Side Dishes

[Chelsey]

5 lbs red potatoes
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 dill pickle finely chopped or pour a little of the juice
into the salad (use those good garlic pickles )
2 TBS. parsley flakes
6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
½-1 tsp. salt to taste
¼ tsp. pepper
1-2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 TBS. vegetable oil
1 cup mayonnaise

Peel and cube your potatoes and cook until fork tender -
drain and cool. In a separate bowl mix all the dressing
ingredients - taste as you go cause you might need more salt
or vinegar. After the potatoes are cool, toss lightly so
not to mash the potatoes. Sprinkle with bacon bits and
chill.

[Chelsey]

1 pound Green Beans -- fresh
1 medium Onion -- sliced
2 tablespoons Fresh Dill
1/2 cup White Vinegar
1 1/2 cups Water
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seed

Wash green beans in cool water, and snap to remove ends. Combine all
ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat
and simmer until crisp tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Cool and refrigerate,
covered, several hours or overnight. Serve chilled.

[Chelsey]

16 ounces dry pea beans
2 quarts cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 ounces salt pork
1 medium onion, chopped

Rinse beans; add to water in saucepan. Bring to boiling and simmer 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover; let stand 1 hour. (Or add beans to cold water; soak overnight.) Add salt to beans and water; cover and simmer till beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving liquid. Measure 2 cups liquid, adding water if needed; mix with molasses, brown sugar, and mustard. Cut salt pork in half; score one half. Grind or thinly slice remainder. In 2-quart bean pot or casserole (I prefer the bean pot), combine beans, onion and ground salt pork. Pour molasses mixture over. Top with scored pork. Cover; bake in 300 oven for 5 to 7 hours. Add more liquid if needed.

[Chelsey]

Dressing:
1/2 cup dijon-style prepared mustard
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablepoons cider vinegar
3 teaspoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried cilantro, or fresh equivalent chopped

Salad:
1 (16-ounce) package romaine lettuce, shredded
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small purple onion, chopped (I usually don't use this)
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 1/2 cups sliced, grilled chicken (preferably cooked with southwestern seasoning)
1 (6-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Garnish: fresh cilantro leaves

In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Layer lettuce and next 8 ingredients in a 3-quart glass bowl. Pour dressing over salad just before serving, and gently toss. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

[Chelsey]

1 can golden sweet whole kernel corn, drained
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped

Mix veggies together well in medium sized bowl. In separate bowl combine the following:

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk in 1-2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil, combining thoroughly. Pour dressing mixture over vegetables and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

[Chelsey]

2 pounds slender carrots, sliced thinly like coins
1 seeded bell pepper, cut in strips
1 medium onion, slivered

Dressing:
1 can (8 oz) undiluted tomato soup
3/4 c. vinegar
scant 2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook cut carrots until just firm. Mix dressing ingredients, bring to a boil, and cool. Toss well drained carrots with bell pepper, onion, and dressing. Marinate 12 to 24 hours. Drain well before serving. This will keep in the fridge.

[Chelsey]

2 cans Black beans or kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatos
Onion to taste
Sliced Jalepeno to taste
A couple splashes of a dark beer (thus the borracho part )
A couple slices of bacon
Salt to taste
A dash of cumin
Chopped *fresh* cilantro, about 2 tablespoons

Simmer together until the juices have kinda, well, congealed. Its very unappetizing looking, but hot dang its tasty!

[Chelsey]

1 cup acini di pepe pasta (or orzo)
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained with liquid reserved
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
7 ounces miniature marshmallows
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 jar maraschino cherries, drained (opt)

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.
In medium saucepan, combine reserved liquids from pineapple and oranges (equals about 1 1/2 cups), sugar, eggs, salt and flour. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. When mixture becomes thick, add cooked pasta and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, add pineapple and oranges, whipped topping and marshmallows to taste. Mix together and top with cherries if desired. Keep chilled until served.

[Chelsey]

6 bacon slices
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups purchased barbecue sauce
3/4 cup dark beer
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 to 6 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
6 15- to 16-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Transfer 2 1/2 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet to large bowl. Finely chop bacon; add to bowl. Add onion and next 7 ingredients to bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in 4 to 6 teaspoons chipotle chilies, depending on spiciness desired. Stir in beans. Transfer bean mixture to 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Bake uncovered until liquidbubbles and thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes.

[Chelsey]

6 - 9 regular potatoes, or 9-12 red potatoes
4 slices bacon
3 hard-boiled eggs
3/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar to taste
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed (opt)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 30 minutes. If using regular potatoes, drain, let cool slightly, peel and slice. If using red potatoes, slice.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside, reserving drippings.

Saute onions in bacon drippings until they are golden-brown.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, celery seed, and pepper. Add to the sauteed onions and cook and stir until bubbly, then remove from heat. Stir in water and vinegar, then return to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Carefully stir bacon, eggs and sliced potatoes into the vinegar/water mixture, stirring gently until mixture is heated. Sprinkle chopped dried or fresh parsley on top as a garnish.