Side dishes that are delicious. And yes, I do realize everything isn't a vegetable. But a girl can only make so many recipe pages.
Bread Stuffing
12 c. prepared bread crumbs
1 c. melted butter
3/4 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 Tbsp. Lawry's season salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. Bell's seasoning (comes in a little yellow box with a turkey on it, spice aisle)
Day old bread is best. You can buy 2 packages of that thin Pepperidge Farm bread. One and one-half packages will give you just what you need. Pull the bread apart into about 1/2" pieces. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Add onion and cook until tender. Stir in about 1/3 of the crumbs, stirring and heating through. Put this in a deep bowl and add celery and spices, stirring to coat. Add remaining crumbs and stir well. You can bake it for 30 minutes in the oven at the same temp as the turkey if you want. I don't. It's good just like it is to us. You can make it early (day before if you want) and heat it up before serving.
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
The cheese sauce is also great with asparagus.
1 bunch of broccoli, cooked
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
Melt butter in a small pan. Add flour, salt, pepper, and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Add cheese, stirring until melted.
Carrots with Nutmeg
On our first anniversary, we stayed at a bed and breakfast. When we were looking for somewhere nice to go for supper, they recommended Betty Groff's Farmhouse Restaurant. It was such a wonderful place to eat, so much good food. Their cracker pudding (yep, it's made with saltine...don't knock it 'til you try it) was amazingly good. Well, many years later and many states away I came across a cookbook she had done while I was browsing at an antique store. I knew it was meant for me. It has lots of home cooking recipes (Pennsylvania style) and I'd encourage you to get a copy for yourself. This recipe comes from that great book.
1 lb. carrots
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 c. water
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
Peel and cut carrots in large chunks. (They're sweeter that way, who knew?) Put remaining ingredients in pan. Bring to a boil. Add carrots. Cover; reduce heat to medium. Simmer 12-15 minutes. Serves 4-6.
Dijon Scalloped Potatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 (14 1/2 0z) can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (3 medium sized potatoes)
2 c. Ritz crackers
3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a large skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 5-7 minutes or until tender, stirring often. Add cream cheese, broth, and mustard; mix well. Remove from heat. Spray a 13x9 dish. Toss potatoes with cream cheese mixture; spoon into dish. Combine crackers, parmesan, butter, and parsley; sprinkle over potatoes. Bake 50 minutes until potatoes are tender. Let stand 5 minutes. Makes 16 1/2c. servings.
Fresh Green Beans
1 1/2 lb fresh green beans
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. melted butter
5 small red potatoes, optional
Wash green beans in cold water. Snap ends. Place in a large pot of boiling salted water (1 tsp. to 1 qt water) along with potatoes, if desired. Cook uncovered until desired tenderness, 20-30 minutes. Drain; add sugar and butter. Stir and heat through.
Fried Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
I think I cut this recipe out of a Quick Cooking magazine that my mother-in-law passed on to me. It is sooooo worth a try. I didn't have lime juice, just lemon, and it worked fine. Yumalicious--so good it deserved its own word.
1 large Vidalia or sweet onion
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 baking soda
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
oil for frying
Lime Dipping Sauce--
2/3 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
Cut onion into 1/2 inch slices; separate into rings. In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cayenne. Combine the egg and buttermilk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees. Dip onion rings in batter. Fry a few at a time for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in 300 degree oven. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Serve with onion rings.
Green Bean Casserole
3/4 c. milk
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cans green beans, drained
1 1/3 c. french onions, divided
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Combine milk, pepper, soup, beans, Worcestershire sauce, and 2/3 c. onions. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with 2/3 c. onions. Bake 5 minutes more.
Plain Rice
I found this recipe in an Arabian cookbook my husband brought me once from his travels, it's called 'Arabian Cuisine'.
1 1/4 c. rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
Rinse rice several times in running water. Place all ingredients in a coated (sprayed with Pam)saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir, and cook uncovered over medium high heat. When the water level is equal to the surface of the rice and little holes have appeared in the pan, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until done (won't take long). Total cooking time is 25 minutes.
Potatoes Supreme
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. melted butter
1/3 c. sliced green onions
1 1/2 c. swiss cheese, shredded, divided
10-12 c. cubed, cooked potatoes (cook about 14 fist sized potatoes)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. cracker (Ritz usually, but others will do) crumbs
Mix 1 c. of cheese with sour cream, soup, butter, onions, salt, and pepper. Fold into cooked potatoes. Mix 1/2 c. cheese with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti SauceThis recipe is my own creation. We liked Emeril's spicier spaghetti sauce, but it was never on sale. You know I like to be thrifty, so I just came up with my own version.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. roasted red peppers
1 tsp. onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree
16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. italian seasoning
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute peppers, garlic, and onion powder 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer one hour.
Sauteed Spinach
You'll need a big pan. The raw spinach will fill it up. Don't worry though, it reduces down to a small amount.
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 10 oz. bag spinach
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add spinach; cover and let cook 5 minutes. Stir in garlic salt, cook 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with cheese.
Spinach Ricotta Pie
1 lb ricotta cheese
2 pkgs chopped spinach, drained (takes a while to thaw, wring it out hard, get it as dry as possible)
1/2 lb mozarella, grated, plus more (get a pound)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
salt & white pepper to taste (a little white pepper goes a long way)
dash of tobasco
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slightly cooked pie crusts (just enough so they won't get soggy)
Mix all together and pour into pie crusts. Top with more mozarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. This doesn't have to be served straight from the oven. Bake it when you first put your turkey or ham in, remove and cover with foil. Cover with towels or place in one those pyrex warmers until ready to serve. It'll be fine at almost room temperature. It'll even be good next day cold for breakfast.
Sweet Potato Souffle
2 (40 oz.) cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Topping:
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans
Stir butter into potatoes. Beat together remaining ingredients; add to potatoes. Pour into 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
Tomato DumplingsNow this isn't my aunt Jean's tomato dumplings, I've still got to wrangle that recipe from her, but it is a yummy second. If you've never had this, it deserves a try. It's a little on the spicy side. It'd also be a great accompaniment for a cajun dish as well.
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. parsley
Melt the 1/4 c. butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, celery and bay leaf; saute 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg, milk, and parsley, stirring until moist. Drop dough by tablespoons into tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium-low for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. 4-6 servings
Tomato DumplingsNow this isn't my aunt Jean's tomato dumplings, I've still got to wrangle that recipe from her, but it is a yummy second. If you've never had this, it deserves a try. It's a little on the spicy side. It'd also be a great accompaniment for a cajun dish as well.
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. parsley
Melt the 1/4 c. butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, celery and bay leaf; saute 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg, milk, and parsley, stirring until moist. Drop dough by tablespoons into tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium-low for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. 4-6 servings
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Not sure about this recipe, I think it came from my mother-in-law. I just know it's yummy. I substitute onion powder for the chopped onions.
6 baking potatoes
1 Tbsp. snipped chives
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk (or 1/2 & 1/2)
dash of pepper
3 Tbsp. crumbled, cooked bacon
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, divided
3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
paprika
Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until soft. Allow to cool. Cut a thin slice off the top. Scoop out pulp into a bowl; add butter and mash. Add milk, bacon, onion, chives, salt, pepper, and 1 c. of cheese. Spoon into potato shells. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Yields 6 servings.
