Easy Three Bean Salad is the new bean salad at our house. Everybody loves bean salad at Chez Charlene – all kinds. This is the new favorite version. The red wine vinegar makes a light dressing with no strong overpowering flavors so it goes with almost any main dish. It’s especially refreshing on a hot summer day. Ten servings makes this recipe ideal for a crowd – your contribution to a potluck or a salad for your own gathering. It also means more servings if you are cooking for just two or three, as I frequently do. The salad keeps well in the refrigerator – in fact, flavors mature and it becomes even better. How long can you keep it? Several days, but it never goes beyond one or two in our house because it disappears so quickly. It even gets eaten as a midafternoon ... [Read More]
Green Beans
Dilly Green Bean Salad
Dilly Green Bean Salad is a refreshing alternative to the usual three bean salad that’s a favorite at our house. The deep green color of the cooked frozen bean contrasted with bits of white onion and red pepper are festive, appealing to the eye and the tastebuds! I first had Dilly Bean Salad when a friend brought it to a summer outdoor brunch served on our deck. The red and green also make it perfect for a Christmas meal. However, it’s delicious and colorful any time of year! When my friend Sue K gave me the recipe,she told me to use “extra green canned beans” and said they were located in a small section with the other beans. I did not find them while we were preparing to move because shopping time was limited. After the move, I didn’t find them in our new stores because ... [Read More]
Slow Cooker Honey Pork with green beans
Honeyed Pork and green beans cooked long and slow in the slow cooker. Easy delicious one pot dinner. I tend to buy meat only when it is on sale. Usually I end up with several pieces of meat that need to be frozen or cooked immediately. This recipe works either way. Make it it right away. OR follow the Make Ahead Instructions to prepare everything ahead of time and freeze until needed. If desired, you can drop the sealed bag into another gallon bag and seal it. Then you don’t have to worry about the seal coming loose as multiple cooks (or snackers) rummage in the freezer. The first time I made this, I just dumped the ingredients on top of the meat. I assumed the heat of the crockpot would sort of melt and meld them together and they would spread over the meat as it ... [Read More]
Bacon Pecan Green Beans
Bacon Pecan Green Beans are sensational! Bacon! Brown Sugar! Pecans! Fresh Green Beans! Flavored with caramelized onions! Oh my great goodness! Forget the creamy bean casserole with the crushed onion topping that has graced the table since grandma started cooking. It was – and still is – good -but this . . . . This is a game changing green bean dish! A tableful of talkative adults turns into a very silent and focused “can’t eat this stuff fast enough” bunch. Forget the turkey or steak and whatever else is on the table. Don’t bother to breath until the last little bit of sugared bacon flavored pecan is gone. It’s that good! Maybe not so good for socializing – but a treat for the taste buds! Use whole fresh beans, cleaned and tips broken off, if you can find them out ... [Read More]
Four Bean Salad
Four bean salad! It has onions, beans for fiber and protein, lots of vitamins and minerals, healthy oils for necessary fat, vinegar (shown to help control blood sugar). It is filling. Plus it makes quite a bit and keeps well so it will work for several meals. It’s good with almost anything. It is almost a complete light meal by itself. It’s a recipe from my mother in law – changed (of course) to add the black beans. I mentioned yesterday that Wheels had surgery recently. Articles from the Cleveland Clinic mention the importance of protein, fiber and certain vitamins and minerals that aid in the healing process. Four Bean Salad meets the requirements and Wheels loves it. It can also be jazzed up by adding 1/4 cup each diced green and/or red or orange peppers without ... [Read More]
Sesame Green Beans
A Chinese place nearby has Sesame Green Beans as a staple on the buffet table and I make a beeline for them every time we eat there. Along with the Crab Rangoons! I raved over them one time to my sister Vee in one of our weekly phone calls. Oh, I make Sesame Green Beans every once in a while, she says, they are really good. Shocked silence on my end. How did she know about Sesame Beans? And why was she keeping them secret? Then she spilled the beans and gave me her recipe. (sorry – that just slipped out!) Of course, I didn’t get to it right away. After all, the Chinese place is down the street. Then we were invited to a get-together – a wonderful evening Thanksgiving feast on the patio in August. The hostess said it was easier to put a turkey in the oven than to cook ... [Read More]
