Macaroni Salad

14.5 oz box of macaroni
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 C baby carrots, sliced
1 T minced onion
4 oz. frozen peas
1 C mayo (we used mayo made with olive oil)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 T cider vinegar
paprika
parsley
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; be sure not to over cook the pasta so that the noodles become overly soft.

Add the frozen peas in the last minute of cooking. Then, drain. While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggiesAllow the pasta and peas to cool down and then place in a large bowl.  As the pasta cools down, stir every few minutes to prevent the noodles from clumping together as they dry.Add the chopped up veggies. Stir to combine.Add the minced onion, and stir these veggies in too. Alternatively, you can use fresh onion here.Stir together the mayo, sugar, dry mustard, and cider vinegar until smooth and creamy. Pour the mayo mixture over the pasta.  Do this in small batches.  Add a little, stir it in well and repeat.  This way, the creamy sauce gets all over the pasta and you can stir it in well. Stir in the mayo mixture until the pasta and veggies are coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  If desired, you can also add tuna fish or chicken (either canned or grilled chicken breast).

Yummy Pinto Beans

3 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
1/2 cup  brown sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. molasses
12 oz. lean bacon (I have made this dish without this)
3 cups tomato juice ( I have used my own home canned tomatoes, 1qt. or equivalent amounts of canned stewed tomatoes or whatever I had on hand.)
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 large onion, finely chopped

Put beans in large pot and cover with water and salt well ( I have read that you should not salt beans before you cook them because they will not cook completely, they will still be hard. I have never found that to be true and always salt my beans. It gives them so much flavor.). Cook beans until soft. Check often as you may need to add more water. When beans are completely cooked drain them, setting aside a few cups of the bean broth, and add tomatoes, spices, brown sugar, molasses. Slowly cook onion and bacon in frying pan. Drain. Add to beans. Add enough of the reserved bean broth to cover beans by one inch. Let this simmer slowly and watch carefully as beans seem to scorch easily, for about one to two hours to allow flavors to blend. This dish is excellent with cornbread or home made bread and a salad.

Texas Barbeque Sauce

~This recipe makes a big batch of BBQ sauce with just a hint of spiciness!
1- 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 c water
½ c ketchup, fruit sweetened if possible
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
¼ c brown sugar
2 t dry mustard
2 t salt
½ t chili powder
¼ t cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors.

Japanese Deli / Bento Style Hamburgers

2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. garlic Salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. onion powder

Combine all ingredients. Form into patties and fry until cooked through.
These were not firm enough to put on the grill (fell apart), but they are more than fine in a fry pan.
It says it serves 6.

Fabulous Baked Beans

4 cups cooked navy beans (aka small white beans), save liquid from cooking the beans
½ c ketchup,
½ cup  or brown sugar
2 T white vinegar
1 T dried minced onion
½ t dry mustard
1 t minced garlic
Salt, to taste..  if you cook your beans with salt then you may not need to salt them any more
Pepper to taste

Combine all of the above ingredients and add reserved bean liquid to make it soupy.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are of a desired thickness and the flavors have blended well

Coleslaw

1 medium head cabbage, chopped very finely
¼ cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup sugar
½ t. pepper
¼ cup milk
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
1 T white vinegar
2 T lemon juice

Put chopped cabbage and shredded carrots in a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add this to the cabbage and mix until cabbage is well coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for minimum of 2 hours before serving

Cranberry-Barbeque Meatballs

    * 2 16-ounce packages frozen cooked plain meatballs, thawed (32 meatballs each) or 32 homemade meatballs.
    * 1 16-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
    * 1 cup barbecue sauce

directions

   1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker place meatballs. In a medium bowl combine cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Pour over meatballs in cooker; stir to coat.

   2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Serve meatballs with toothpicks. If desired, keep warm on low-heat setting for up to 2 hours.

   3. Makes 64 meatballs (obviously)

 Saucepan variation: In a large saucepan combine thawed meatballs and desired sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

BBQ Crockpot Meatballs

2lbs hamburger
2 slices homemade wheat bread, cubed
2 eggs
½ small onion, chopped or amount to taste
½ to 1 teaspoon Spike or seasoning salt
salt and pepper, as desired

Sauce:
1 cup barbeque sauce, homemade preferred
1 cup peach jam, or apricot will also work

To make meatballs combine hamburger, bread cubes, eggs, onion, salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Form into small balls and put in an 11x15 pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a meatball cut in half is completely cooked through.

Prepare sauce by mixing together bbq sauce and jam.

After meatballs have cooked lift them out of the pan and place in crockpot. Pour sauce over them. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.