Easy Ham n' Beans with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Quick Fruit Salad

If you'd rather cook the beans from scratch, buy a few bags of great Northern beans and cook them according to the package directions. It takes several hours to cook beans from scratch, but most time they lend a better flavor then jarred pre-cooked beans.

Ham n' Beans Ingredients

• 3 large jars of pre-cooked beans
• 2 packages of diced cooked ham
• 1 onion
• 2 ribs of celery

Ham n' Beans Directions

Clean the celery and peel the onion, and then dice them into a saucepan. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the celery is tender. Meanwhile, using a large soup pot, open the beans and dump them inside. Add the ham and cook over low heat. Drain the vegetables into a colander and then add them to the bean mixture. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, or until hot. Serve immediately.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Ingredients

• 8 slices of bread
• 8 slices of American cheese
• Margarine spread

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Directions

This recipe makes 4 sandwiches. Lay the bread on your clean kitchen counter and "butter" one side of it with the margarine, taking care not to spread it too thick, yet covering all of the bread. Place a large skillet on your stovetop and turn the heat to medium-high. Place two slices of bread into the skillet, margarine-side down. Place two slices of cheese onto each piece of bread, and then top the cheese with a slice of bread, margarine-side up. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the sandwiches to cook for about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, check the bottom of one of the sandwiches. When the bread has fried to a golden brown, turn each sandwich, flatten slightly with the spatula, and fry until golden brown. Remove the sandwiches to a plate and start the next batch. Keep your sandwiches warm in the microwave oven until you've finished making all of them.

Quick Fruit Salad Ingredients

• 1 can of fruit cocktail
• 1 can of mandarin oranges
• 1 can of crushed pineapple
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup of coconut

Quick Fruit Salad Directions

Open the canned fruit and dump them into a colander to drain slightly, and then place them into a serving bowl. Peel and then slice the bananas into the bowl. Add the coconut and gently toss to coat the coconut. Chill for one hour and then serve.