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Archive for the ‘Side Dishes’ Category

This is probably one of the most clever ways to cook/fry some hash brown potatoes! Seriously, I had some doubts about this…..I mean who cooks potatoes in cream and then expects them to turn out perfectly browned and, well….ya know, hash browned?

These were incredible, and perfect! Now, my husband is every inch a meat and potatoes kind of guy and when I say fried potatoes, he really perks up. Maybe it’s the fact that he was born and raised in Idaho……hmmmmm, the potato gene?

Anyway…..these are not only incredible, but extremely easy to cook them.

Start by cutting up a couple of pounds of potatoes and then sprinkling on some kosher salt.

Then add a cup of heavy cream – all in a non-stick skillet.

Turn the burner on a medium low heat, when the potatoes come to a boil cover those babies and let them just get all happy in there for about 10 minutes.

Now uncover the potatoes and continue to cook on a medium high heat, turning over with a spatula occasionally – about 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has been evaporated and the potatoes are well browned. Serve immediately.

Hashbrowned Potatoes in Cream
From: Cooks Country

Ingredients:
2 lb russet potatoes, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Cup heavy cream

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a non-stick skillet and cook on medium low heat until a slow boil, then cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and turn heat to medium high, continue to cook, turning occasionally with a spatula until all liquid has evaporated and potatoes have browned. Serve immediately.

Well, this is my Thanksgiving post!!! The fact that we’re already back here celebrating the holidays after what seems like a month still has me reeling. Even the spring time this year passed very quickly. Remember when you were a kid and the days just seemed just crawl by and it always seemed like there was plenty of time to do you wanted? Yeah….the older I get, the more quickly the time passes each year and the more I reminisce about those days when life was much slower and carefree!

Last year about this time, I posted some really good recipes that we make each year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, these are the recipes that the family looks forward to each year as well – AND the leftovers are just as good too! I’ve also added another recipe for the collection this year…..cranberry sauce, and it’s so much better than the stuff that we find in the cans, not that the canned stuff isn’t good, but I guarantee this is much better!

To begin with the sweet potato casserole is pretty much to die for – the creamy dreamy texture with a nice, buttery, sweet, and slightly crisp topping is just fabulous!

Then my own creation: Italian Sausage and Wild Rice Dressing, doesn’t sound like anything extraordinary but it’s been a hit with the family since I started making it. In fact, everyone always asks if that is going to be served with dinner. It’s funny too, everyone in our family calls it “German Dressing”, I’m afraid there isn’t anything German about it, but I suppose it’s all in the eye of the beholder, right?

Forging ahead, the Crescent rolls..…what’s Thanksgiving dinner without rolls??? And these are really yummy, they’re super buttery and just a hint of sweetness that just begs for butter to be melted over the top of it. These are really awesome folks. In my original post, I demonstrated that this bread dough could also be used for cinnamon rolls so if you’re feeling adventurous, you could take and use half of the dough for the rolls and the other half for cinnamon rolls – your family will say thank you too!

And finally, fresh cranberry sauce which has orange juice and sugar in it. Oh my……cranberry sauce really wasn’t my thing until my mom made some of this one year, changed my life – really!! The great thing about this stuff too is that it can be served warm or chilled AND it can be dabbed onto that turkey sandwich the next day too, no kidding, that stuff’s dang good!!!! Ok – I’m making myself salivate here.

I hope that your Thanksgiving is filled with special family memories and wonderful blessings!

A couple of days ago I received an email from America’s Test Kitchen offering cooking classes online. At first I was a bit skeptical because generally when you think about cooking classes, one has the tendency to picture that happening in a real life atmosphere in a cooking type class room. So I decided to go further and really check it out, after all we ARE talking about America’s Test Kitchen! Looking into it, I was pretty impressed and decided to sign up. I’m so glad I signed up, I’ve had more fun and learned so much just in the two days that I’ve been reading and cooking! The first thing that I wanted to try was roasted carrots and grilled salmon – I’ve never made roasted carrots and salmon has always been a bit of a mystery for me with lots of just OK or just plain and simple failed attempts. This was a shocker of an experience!!!! First, the salmon was perfect and not once did it stick to the grill (but this is for another post). The carrots were amazing and I could have seriously made a meal out of them alone!

I first peeled a pound of carrots……don’t they look like, well……like carrots? Ha

Then I cut each carrot into about the same size, so the tops I cut in half, the rest I just cut into 2 inch pieces. Then the fun part started…..I melted 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (salted butter smokes a lot easier than unsalted butter) and poured it over the raw carrots and then I sprinkled some kosher salt and pepper over them and tossed them to make sure they were coated completely with butter and seasonings.

Once the carrots were coated, I lined a rimmed  baking sheet with foil and placed the carrots on the baking sheet.

Then I covered the carrots with more foil and baked them covered for 15 minutes.

Once the 15 minutes were up, I removed the foil and returned the carrots to the oven for another 15 minutes.

I turned them once and baked for yet another 15 minutes and then my salivary glands took over! Just look at those wonderful pieces of joy and wonder!!!! They are perfectly browned, they’re nice and plump, with a nice nutty flavor. These are simply fabulous guys, you really need to try this!!!!

