Home-style Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon 2 Cups navy beans
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Directions
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
• Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.

Sesame Chicken Salad with Pastatop

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
• 1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup finely diced green onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• Directions
• Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve the liquid.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Arrange the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with bacon and onion.
• In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

Hearty Au Gratin Potatoestop

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup cornflakes cereal
• 1/2 cup finely diced green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray one 8 inch square baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream and soup. Add grated potatoes, cheese, and onions. Mix well, and pour into the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter and cornflakes. Sprinkle over the top of the potatoes, and return to the oven.
• Bake uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or until bubbly and corn flakes are golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Mashed Potatoes Longhorn Styletop

Ingredients

• 1 pound Yukon Gold (yellow) potatoes
• 1 pound red potatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 12 ounces baby carrots
• 1 package frozen white corn, thawed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• Directions
• Place red potatoes, yellow potatoes, jalapeno pepper, carrots and garlic cloves in a large pot. Cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain water from pot.
• Stir in corn and butter. Mash the mixture with a potato masher until butter is melted and potatoes have reached desired consistency. Mix in cheese, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.

Dirty Rice top

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef sausage
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 8 ounces of packaged dirty rice mix
• 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste
• Directions
• In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, sausage, and onion; drain.
• In a large pan, combine rice mix and 2 cups water. Add diced tomatoes and chilies. Stir in the kidney beans. Bring to a boil, then add meat mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Return to boil, reduce heat, and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook for 25 minutes, until rice is easily fluffed with a fork.

Sunburst Couscous top

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1/4 cup dried sour cherries
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup water
• ground black pepper to taste
• Directions
• In a 2 quart saucepan, combine chicken broth, water, dried cherries, butter, salt, and pepper. Cook over high heat until boiling.
• Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and serve immediately.

Garlic Asparagustop

Ingredients

• 1 lb. green asparagus, washed, ends snapped off
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• coarse sea salt, to taste
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place asparagus in an oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with garlic and dot with butter. Pour olive over asparagus, sprinkle with thyme and pepper. Add salt to taste.
• Roast uncovered 40 minutes, tossing halfway through cook time.