Cowboy Beans

Cowboy Beans
The picture here doesn't even begin to look as good as the recipe I am recommending you try but believe me it's a must for summer or fall picnics. My recipe is deeper and richer than this pictures shows and has many layers of flavors.
So, I made one of the best things in a long time and I made it up basically from a Calico Bean recipe but on steroids!  I need to make a slight disclaimer at this point that my proportions are not exact but pretty darn close.  Sometimes I share recipes such as this and because I am a a "toss about this much in" type of cook and some folks (like my son) scream that it didn't turn out like mine, so hear my disclaimer now!  Some things are forgiving and inexact and some are not. This is a pretty forgiving one, so here is what I put in ans it make a LARGE batch, that will fill a whole crock pot.
Make a batch for a big crowd or divide it in half and freeze one.


2 cans black beans (all beans drained)
2 cans white beans
2 cans red kidney beans
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 large can baked beans
1 c crumbled cooked bacon
1 large vadellia onion saute until golden brown and caramelized 
2/3 c maple syrup
1/2-2/3 c Ketchup
1/2 c Jack Daniels BBQ sauce
1 TBSP dry mustard
1 lb lean ground beef browned well and drained
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt & and pepper to taste (lots of cracked fresh pepper)
1 tube Jimmy Dean's ground breakfast sausage browned and drained well
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper
1 bottle lager beer
liquid smoke to taste


In a large pot toss in a couple of tablespoons butter on a medium high stove top and throw in diced onion. Cook until nicely caramelized. Stirring constantly and being careful to not burn them. Turn temperature down medium low. Once done, add maple syrup,bacon Ketchup,BBQ sauce 1/2 c water and one bottle beer. Stir until well all blended. Set aside.
In another pan brown sausage and lean ground beef until well done. Drain and mix with onion mixture.
Drain all canned beans except for baked beans and combine with onion and beer mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake in oven until bubbly at 350 for about 45-60 minutes or put into crock pot for about two-three hours.  I don't like to over bake or heat beans too long due to the beans starting to break down. It is amazing and the response I got was "what on earth did you do to these beans?" "They are unbelievable and I can't get them into my mouth fast enough!" I served them with a smoke beef brisket, rolls, hot sweet pickles, salty potato chips, and some red potato dill potato salad and coconut cake balls. It was fun to see the reaction to this meal. I am so glad it blessed them! 

Jello Shots recipe

Jello Shots recipe

Happy New Year

The Best Sugar Cookies You Ever Ate or Snitched

Oh MY!  If you have ever seen a plate of sugar cookies and was tempted to dive in, and then to your dismay they were too hard, too dense, or way too sweet, get ready to be smitten by these amazing sugar cookies. These cookies are great because they have butter & oil and cream of tarter. You must not skimp on these and they will turn out perfect every time. Folks take one bite and all seem to have the same response; "ooooooooohhhh, these are really good!"
Here you go:
Cream together: 1 c butter (no substitution), 2 eggs, 2 c sugar, 1 c oil ( not olive) canola, corn, or vegetable oil is fine, 2 tsp vanilla
In another bowl whisk dry ingredients; 5 cup flour, 2 tsp soda, 2 tsp cream of tartar
With mixer on low, blend flour mixture gradually into butter mixture until all blended. Dough will be moist and don't add extra flour. Scoop up with small or medium ice cream scoop so all cookies will be uniform in size. You may roll dough in colored sugar, mash down with the bottom of a glass and bake, or just bake plain at 350 F. for 12 minutes. Do not  over bake! Edges will be only slightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack until completely cooled, then if they are left plain you can frost with the frosting of your choice.  I like to make up a frosting that has 3 c powdered sugar, 4-8 ox cream cheese,  1 tsp. vanilla and heavy whipping cream until creamy, thick and smooth. It's a great for cupcakes and cookies of all types. Enjoy!

Home Made Spiced Chai Concentrate

Spiced Chai Concentrate4 1/2 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
7 whole cardamom pods
2 whole star anise pods
10 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange zest
10 bags of black tea
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vanilla

Prepare the spices and the tea, and set aside. Bring the water to a boil, and remove from heat. Add the spices and the tea bags, and allow the mixture to steep for 15 minutes.



Strain the mixture into a 4-cup glass measuring cup or large bowl, discarding the spices. Add the sugar, honey and the vanilla, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

To serve, mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part milk. Heat for a warm beverage, or pour over ice to enjoy cold.

Sweet Corn Fritters

I went to a family July 4th dinner last night and the food was spectacularly American picnic! Lots of salads,deviled eggs, baked beans and cherry pie, but one thing in particular that I simply must have the recipe for is Beer batter corn fritters. Elaine Fenner was making them outside on a make shift table with a (Lord help us) deep fat fryer. Now mind you this is a once a year indulgence that it not a healthy morsel, but OH the amazing flavor and appearance was just fantastic. So here you go gang for your next outdoor picnic. Be prepared to make them as you eat them because this is not a make ahead item.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Our daughter Emily had these at a shower recently and said they were amazing. Any flavor cake mix will work. Placing them on a pop cycle stick and putting them in a bowl with floral  marbles or a pot with sand in them to display is really cute. Ever wonder what those ball things at Starbucks are? Well, here you go!

Red Velvet Cake Ball

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Want to see how good they look in white chocolate?