Down Home Baked Beans

Yes, I took a stab at baked beans...and they turned out really well! This recipe was really easy and a great side dish when we had my family over for my dad's birthday. We had a lot left over as well. The recipe says it is 12 servings, but we had about 12 people over and had plenty for ourselves for the rest of the week!

Adapted from: www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound bacon
2 (28 ounce) cans baked beans
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce (I used Tabasco's brand)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cups packed brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
In a large bowl combine beans, chili sauce, onion, brown sugar and bacon. Pour into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Cottage Fried Potatoes

Wow, I started this post back in February and forgot to finish it! My husband and I cooked dinner together for Valentine's Day and this was my contribution. I know what you're thinking - no desserts?? Actually, no I didn't make any. I thought I'd take a stab at making a side for our dinner, since I would end up being the one to devour whatever chocolate sweets I made anyway. These turned out really well, except that I think I should have sliced the potatoes thinner. It took much longer than the supposed 8 - 10 minutes. I also kept adding butter! At any rate, these potatoes were very good! There's an alternative way to make these in the oven with Parmesan cheese....maybe next time!

Adapted from: New Cookbook Bridal Edition, Better Homes and Gardens


INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 medium potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings


DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, melt butter. (If necessary, add additional butter during cooking.) Layer sliced potatoes in skillet. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add onion rings. Cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes more or until potatoes are tender and browned, turning frequently.

Pineapple Casserole

I have been making this for years and it's super easy! It actually goes with dinner, though it tastes as sweet as a dessert. I also double the recipe and make it in a 13x9 pan and bake for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes. Keep checking to make sure it's browned and not burning around an hour. This picture shows it is a LITTLE burnt, which is actually my husband's fault and not mine. ;) I asked him to check on it, he said it looked done and then left it in the oven until 15 minutes later I realized it was still in there. He almost ruined Thanksgiving ;)


Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
3 slices white bread, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons butter (If you double the recipe, you probably won't need 12 tablespoons - more like 8 or 9 for pouring on top.)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 quart baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and salt.
Add eggs, pineapple and juice. Mix well.
Pour into 8x8 baking dish, top with bread cubes and dot with butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.