Brown's Best Baked Beans

This recipe comes from one a very special friend of mine.  Caroline over at Simply Smithwick posted this recipe about a month ago.  I saved it knowing it would come in handy with summer BBQ's right around the corner.  I made them this weekend while we were on vacation.  I've never made baked beans with ground sausage, but was pleasantly surprised at the taste it added.  The recipe is easy to make but make sure you realize they take an hour to cook.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients:
1 large can of Baked Beans ( Bush's Maple Cured Baked Beans)
1 lb. ground sausage
3 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp BBQ sauce
4 tbsp ketchup

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Brown sausage
3. In a 8x8 dish, combine sausage, beans, brown sugar, BBQ sauce and ketchup.
4. Bake beans for 1 hour on 325.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Potato Salad

For Mother's Day we decided to grill out and take advantage of the gorgeous weather.  Here are a few of the recipes we used.  The chicken was from Food Network Magazine and the other was from Kraft Foods Magazine.  Enjoy! 

Great American Potato Salad 

what you need

1/2 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp.  yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1/2 tsp.  salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 cups  cubed red potatoes, cooked, cooled

2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1   onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

1/3 cup  dill pickle relish

1 MIX first 5 ingredients in large bowl.

2 ADD remaining ingredients; mix lightly.

3 REFRIGERATEseveral hours or until chilled.

Carolina-Style Barbeque Chicken 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds)
• Vegetable oil, for brushing
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• Prepared macaroni salad, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat a grill to medium. Whisk the yellow mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the butter.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with about one-third of the mustard sauce in a large bowl until coated. Let sit at room temperature, 10 minutes.

Brush the grill grates generously with vegetable oil. Put about 1/4 cup of the remaining mustard sauce in a small bowl for basting and reserve the rest for topping. Grill the chicken, covered, basting occasionally with the sauce, until well marked and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F, 10 to 12 minutes per side.

Serve the chicken with the reserved mustard sauce, sliced tomato and macaroni salad, if desired.

Green Beans with Lemon Herb Butter

Talk about an easy and delightful side dish.  And they were just as good left over as they were the night of.  This side was part of our Easter menu from Betty Crocker.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1	package (12 oz) fresh green beans
3	tablespoons butter
1	teaspoon grated lemon peel
1	teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4	teaspoon salt
	Lemon slices, if desired 1Cook green beans as directed on package; drain. 2Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until melted and beginning to brown; immediately remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel, marjoram and salt. Pour over beans; toss to coat. Garnish with lemon slices

Mashed Potatoes Gratin

I'm a sides kind of gal.  I could forgo all of the meet, pasta and salad and live off of sides.  This potato side from Betty Crocker was one of our Easter recipes.  Easy to make, tasty, perfect pair to brown sugar glazed ham.  Enjoy! 

                                             

  Ingredients: 

	Unsalted butter for greasing casserole
2 1/2	cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
4	large russet potatoes, peeled, finely chopped (5 cups)
1	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup unsalted butter
4	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2	cup grated Parmesan cheese
	Salt and pepper to taste, if desired
1/2	cup Progresso® Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs

1. 1
   Heat oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter 2-quart casserole. Pour broth into 2-quart saucepan. Add potatoes; stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. Place colander over medium bowl; drain potatoes, reserving broth.
2. 2
   Rinse and dry saucepan. In saucepan, cook 2 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic over low heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return potatoes to saucepan with butter and garlic; mash with potato masher.
3. 3
   
   Add 1 cup of the reserved broth to potatoes; mix until smooth. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon potato mixture into casserole. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the bread crumbs.
4. 4
   Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
   

BBQ Glazed Chicken with Potato Smashers

I think I've fallen in love...with Kraft Foods Recipes! Which is exactly where I found this chicken recipe. Like I've said before, I don't use the grill.  So I did a great job preparing this dish and let my Mr. do all the dirty work.  The marinade is fantastic.  Easy to make and different from your typical BBQ sauce from the bottle.  I paired the chicken with potato smashers, also from Kraft Foods (duh). Now, this recipe was not as easy as I thought it would be.  My potatoes fell apart and definitely didn't look like the ones on the website.  Nonetheless, they were still tasty.  Enjoy!

