Old Settler's Beans

 Make a double batch--there were no leftovers at my house!  Loved by young and old alike, this will be a hit at your next covered dish supper or BBQ.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bacon, cut in small pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 can green butter beans (I think it's probably Lima beans, so that is what I used)
1 can kidney beans
1 can pork & beans, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup catsup
1/2 T. dry mustard
2 T. molasses
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1.  In a dutch oven, brown the hamburger, bacon , and onion together.  Do not drain.
2.  Add all the beans and stir together.
3.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add to the bean/meat mixture.  Stir to combine.
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


NOTE:  This can be cooked over hot coals for about an hour and would be great on a camping trip.


Source:  My friends Tim & Casey Van Buskirk of Tucson, AZ.

Yummy Healthy Spinach Salad

This recipe was shared on Facebook with no title, so I gave it one.  Oh goodness.  Here is a quote from the original post: "This SPINACH-based salad will boost the thyroid gland's output of metabolism-reviving hormones!"

Ingredients:

5 oz. fresh spinach (half a 10-oz. bag)

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 15-oz. can mandarin oranges (or fresh Cuties/Halos, or 1 cup pomegranate seeds.  I used the mandarins.)

1 large Granny Smith apple, cut in bite-size pieces

1 t. lemon juice

1/3 cup pecans--I toasted mine in butter and a little sea salt

Optional: Feta cheese & orecchiette pasta (did you know that means little ears?)

Dressing: (I made this separately, in case I needed to adjust the amount I poured on the salad):

4 T. olive oil or vegetable oil

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. white wine vinegar

2-4 t. white sugar (or honey or Stevia to taste)--I used 3 t. sugar

1/8 t. each of paprika, onion powder

1 T. poppy seeds

Just throw it all together and enjoy!

I also added grilled chicken to this.  Makes a great main dish salad that way.

Source:  Tammy Elmore, Facebook, 1/5/16.