Summertime Sides

​It's almost Independence Day, which means cookouts galore! So this week we have several different side dish recipes that are ideal for summer parties. Since the recipes are so straightforward, we'll just have them in text rather than writing a recipe card for each one. As always, use what you like, and enjoy!

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​Bacon & Beans

Ingredients

• 2 c fresh green or yellow beans - snap before washing
• 2-4 strips bacon
• ¼ to ½ tsp salt
• ¼ c chopped onion

Directions

• Snap the beans into about 2 inch pieces, then wash in a colander
• Put beans in a pot and cover with water. Add salt
• Bring to a boil and let boil for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside
• Fry the bacon strips in a large skillet until it’s almost done but not crispy
• Remove bacon and set on a plate, leaving bacon grease in the skillet
• Sautee beans and chopped onions in the bacon grease for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent
• Cut up bacon into ½ inch pieces and add to skillet
• Cook for 5 more minutes, until beans are hot and the onions and bacon are cooked
• Add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot

​Sliced Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

Use whatever vegetables you like. This is an example of what Mary Mac usually makes

• 3-4 cucumbers, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 purple onion or sweet onion, sliced as thin as possible
• 3-4 big tomatoes, core removed and sliced into very thin wedges
• 2-3 bell peppers, any kind, sliced into ¼ inch rings (cutting sideways)
• ¾ to 1 c red wine vinaigrette or your favorite salad dressing

Directions

• Layer the sliced vegetables into a 9x13 pan as follows: cucumbers, onions, peppers, tomatoes
• Pour dressing over the top of the vegetables
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight to let the flavors meld
• Add salt and pepper to taste, serve chilled

​Fruit Salad

Ingredients

Use whatever fruit you like. This is an example of what Mary Mac usually makes

• 1 qt blueberries
• 8 peaches, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 dozen cherries, pitted
• ½ watermelon, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6 apples, chopped into ½ inch pieces

Directions

• Put all the fruit into a bowl and mix it up
• Please do not put lemon juice on the fruit! It’ll make it taste weird. If you really want your fruit to not change colors, add pineapple juice instead. It does the same thing and tastes much better
• Serve the same day you make it

​Corn on the Cob

Ingredients

• However many ears of corn you want to make

Directions

• Put all the corn into a big pot, cover with cold water
• Bring to a boil
• Corn is done as soon as you can smell corn, usually 10 minutes after it comes to a boil

​Fried Squash

Ingredients

• Small squash, 1 ½ to 2 in diameter (yellow squash, crookneck squash, summer squash, or zucchini)
• Beaten egg
• Flour

Directions

• Clean squash, cut the tips of off each end, and slice into ¼ inch thick pieces
• For batter, put beaten egg in one bowl and flour in another
• Pour about ½ inch of oil into a skillet, heat up on medium heat
• Dip pieces of squash in the beaten egg, coat in flour, then fry in the skillet
• Once fried, set on a plate with paper towels to drain
• Sprinkle salt on the fried squash, then enjoy!

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