Tag Archive | potluck recipe

REAL Food Recipe: Green Bean Casserole

Dec11

gb casserole final

In my family, Green Bean Casserole is a must at any holiday meal.  In the past, I have made the “traditional” green bean casserole with the canned soup and processed onions, but in my opinion, this very simple recipe with all real food ingredients is much better!  The onions and peppers caramelize, and it is SO good!  I make it for every holiday and the adults love it!  (My kids don’t like anything that is made with onions, but hopefully that will eventually change.)

Ingredients:

gb casserole ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh green beans, cut (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large (or 2 small) onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • Paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Butter the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish.
  3. Wash green beans, remove ends, and cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch)
  4. Place 1 cup green beans into the baking dish.
  5. Top with 1 cup onions and 1 cup green peppers.
  6. Sprinkle paprika, salt, and pepper.
  7. Cut 1 Tablespoon butter into 4 cubes.  Place one cube in each corner on top of the vegetables.gb casserole
  8. Add one cup of green beans, then the remaining onions and the remaining green pepper.
  9. Sprinkle paprika, salt, and pepper.
  10. Cut 1 Tablespoon remaining butter into 4 cubes.  Place cubes over this layer, spaced evenly.gb casserole2
  11. Add the remaining green beans.
  12. Cut remaining Tablespoon butter into 4 cubes.  Place on top of this layer, spaced evenly.gb casserole3
  13. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
  14. Bake until green beans are tender (about 1 – 1 1/2 hours).gb casserole time

This is what it will look like when it is finished cooking.  Enjoy!! 🙂

gb casserole cooked

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Green Bean Casserole

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound fresh green beans, cut (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large (or 2 small) onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • Paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Butter the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish.
  3. Wash green beans, remove ends, and cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch)
  4. Place 1 cup green beans into the baking dish.
  5. Top with 1 cup onions and 1 cup green peppers.
  6. Sprinkle paprika, salt, and pepper.
  7. Cut 1 Tablespoon butter into 4 cubes. Place one cube in each corner on top of the vegetables.
  8. Add one cup of green beans, then the remaining onions and the remaining green pepper.
  9. Sprinkle paprika, salt, and pepper.
  10. Cut 1 Tablespoon remaining butter into 4 cubes. Place cubes over this layer, spaced evenly.
  11. Add the remaining green beans.
  12. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
  13. Bake until green beans are tender (about 1 - 1½ hours)

 

Healthy Summer Recipe: Watermelon & Fruit “Cake”

Jun26

June 14, 2014 012 crop

Here is a fun and healthy recipe to take to any summer potluck. We’ve already made this for a few occasions, and it was a huge hit! This is a super-easy (and healthy) recipe to make and the kids love to get involved! My 6-year-old daughter designed this watermelon cake for her cousin’s birthday party. You can use any fruit you like in this recipe, but this is what we used:

 Ingredients:

1 Whole Watermelon

2 Kiwi, peeled, halved, and cut into ¼ inch slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 can (11oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

Fresh strawberries (about 20)

Chocolate chips (about 20)

¼ cup blueberries

Red grapes (about 20)

Green grapes (about 20)

Instructions:

  1. Lay the watermelon on a cutting board.  Find the thickest part of the watermelon (the center). Cut a 3½-inch slice of the thickest part of the watermelon. Lay the slice flat on the cutting board and cut the rind off, making it as close to a circle as possible. (Ours ended up being 7 inches in diameter). Place this slice directly on the dish you will be using to serve. (We used a round cake taker because we were transporting it to a party.)
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  3. From one of the remaining watermelon halves, cut a 2 ½-inch thick slice. Lay it flat on the cutting board, and cut off the rind, forming a circle (our circle ended up being 4 ½ inches in diameter.) Center this slice on top of the larger slice.
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  5. Cut the remaining watermelon into bite-sized pieces to mix in with your other fruit if desired.
  6. Now comes the fun part, where you may want to get the kids involved! Decorate as you wish, using any fruits you like and arranging them into patterns if desired.  If you like the way ours came out, just copy the picture.  Otherwise, get creative with your designs.  The possibilities are endless!!
  7. If you’re transporting the cake to a party, you may need to make additional adjustments when you arrive.
  8. Enjoy!! 🙂