Easy BBQ Glazed Chicken Directions:

               what you need

1/2 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, divided

4 small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

1/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp.  orange marmalade

make it

HEAT grill to medium heat.

POUR 1/4 cup dressing over chicken in shallow dish; turn over to coat both sides of each breast. Refrigerate 10 min.

MEANWHILE, mix barbecue sauce, marmalade and remaining dressing.

REMOVE chicken from dressing; discard dressing. Grill chicken on covered grill 12 to 15 min. or until done (165°F), turning occasionally and brushing with barbecue sauce mixture the last few minutes.

Potato Smashers Directions:

what you need

8 new potatoes (3/4 lb.), 1-1/2 inch

1/2 cup  water

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

1/2 cup  KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

4 slices OSCAR MAYER Center Cut Bacon, cooked, crumbled

make it

MICROWAVE potatoes and water in 2-qt. microwaveable dish on HIGH 10 min. or until potatoes are tender. Let stand 5 min.

DRAIN potatoes; place on work surface. Flatten to 1/2-inch thickness.

HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add potatoes; cook 4 min. or until bottoms are golden brown. Turn potatoes over; top with cheese and bacon. Cover; cook 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

Pasta Salad

Baby Shower Recipe- I needed a side to go with the subs we had at the shower.  I love pasta salad.  Since I had to make all the dishes the night before, this one was perfect for the menu.  I loved the pasta I used and hubs and I had the leftovers for lunch and dinner.  

Ingredients:
2 boxes of cooked pasta (of your choice)
1 bottle of italian dressing
1 cup of chopped peppers (yellow, red, green)
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Mix all ingredients together.  Chill overnight.  Serve & Enjoy!

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is the second new recipe I tried this year. I found the recipe on my friend Amy's blog. Definitely lots of butter in this recipe, but hands down the best sweet potato casserole I've made! Enjoy!

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potato (about 6-7 potatoes)
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
1 and a ½ Tbsp. Vanilla
2 eggs beaten
½ cup butter
Cinnamon to taste

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I use pecans - it tastes better to me)

Mix all ingredients together; except topping and pour into a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with Cinnamon. **Can be prepared the day before up to this point**

Cover and store in fridge over night.

Topping:
**Made the day you are serving the dish**
Mix all ingredients together and cover entire top of potatoes.

**Bring to room temp. if made the day before.**
Bake casserole @ 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Corn Casserole

This is the first of two new recipes I made for Thanksgiving this year. I tried corn casserole for the first time at my work feast. It was scrumptious, so I set out to find a recipe. I came across this one at a blog I follow: Love From Texas. I followed all of the directions exactly. I was a little concerned with the amount of butter in the recipe, but it's a holiday-so calories don't count! After 20 minutes in the oven, I thought this recipe was going to be a flop. But, all it needed was an extra 5-10 minutes in the oven. This is my new favorite Thanksgiving side. Next time I make it, I'll try it will a little less butter. I'm sure it will be just as good. Enjoy!
Click here for the recipe.


*I wish I had better pictures for this recipe, but we dove right in as soon as it came out of the oven!

Honey Cornbread

I've always bought the box of cornbread mix from the store, but I had an itch to try to make them from scratch. So, I visited All Recipes.com for some ideas. After some searching, I found this Honey Cornbread recipe. The feedback looked great, so I decided to given them a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the cream, oil, honey and eggs; stir to combine. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

Parmesan Knots

Easy, delicious, devoured! Another quality recipe from Taste of Home. Would be a great compliment to pasta or a great appetizer at a party.
Parmesan Knots
Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash pepper
3 tubes (12 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the oil, cheese, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and pepper; set aside.
Cut each biscuit in half. Roll each portion into a 6-in. rope; tie in a loose knot. Place on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 400° for 8-11 minutes or until golden brown; immediately brush with the Parmesan mixture. Serve warm or freeze for up to 2 months.

To use frozen knots: Reheat, unthawed, at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Yield: 5 dozen