I’ve decided that this is my new favorite roasted vegetable……what’s your favorite??? I’m interested to find out!

Roasted Carrots
From America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 Lb raw carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 425, Peel carrots and cut into 2 inch pieces and place into a medium bowl. Add butter, salt and pepper and toss. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place carrots onto the sheet, cover with more foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 – 35 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately.

I’ve been looking for something light and satisfying for summer dinners and this salad is just that. Light, fresh and satisfying. We love cucumbers and green onions, so this is a good recipe if you’re looking for something different and yet fresh this is a great way to go. This also a quick and easy recipe to put together.

I started with the dressing. I added sour cream, white vinegar, dill, milk, and some mustard and then I gave it good stirring…..mmm, love this stuff!

Then I cut up the cucumbers and the onions. Here are the onions…..just waiting to dive into the salad and make it heavenly!

Super easy and oh so yummy, let it chill for at least an hour before serving so that those flavors have time to develop.

Great served with grilled chicken and rice.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

Dressing:

• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 tsp minced fresh dill
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp milk

Directions

• In a bowl, combine cucumbers and onions. Combine dressing ingredients; pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.  4 servings.

Ok, I know that there are a lot of people out there who just simply don’t care for sauerkraut but for those who do, I’ve made a small discovery and it’s a yummy one! When I was growing up, we just put a little water in the sauerkraut and warmed it up with some hot dogs……and that was good on occasion, until I decided to put a twist on this stuff. It was life changing!

This is a really simple side dish and I love to make it with just about any type of grilled meat.

I started by draining and rinsing the sauerkraut, see I didn’t know until a few years ago that this stuff needed to be rinsed.

Then I put it in the frying pan with butter, caraway seeds and brown sugar. I let it cook until it was good and hot and everything was well combined.

I served it with a steak from Costco and some corn.

Quick Braised Sauerkraut

Ingredients:
1 15 oz bottle sauerkraut
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp caraway seeds.

Directions:
Drain and rinse sauerkraut in a colander and place it in a frying pan with brown sugar, butter and caraway seeds. Cook on medium heat until hot and well combined. Serve immediately.

Obviously I’m not from the South where they have probably some of the most wonderful dishes and ideas for preparing some of the most interesting veggies, but I’m usually willing to try and make an attempt to figure it out – sometimes it turns out good, and sometimes……well – not so much. That said, I’ve only heard about kale and a few different ways in which to use it, but this is one of those veggies that I’ve never had before so I had no idea what to expect. But it really turned out super yummy! We were all pretty impressed, and I was wishing that there were more in the pan as all of us were looking for seconds on this.

I started with about 4 strips of bacon that I cut up into small pieces and then I started browning it. Once the bacon was browned, I placed it into a small bowl and set it aside.

Adding to the drippings, I added some chopped garlic (I cheat, I buy the stuff in the little jars). Then a little brown sugar with a little stir. To that I added about 1/2 C of cider vinegar and 1/2 C Brandy. Then I let it just bubble for a minute.

Then I added the bacon back in, and just let the dressing bubble for just a minute.

Then comes the Kale – I chopped it roughly and toss it into the pan and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, constantly tossing so that everything is covered with the dressing. Now the two worlds collide into a wonderful green and bacony bed of delicousness.

I think this family decided that kale is one of those must have often items.

Kale with Bacon

Ingredients:
2 bunches of kale
4 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 C cider vinegar
1/2 C brandy

Directions:
Wash and roughly chop kale, set aside. Meanwhile cut bacon into small bits and brown in a skillet. Once bacon is browned, remove from skillet and set aside. Using bacon drippings, add garlic and brown sugar and stir well, then add vinegar and brandy. Allow to simmer for 2 – 3 minutes and add reserved bacon, then add kale and toss until dark green, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 4

You know, there is just something about baked potatoes that makes them taste good any time of the day or year. There are times when I just take a potato and some butter to work for lunch, we have a microwave, so I can have a nice baked potato in no time with just the right amount of calories and potassium…….they’re just that good!

A few days ago, I was looking for something to go with our steaks (something to jazz things up a bit) and finally the light came on, I decided to make twice baked potatoes. So I cleaned four potatoes up, wrapped them in some paper towels and popped them in the microwave to bake. While they were in the microwave having their party, I started gathering up the rest of the ingredients.

Sour cream, cream cheese, butter, kosher salt, cheddar cheese and chives were the characters in this show…..along with those Idaho potatoes.

All I did was scooped out the insides of the potatoes and added everything else in there with them, I then mashed it all up together.

I stuffed it all back into the potato skins and baked them for about 20 minutes and enjoy that creamy goodness!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes (baked and scooped out)
2 Tbsp cream cheese
4 Tbsp butter
1/3 C sour cream
Kosher salt to taste
1 Tbsp dried chives
3/4 C medium cheddar cheese (grated)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together with a potato masher and spoon filling back into potato skins. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve warm. 8 servings

I just love meatballs, they’re the sustenance of Christmas parties, they’re satisfying and they are just simply awesome!!!! And the sad part is that I had no idea that people served meatballs for Christmas until a few years ago. You can’t imagine my complete surprise – it was like a revelation of goodness!

