Home Style Green Bean Casserole

Thanks Southern Living magazine!!

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 tablespoon Ranch dressing mix

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon butter

1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms

Vegetable cooking spray

1 cup French fried onions, crushed

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover in a Dutch oven 4 to 6 minutes or to desired degree of doneness; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry.

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in Dutch oven over medium heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisking constantly, cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk; cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes or until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and whisk in buttermilk and next 4 ingredients.

3. Melt 1 tsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms, and sauté 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Gently toss mushrooms and green beans in buttermilk sauce. Place in a 13- x 9-inch or 3-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4. Combine French fried onions and next 2 ingredients; sprinkle over green bean mixture.

5. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Squash Fritters

                                                                                                                                         

5 -6 squash (yellow or green, or mix)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 chopped onions

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons oil

Grate the squash with a cheese grater into mixing bowl.

Add the cheese, onion and egg.

Mix together and then add flour until it is almost a dry mix.

Heat oil in skillet and drop spoon size amounts of mixture into hot grease and take spoon and flatten them to make into shape of pancake.

Fry until golden brown and sprinkle with salt.

Deep Fried Onion Rings

                                                                                                                                          

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large onions, peeled, thinly sliced and separated into rings (1-lb. total)

Peanut oil

Seasoned salt

Slice onions, separate into rings and soak in ice water for 1 hour. Dry onion rings. Place flour in zip lock bag and toss rings. Deep fry onion rings until golden brown. Yum!!

Green Bean Bundles

                                                                                                                                        

1 lb. fresh green beans

1 large red bell peppers( cut into strips)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 1/2 lb. bacon

Directions

Blanch the green beans in boiling water for about 3 to 4 minutes. Run under cold water to stop the cooking or plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain completely and pat dry with a paper towel and put in a casserole dish. Add red bell pepper strips. Mix together the oil, mustard, garlic, salt and black pepper and pour over green beans and red bell peppers. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375. Make a bundle of 8 or 9 beans and 2 or 3 strips of red bell pepper and wrap with half a bacon slice around each bundle. Secure with a toothpick and arrange in a single layer in the same casserole dish used for marinating. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the bacon is cooked.

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

                                                                                                                                          

Thanks Martha Stewart!

Flour, for work surface

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

2.Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.