Grandma's Four Bean Salad

This salad was always around in the summer at picnics or hot summer evenings.  I have never been a fan of this salad, mostly because I don't really like canned green beans, but this salad does make me think of family. 

Ingredients:

1 can waxed beans

1 can green beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can kidney beans

1 Bermuda onion or bunch of green onions

1 green pepper

1 bunch of celery

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Drain and rinse all the beans

Chop celery

Chop green pepper

Mix sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper together.  I used a mason jar to shake everything together.

I used kitchen shears to cut up a bunch of green onions, I'm not sure what a Bermuda onion is.

Pour dressing over everything and mix it up. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Enjoy!

Grandma's Empanadas

My Grandpa was stationed in Panama while he was in the military. Here is one of the recipes that came from the time that they lived in Panama. When I ran out of meat filling I took some quinoa I had in the fridge and mixed in some salsa and used it to fill the rest of the pastry I had left. It made a tasty vegetarian filling. 

Ingredients:

Pastry:

4 sticks of butter

2 (8oz) cream cheese

4 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

Filling:

1 lb of hamburger

1 Tbsp flour

1/8 cup water

1/2 package chili or taco seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat

Add in the rest of filling ingredients cook and cook a few minutes more

let cool

Mix butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add in flour

Roll out dough and cut out circles (I used a little bowl)

fill with meat, because of the size of my dough circles I used a tsp of meat

fold over dough

seal with a fork

brush empanadas with egg white

 Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until golden brown

 Enjoy!

Great Aunt Dump's Spice Cookies

This recipe was giving to me by Aunt Diane form her Aunt Dump.  I have never made these cookies so let the fun begin!  I decided I like the cookies rolled out a little on the thick side, they are a nice light cookie.

Great Aunt Dump, Great Aunt Max and Grandma

(I love this picture because it makes Grandma look tall and she is 4'11") 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup shortening or butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sour milk = 1 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar 

Enough flour to make a soft dough (I added 3 cups first and kept adding flour by the 1/2 cup until I got a soft dough.  I added 5 1/2 cups of flour)

 Sour milk = 1 cup milk + 1tsp vinegar

 add vinegar, mix and let stand for 10-15 mins

cream butter and sugar together

add in all other ingredients

Add enough flour until you get a soft dough

put some dough on a floured surface

  roll out about 1/4 in to 1/2 in

I added some extra cinnamon, sprinkle it on and then smooth it in

use a cookie cutter and cut out cookies

 place cookies on parchment paper lined baking sheet 

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes

let cookies cool

Enjoy!