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!

Karen's Oriental Bok Choy Salad

This is one of Mom's go to salad to take to parties or picnics.  It is really yummy and not that difficult to make and is always a crowd pleaser! 

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 T sugar

1/2 cup sesame or sunflower seeds

2 (3oz) pkgs dry Ramen noodles (do not use seasoning)

1 (3oz) pkg almonds, sliced

2 lbs chopped bok choy or napa cabbage

4 green onions, sliced with tops

Dressing: 

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 T soy sauce

 In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add sugar, seeds (I used sunflower), broken up Ramen noodles and almonds.  Cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Cool to room temperature. 

I spread out my browned noodle mixture on a foil lined cookie sheet to cool.

 Place all dressing ingredients in a glass jar.

  Shake to combined.

 Coarsely chop up bok choy or napa cabbage (I used napa cabbage) you could also us a combination of the two. Chop up green onions and mix with greens.

Combined all ingredients together and enjoy!

Tip: Ingredients can all be prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept in separate containers. Keep greens and dressing in refrigerator.  Toss together just before serving. 

Grandma's Taco Salad

This was one of my favorite dinners growing up. I loved everything about it: the taste, that it was always served in the big green Tupperware bowl, the way Grandma shook up the dressing in a Mason jar and let me shake it up too and the way that our family almost finished the whole thing!

Grandma's Taco Salad

1 Package of 3 Romain Hearts - Chopped

1 Onion - Chopped
4 Tomatoes - Chopped
1/2 lb Cheddar Cheese - Grated

1 lb ground beef - Fried

1 15oz can of Kidney beans - Drained and Rinsed
1 Package of tortilla chips - Crushed

Dressing

1 Can Tomato soup
3/4 C Vinegar

2 Tbsp onion - Chopped

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp paprika
1 C vegetable oil
1/2 C sugar

Blend together in blender, if making ahead put in something you can shake it up in, so oil doesn't settle. Grandma used a Mason jar.

Put all salad ingredients in a big bowl and mix in dressing and mix it all together.

Enjoy!