The thing about Christmas meatballs is that can be so many different variations and they are all just wonderful, adding their own unique flavors and feelings of happiness.

My family loves these, and yet they’re so easy to make! How can you go wrong with something this easy and yummy all at the same time?

I start with a crock pot, and meatballs. These are from Costco. We ran across some samples last weekend while we were there and the Italian meatballs were one of the best ones. I knew the minute that I had that in my mouth, these were the meatballs that we were going to use.

Here is the fun part, just add a jar of chili sauce and either a can of cranberry sauce or a jar of  jalapeno jelly, or in my case I had some berry and pepper jelly that I had in the fridge (this added a really good zing). Either way, the meatballs are just simply wonderful. Jalapeno jelly or as otherwise known, pepper jelly, can be found in the jams and jellies in just about any grocery store.

Set the crock pot on high for 2 – 3 hours, stirring occasionally and serve.

Christmas Meatballs

Ingredients:
About 70 meatballs
1 jar of chili sauce
1 jar of cranberry sauce or pepper jelly

Directions:
Place meatballs in crock pot, pour chili sauce and then cranberry sauce over the meatballs and set crock pot to high for 2 – 3 hours. Stir occasionally and serve. About 8 – 10 servings

With Thanksgiving getting close, I start to think about the things that I’m truly grateful for……..family, friends, good health, and the wonderful dishes that we all serve on that big day, oh and don’t forget good wine! It’s hard to believe that we’re coming close to the end of 2011 and preparing to begin a brand new year full of renewed hope and new adventures.

I remember growing up and having the traditional Thanksgiving dishes at the table, all of which were absolutely wonderful so a few years ago when someone sent this recipe out to us, I had to try it and I’m so glad that I did – the sweet potato dish that my Mom made throughout my childhood was quickly replaced once everyone had a taste of this casserole. This is one of Mr’s favorite dishes through the holidays too. The creamy sweet potatoes with the crunchy topping is just divine. You seriously need to try this, you won’ be sorry – I promise!

Here is what you’ll need: Baked sweet potatoes, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, flour, pecans

Start by peeling the sweet potatoes and smashing them up good.

Then in a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork.

Then stir everything together and pour into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Combine the topping ingredients, flour, brown sugar, butter and pecans.

I could almost eat the topping before it ever gets a chance to bake……

After the resistance has passed…..distribute the topping evenly on top of the sweet potatoes and bake them for about 30 – 40 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
3 C mashed sweet potatoes
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
½ C milk
½ C melted butter

Topping
½ C brown sugar
1/3 C flour
1/3 C melted butter
1 C chopped pecans

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients, pour into a buttered 1 ½ to 2 quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes, until hot and browned. Serve warm. Serves 10

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is nearly here! Only a few days left and we’ll be plunging straight into the holiday season with friends and family and get togethers. I love this time of year! And we have so much to be thankful for, a warm home, soft pillow to lay our heads on and such yummy things to eat. I say we savor the moment for as long as we possibly can, because before we know it, the holidays will be over and we’ll be starting a whole new year full of new adventures and expectations.

Several years ago, I came up with this dressing after visiting with my boss as the time, who just happened to be born and raised in Germany and who also just happened to be the one who prepared Thanksgiving dinner for his family each year. He told me about how he fixed the dressing for their dinner, and I liked the part about adding Italian sausage and wine to it. So I went home and pondered on it for a week or so and came up with this. It also just happened that I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner that year for some of my in-laws, and I was fairly new to the family……nervous! The dinner turned out really good and since then, this is a request each year. I wouldn’t dare fix Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without preparing this to go with it now.

The items that you’ll need: Uncle Ben’s rice mix, I used Chicken flavored. Stove Top Stuffing, dry white wine, butter, chicken broth, Italian sausage and celery, and onion.

I started by preparing the rice according to the instructions on the box, then chopping the celery and the onion.

Then I crumbled the Italian sausage up and browned the veggies and the sausage together. The house smells super good now……just sayin!

I love the smells that come from the holiday cooking.

So while the rice goes bubbly, bubbly – I dumped the Stove Top directly into a casserole dish that I’ve sprayed with cooking spray. Then in goes the veggies and Italian sausage along with the wine.

Then a good portion of butter, for one cannot live without butter.

Once the rice finished cooking I added that too and then the chicken broth. Then I held my mouth just right and gave it a good stir, just to combine everything good. Pop it into the oven for about 30 minutes and presto…..it’s awesome!!!!

Italian Sausage and Wild Rice Dressing

Ingredients:
1 box Stove Top stuffing
1 box Uncle Ben’s rice mix (prepared according to package instructions)
1 C celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild or sweet Italian sausage
1/2 C dry white wine
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1/3 C butter

Directions:
Prepare rice according to package instructions. Brown sausage, celery and onion together until sausage is no longer pink. Pour contents of Stove Top stuffing mix into a 5 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed. Add sausage mix to stuffing mix, once the rice is finished, add to the sausage and Stove Top, add wine, chicken broth and butter and stir until completely combined. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 10 – 12.