongy like most cake rolls. Why did I even attempt this? It seemed like a good idea at the time … It wasn’t just an exercise … It was about presentation.

Have you tried a slice of Texas Sheet Cake? It’s amazing! And can feed a crowd. But let’s say you’re not having a barbecue and you want to have this moist delicious chocolaty cake for a more formal event. The sheet cake presentation, well, is lacking.

So, here is my Texas Sheet Cake recipe but unrolled.

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Creamy Cauliflower and Tuna

Creamy Cauliflower and Tuna

Winter vegetables are making way for Spring. Cauliflower is one of our family favorites, garlicky cheesy cauliflower sides especially.

This is the time of year many friends and acquaintances decide to maintain a meat free diet. So, with that in mind I put together a quick skillet dinner of Creamy Cauliflower and Tuna. The cauliflower is cooked to al dente stovetop. The remainder of ingredients are added and heated. That’s it! A leafy green salad and you have dinner.

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Guinness Beer Stew

My Irish Stew

Irish Stew

As a “wanted-to-be” housewife, but had to work outside the home, and mother I strived to create home cooked for my family just because I felt better about the nutrition. (And cleanliness! One of my first jobs was a restaurant health inspector.) And let’s face it, there’s nothing like a cozy warm delicious home cooked meal. Working leaves little time for preparing meals if you’re spread thin which is certainly what I was as a single mom. I appreciate those who create time involved difficult dishes but I’m not totally convinced the taste is always better.

So, for St. Patrick’s Day I’m simply converting my oven braised stew to my Irish Stew.

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Pineapple Loaded Hawaiian Muffins

Hawaiian Muffins

Inspired by my daughter’s recent trip to Hawaii and the nautical gifts she so generously brought back for Kitchen Getaway. I know Missy, the picture isn’t showing off my gifts in the best light. But the muffins look great!

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The Best Pizza Soup

Pizza Soup

 

If you love pizza with red sauce you’ll love love this! Use the pizza toppings you like on your usual pizza, make it vegetarian, add jalapeños or not … You’ve got the idea. Make it your own! Ready in less than 30 or make everything from scratch for a truly personal touch. I’ve made our family favorite, Combination without anchovies. If you’re into anchovies add a little paste to give that in-depth taste.

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Low Calorie Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

A dozen years have passed since I snipped this recipe from now an unknown magazine. The recipe gives no credit to the creator. And the backside of the recipe is an advertisement for “2004 medical breakthroughs.” It’s a mystery! I’m not even sure I’d given the recipe a try until now. I just love the ingredients. Well, it does have a cake mix. Yikes! But take a look at the ingredients and see what you think.

One reason this recipe is low calorie is the frosting which, of course, I didn’t use. I used my standby Butter Cream. I have included the Marshmallow Creme Frosting Recipe … simple.

This is a recipe worth trying! And I’ve made a few changes just because it’s simpler.

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Greens with Eggs and Ham & Much More

Eggs and Ham

Putting this recipe together was motivated by my abundance of eggs, and leftover ham … The place you might find yourself after this coming Easter Celebration.

I hadn’t given thought to Dr. Suess’s birthday today, March 2 … And how with a few changes to my post title it could become the title to one of his most loved children’s books, Green Eggs and Ham. It wasn’t until my visit to Pearls + Girls that I even realized Dr. Suess was being celebrated today. Shame on me! If you haven’t visited Pearls + Girls for a time, Katie has given her site a new look. I’ve always loved visiting her blog. You’ll meet and enjoy this warm family from one of our cold midwestern states, Ohio.

What do I know about Ohio? You’ve heard me talk about my road warrior days. Akron was one of my stops … in the cold of winter, of course. I worked as a CRA for a company called Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) out of North Carolina. As I recall I was doing this Akron visit for a sick colleague. I always tried to make a fun thing out of these last minute flights and visits. What could I visit in Akron when doing a 24 hour turn around? Stay in a Quaker Oats Company silo at the Quaker Square Inn! Historic!

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