Return of summer food

We must be heading into summer because, this weekend, I found myself making summery, picnic food.  A lot of summery food.

Pasta Salad

Easiest dish in the world.  Cook some pasta (really, whatever tubular, wavy, spirally pasta you have).  Drain and rinse with cool water.  Toss with chopped lettuce (arugula, romaine, seriously whatever you have), cherry tomatoes, bits of cauliflower, chopped green pepper and carrots.  Pour on a vinaigrette and eat.  Delish!  Tastes like summer.

Fruit Salad

Second easiest dish in the world.  Cut up a honeydew melon, add grapes, blackberries and blueberries.  Mix.  Eat.  Yum.  If pasta salad tastes like summer, this fruit salad tastes like sunshine in a bowl.

 

 

Mom’s Baked Beans

Brace yourself.  In my opinion, my mom’s baked beans are the best on the planet (no hyperbole!).  These are so good I’ll eat them cold, eat them as a meal all by themselves, eat them with a fox on a box, etc. etc.  They are ridiculously good.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2- 15 oz cans of pork and beans
• approximately 1 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbl chili powder
• 1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbl brown sugar
• salt, black pepper and worchestershire sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown ground beef  and drain.  Add in bell pepper and onion and cook until slightly softened (just a couple of minutes).  Put the beef, bell pepper and onion mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Add in both cans of beans.  Squirt in about a cup of ketchup, then add chili powder, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar.  Mix it up, adding in any black pepper, salt or worchestershire sauce to taste.  Bake for an hour.  Yep, an hour.  Don’t shortchange the time.

This dish is heartier than most baked beans I’ve tried because of the addition of ground beef.  It has almost a chili-like consistency.  My dad likes them “baked dry” so they aren’t so gloppy on a plate and the flavors are concentrated down.  So. Good.

What did you make this weekend?  Are you craving summery foods too?

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