Memorial Day Foods

This weekend I have been cooking up a storm! Bryan commented to me what a good cook I've become so I must be doing something right these days! I am usually very conscious about cooking as healthy as possible, but I 'll be very honest, my extended family isn't on the same wave length as I am. Healthy to them is not adding ice cream onto the heaping pile of cake or not adding creamer to the coffee. When I cook for them I pretty much disregard all health notions because I know it will just be met with a fight and it isn't worth it n the end.

Today we BBQed brats, burgers and dogs and as sides I grilled fresh corn on the cob, made some doctored up beans, made a delish caprese salad and baked a peach dump cake. Everyone else supplied the rest of the sides. I'll be the first to admit that the beans were loaded with fat and sugar, but they were a hit. I will only make these bad boys for special occasions like a holiday BBQ. The caprese salad was divine! The basil came fresh from my garden! I cannot wait to pick tomatoes from my garden, too. I would happily make and devour this light, tasty dish throughout the summer months. The peach dump cake was another yummy hit. This cake is so easy to make, you have to try it at least once! The smell of the cinnamon and peaches baking fills the kitchen with a heavenly scent!

Southern Style BBQ Baked Beans


Ingredients
56oz of pork & beans
11oz can of pork & beans
3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
2 teaspoons of dry mustard
1/2 green bell pepper diced
1/2 onion diced
8 slices of bacon, cut in half

Directions
1. In an iron skillet, fry the bacon slices just enough to render some bacon grease. Keep the bacon soft and half cooked, do not cook all the way! Remove bacon, but keep the grease in the skillet.
2. Place diced onions and peppers into the grease and cook until tender.
3. In a small bowl mix together the BBQ sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses and dry mustard. Pour mixture into the skillet and mix together well with the onions and peppers.
4. Pour the cans of beans into the skillet, mixing well with the sauce. Simmer on low to medium heat until it starts to bubble.
5. Transfer beans into a baking dish. Place the slices of bacon on top of the beans. Bake on 320 degrees for 2 hours. You want the sauce to be thick like syrup.
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Caprese Salad


Ingredients
2 tomatoes
2 balls of fresh mozzarella
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
coarse sea salt
pepper
fresh basil leaves

Directions
1. Slice tomatoes and mozzarella into thick slices.
2. On a small plate or platter, alternate tomato slice with a mozzarella slice and so on.
3. Tuck a piece of fresh basil in between each slice of tomato and mozzarella (the pattern will look like red/green/white, red/green/white, etc).
4. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the dish.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Drizzle lightly with the vinegar.
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Peach Dump Cake


Ingredients
2 cans of peaches in heavy syrup
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter
ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Spread both cans of peaches with the syrup on the bottom of a casserole dish. (I used a 9x13 dish, but you could use a small dish if you want a thicker cake.)
2. Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix over the peaches.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and place on top of the cake mix.
4. Sprinkle the cake with ground cinnamon.
5. Bake on 350 for about 40 minutes.

Happy Memorial Day to all of my family and friends. A very special thank you to all of the brave women and men (past, present and future) who have served in the military for our freedom. Without you we wouldn't have the luxury of backyard BBQs or visits with family and friends.  Bless you!