Evelyn's Calico Bean Pot Baked Beans

This is my friend Sarah - I bet you thought I was going to say Evelyn - didn't ya!? Evelyn is the name of her mother-in-law's mother. Her Mother-in-law, Kay, gave her this recipe, and I am so glad she shared it with me! They invited us over for a "Back to school" BBQ and when I saw the recipe for the baked beans - I knew I needed nothing else to eat!



You know any recipe hand printed on a 1970-ish recipe card and loved throughout the years - is worth its weight in gold! This did not disappoint! These Pot-o-Beans were a Pot-o-Gold in my opinion!

Calico Bean Pot Baked Beans
8 slices bacon - crumbled
4 onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 (1 lb) can B&M Beans
1 med can Northern Beans
2 (1 lb) cans Seaside Lima Beans
1 can dark red Kidney beans
Optional - brown a few "Little Smokies", slice and add to mixture before baking.



Fry bacon and onions together until tender (about 10 minutes). Add rest of ingredients, except beans.
When all ingredients are mixed throughly - add beans. Sarah just drained top juice off beans - but did not rinse any of them.
She has not been able to find canned Lima beans in a while, and often substitutes light red kidney beans or pintos. She said it was a great way to clean out your pantry of all those cans of beans. Try black, pinto, or anything else you have on the shelf!



Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.



When it comes out of the oven - it has the most amazing caramelized top on it!
BEWARE: Mass consumption of this dish can produce many enemys
(YOU KNOW WHY) - and guess what...You won't care!!!



Sarah's hubby Ed prepared the chicken and sausage! They were perfect! Thanks guys for a great BBQ!

Cancer with a side of Egg Salad

If you have read my profile on blogger you know that I am a cancer survivor. When I was 36 years old, and on my way to tennis one day - my doctor called and told me that I carrying around two types of cancer. I totally held it together for that phone call, went and played my doubles tennis match (kick booty) and then proceeded to fall apart as I was leaving the court.
Since I didn't know the other two ladies my partner and I were playing that day - I'm sure I gave them a game they will never forget! Now that I think back on that - those poor ladies I lost it on. I'm sure they didn't know what to do! Let's face it - I didn't know what to do!



I immediately went out and bought books like the ones pictured above. I hunkered down and cried behind my closed doors as I mourned the loss of my boob, my hair and my mayo! That's right...I said MAYO! I love mayo. I love chocolate. I love chips. I love pretty much anything that has an ingredient list a mile long and is a color that is not normally found in nature!
The books I was reading were telling me that breast cancer cells need certain fatty acids to grow and a low fat diet is best.
This couldn't be. Mayo and I go way back. We're buds. He (Hellmann's) had gotten me out of many sticky stiuations. Not really but I was definitely in love with him! I thought I would never be able to love on my little man with the blue bowtie ever again.



I do still love him - DEARLY, but I have decided to start seeing less of him! I broke it to him gently and I think he took it pretty well. This egg salad is a wonderful rendezvous with my favorite bow-tied "Mann"



Rindy's Egg Salad
6 Hard boiled eggs, cooled
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp prepared Mustard
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp onion powder

Smash eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients! Enjoy on roll or toast!

Potato Souffle

Do you want to make your potatoes happy? Just tell them they are going into this recipe and you'll see the smiles in their eyes!



Most recently I made this to go along with "MarY's" pork - or as I refer to it "MY" pork! I took it to the new parents and so I made it in a disposable dish - The tired mommy can just throw it away, and that, my friend, is the real gift!



This recipe starts with 2 cups of mashed potatoes. I usually cut my potatoes into fourths and boil.



On one of my trips to my parents cabin in the Catskills, I found this jewel in a box in their garage. Since my mother didn't know the last time she had even seen it, she knew she could easily part with it. Lucky me!! I am now the proud owner of a 1970 something potato ricer. My gadget total is now 1067!



I don't know how hard it is to use a 2008 potato ricer, but I have decided that "Potato Ricing" should be an Olympic sport! I literally broke a sweat trying to push those puppies out those little holes. My daughter Logan was laughing at me and asked to try. She quickly agreed and now is in training for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Potato Souffle
2 cups mashed potatoes (warm or cold)
milk
8 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1 small onion (I just use onion powder)
2 Tablespoons flour
3 1/2 oz can french fried onions
salt and pepper

Mash potatoes using half as much milk as normal. Add softened cream cheese, eggs, onion and flour. Beat at low speed until blended, then at high speed until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into a greased 9 inch round baking dish. Sprinkle french fried onions over top.

Bake at 300 for 35 minutes.

Picture at top is a double recipe.

Enjoy your happy potatoes!

Pineapple Casserole

Who knew Pineapple and Cheddar cheese were best friends? When you taste this casserole you will know it is a match made in heaven! This is a perfect accompaniment to a ham or pork dish.



Pineapple Casserole
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 stack Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter



Mix flour and sugar. Add pineapple and cheese. Top with crackers and butter.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



The finished casserole has a crispy, buttery top with a sweet, warm center! Perfection!

WW Chocolate Chip "Cakies"

Whenever I go back on WW - I always start by whipping up a batch of these! They are only 2 points and they remind me of the chocolate drop cookies my mom used to make. I found the recipe in the "Simply the Best" WW cookbook.

WW Chocolate Chip "Cakies"
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 unsalted stick margarine
1/3 cup fat-free egg substitute
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Arrange the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at high speed, beat the sugar, margarine and egg substitiue until light and fluffy. With the mixer at low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, the yogurt, vanilla and chocolate chips, stir until just combined (do not over mix).
4. Drop the dough by Tablespoons onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, making 24 cookies. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. Store in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days. I keep in frig and microwave them for 8 seconds.
Add a dollop of Fat Free Cool whip and you are set for the night!

Per serving: 97 Calories, 3 g. Fat, 1 g. Saturated Fat, 1 g Fiber, 2 g Protein
2 points per serving!

Perfect Product: Whitman's Stainless Steel Cleaner

I am new to the Stainless steel family. We moved into our home last year, and before then we had never owned a stainless steel appliance. Of course when you are walking through your home-to-be, your mouth is watering at the prospect of owning such luxuries. Well let me tell you - all that salivating soon turned into spit-polishing! I could not find a product to keep those pesky fingerprints from showing. I was thinking "This is what everyone wants?" This is crazy!
I remember one day when my girlfriend Cary came over and did not believe me that all these products did not work. She said - give me a rag - all it needs is some elbow greese! After a good 15 minutes of "Wax on, Wax off" motion - she agreed - They ARE very hard to clean!
Leave it to mom to find a solution. After coming to my house and being disgusted at the finger prints, she went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and came home with this bottle of Whitman's Stainless Steel Cleaner. With one squirt and hardly any effort those appliances were spotless! Thank you Whitman's for making the PERFECT PRODUCT to clean my appliances!

Brown Sugar & Walnut Brie Wheel

This is one of my go-to Appetizers. If we are having a large group of people over, and I am going to serve mostly appetizers - this is always on the list! It takes 2 minutes to prepare - and 2 minutes to DISAPPEAR!



Buy the big "Wheel-o-Brie" at your local Costco or Sam's club. I find they have the most reasonable price.
Cut off top rind of Brie.



Add 1/2 cup Brown sugar to top of Brie.



Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Enjoy - and try not to let your guests see you devour the entire thing!