Dave's Beer Brats

2 pkg Johnsonville Beer Bratwursts

1 large sliced onion

2 large cans (16-24 oz) Beer (We use Heineken)

2 pkg large Hoagie style buns

Fill large stockpot with beer and sliced onion. Boil until firm (about 20-30 minutes). Then throw on the grill for about 5 minutes or so. You can also throw the onions on the grill as well, if you're using them as toppings. Sorry its not very exact, you just have to eyeball it sometimes. We load ours up with tons of toppings: onions, sauerkraut, diced tomatoes, ketchup, jalapenos, coney island mustard (use beaver creek brand), etc.

If you like heartburn, stop by our house in the fall when the Utes are playing. These are always on the grill. They are seriously fantastic, and no, you can't substitute for the beer. It will taste gross if you try to use seltzer or whatever.

Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

I don't take credit for the photo, it's a recipe I adapted/changed from Kraft over the years. I keep my recipe book updated in Word with photos too!

3/4 cup Light Ranch Dressing                     

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/3 cup Bacon, cooked and crumbled      

2 lbs. red potatoes, quartered

1 TBSP chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dressing, cheese, and bacon in large bowl. Add potatoes and toss lightly. 

Spoon into lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish, cover with foil. Bake 40 min. then remove foil. Bake another 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

**Feel free to experiment with the amount of ranch and cheese to coat the potatoes to your liking. 

Side- BBQ Baked Beans

Picture to follow when we make it this week.

2 Cans (28 oz) Pork and Beans
1 Can Black Beans (drained)
1/2 lb cooked diced bacon ( I use turkey bacon)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup catsup
1 lg onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 tsp liquid smoke -or 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix and warm in saucepan on medium till brown sugar melted.

Suprisingly Simple Cranberry Salad

Things have to be pretty simple and straightforward to be served in this house. I'm famous for my mistakes, and my good dishes go unnoticed :)

The Musts:
Spinach
Nuts- I like toasted walnuts, but almonds work great
Dried Cranberries (the real secret)

That's it- Everything else is just optional for added pizzaz.

The Options:
Hard boiled eggs
Cheese
honey mustard dressing, poppy seed or even ranch or whatever is on hand

Strawberry Banana Shortcake

*The bananas make this delish!

1 pkg white cake mix      ¼ cup milk

3 egg whites                     1 pkg banana cream pudding

1 cup water                       1 tub Cool Whip

1 tub frozen strawberries (24 oz)     1/3 cup vegetable oil

 1-2 ripe bananas, diced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan. Combine mix, milk, eggs, water, pudding,  and oil. Beat on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes. Fold in diced bananas. Pour batter into pan and bake about 30-35 minutes. Use toothpick to check the center. Let cool completely and then top with Cool Whip and strawberries. Don’t forget to place them in the fridge beforehand to thaw!