Fresh Cooked Green Beans

Ingredients:
Fresh Green Beans
Butter
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
To prepare the green beans for cooking, snap the ends off of each bean. Wash green beans thoroughly with cold water. Place beans in a pressure cooker on top of a steaming rack. Fill the pressure cooker with hot water just to the level off the rack. Sprinkle the beans with a little bit of salt.  Place the uncovered pressure cooker on the stove over high heat and heat until the water is boiling. Once the water is boiling place the lid on the pressure cooker tightening it to make sure it is secure and place the bobber on the top. Keep the heat on high. Once the steam causes the bobber to bob back and forth start a timer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, cool the pressure cooker under cold water until all the pressure is released and you can easily open the lid. (Tip: Open the lid on the back side of the cooker so that the steam doesn't burn your hands or your face.) Check that the beans are fully cooked and tender by poking them with a fork. If they aren't all the way tender, put the pressure cooker back on the stove until they do come out tender. (Sometimes I will let the timer go for a little longer than 2 minutes just to be sure the beans are done.) Butter and add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm!

Tip: For variety, thinly slice a small amount of onion and add to the beans before cooking.

Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: unknown

Scratch Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup milk

ground cinnamon (for sprinkling on top if desired)

Fruit filling (see below for some options)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the butter in a 9x13 glass pan and place pan in the oven while it preheats. Remove the pan once the butter is melted. Meanwhile mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add the milk and stir until ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over the butter (do not stir). Then pour your fruit filling over the batter layer (again, do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm or cold with ice cream.

For peach cobbler:

In a large skillet, combine 1 cup sugar, 4 cups fresh peach slices (about 6-8 medium peaches), and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Bring ingredients to a boil over high heat stirring constantly. Use for the fruit filling.

For apple cobbler:

in a large skillet combine 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 6-7 jonathon apples (peeled and sliced), and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Cook over medium high heat until apple are softened (about 10 minutes) stirring constantly. Use for the fruit filling.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 quarts Half and Half

1 + 1/2 cups whipping cream

2 cups sugar

5 Tbsp. Vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Put in an electric ice maker and and make according to the manufacturers directions. Once complete in the ice cream maker, put in a freezer container and freeze for a few hours until it is hardened.

Time to Make: about 4 hours (including ice cream maker and freezing time)

Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Origin: cousin Renae who got it from an old family friend (Mimi)