Sides

Cornbread is kinda like chili-everyone has an opinion about how it is made. In my opinion, there is NO sugar in cornbread! I’m happy to add cheddar cheese, jalapeños, chilis…., but no sugar or honey.  I don’t want to eat cake with chili or in my Thanksgiving Day dressing.  I want bread, so again, NO sugar!

Now that we have that clear here is my recipe for cornbread to served withTexas Chilior soups or for this time of year, Thanksgiving Day Dressing. It freezes great so go ahead and make it in advance if you want. Or make extra and have it for Chili night. Just wrap it in plastic wrap then put it in a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

I like to make my cornbread in a cast iron skillet-we have talked about this and about how every house should have a cast iron skillet. I use mine every single week for something. Put it on your list for Christmas if you don’t have one-I will link a good one below. […]

Ah the Sweet Potato Casserole…you either hate it or you love it. I personally hate the traditional sweet, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and sugared pecans-its too sweet. I know a ton of people that love that dish and that is the highlight of the Thanksgiving dinner, but if you come to my house you will see no marshmallows:) with sweet potatoes. Don’t get me wrong I love sweet potatoes, but I like them savory. I have worked over the years to come up with a recipe that is not sweet, but still a great side dish for the turkey. I think you will really like it!

Now, I call this a casserole only because I put it in a casserole dish for easier heating and serving, but I like my sweet potatoes to be kinda like mashed potatoes-creamy, smooth…so by all means treat this like mashed potatoes and serve in a bowl if you prefer.

Side note-Sweet Potatoes don’t have the gluten like regular Russet, Yukon, Baby Bliss… so you do not have to […]

Ok here it comes…..Thanksgiving recipes! We are about a week and a half out and this is about the time people start really thinking or stressing about the big day! My only advise is to calm down!  It is just dinner and not many people make the entire dinner themselves.  If you are hosting, come up with your menu this week and assign recipes to friends and family.  Take some of the pressure off! And if you are hosting then I would suggest you make only the turkey, but if you are the guest or making some of the sides along with the main course then this is a good one!  Pumpkin Chipotle Cheddar Grits!  It’s not traditional, but it is DELICIOUS and will pair perfectly with all the other traditional sides and that juicy turkey.

A side note-chipotle peppers are spicy! So start out using one and work your way up to 2 or 3 depending on how spicy you like it! You can freeze the left over peppers for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!

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When I was in college there was a restaurant on my way to class that served rice, black beans with cheese, salsa and sour cream.  I loved it and ate it all the time!! It was filling, quick and cheap. I still make it for myself for lunch if there is nothing in the house to eat-so good! But most of the time I make this (a bit more fancy than college but not much) as a side dish.  Black Beans and Rice is an easy and delicious side dish for almost anything, but especially for Tequila Lime Chicken, Instant Pot Crispy Pork Carnitas, or Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas. Many times I will add Trader Joe’s Frozen Roasted Corn or if I am lazy and need to get dinner on the table I will make this and add in shredded rotisserie chicken and dinner is served! Everyone loves it!

This recipe calls for uncooked rice, but there are many times that I […]

Growing up in Texas a staple in your weekly diet is Tex-Mex-I’m not kidding! There are a million Mexican restaurants to choose from and the first thing everyone does when they get back from vacation is hit one of these to get their fix. The week before school starts you cannot get into a Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas without a 2 hour wait and yes people wait 2 hours to get a table.  The trick is to get a seat in the bar and a BIG margarita and WAIT. But, oh its so good and after a week away at the beach or in the mountains a big ole plate of enchiladas or fajitas is just the thing. And the one condiment that is served is pickled jalapeños.

In my house we eat pickled jalapeños on EVERYTHING! For breakfast on Green Chili Breakfast Casserole , Mini Sausage and Cheese Burrito Bowls , Weekday Migas … For lunch in Tortilla Soup , on a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, ….For Dinner on Mexican Lime Chicken , on […]

Side dishes, ugh!  I have said this before, but side dishes are hard! Why? I don’t know, but maybe because we spend so much time on the main course that we are tired by the time we remember the lowly side dish?? At least that is my answer and plus I have boys and they basically want MEAT so I make the side dish and the little farts don’t eat it.  So, I have to work very hard to get a good list of side dishes they will eat so I know my time is not wasted.

This Southern Dirty Rice is one of those dishes that everyone eats. It’s probably because it has NO redeeming healthy qualities, lol! It uses a stick of butter for heavens sake, but damn it is SO good.  I mean SO good! It is salty, savory, creamy…all the things you look for in a recipe:).  Oh and lets not forget it is SUPER easy-you open a few cans. This is not my typical recipe I post because it does […]

Blanched Asparagus with Beurre Blanc, damn that sounds fancy!! Well, it is fancy but super easy and very impressive. Let’s break this recipe down… blanched means to scald in boiling water for a brief time and then place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Basically you are boiling the vegetable until it is crisp tender and then cooling it down so it does not over cook. Easy, right?

Ok on to Beurre Blanc..it is literally translated from French as “white butter”.  It is butter sauce made with a reduction of white wine, lemon juice and shallots into which cold butter is whisked in to prevent separation. I know that sounds super fancy, but I promise it is not hard and once you learn how to make the sauce from heaven you will make it all the time.  It goes with everything-steak, eggs, vegetables, old shoe…. It is to die for!

So we are basically making boiled asparagus with a butter sauce. Sounds much more manageable. There are a few tricks to pull this off-1) use a timer when blanching the asparagus […]

Fondant Potatoes are not a new thing, but they are rarely seen or discussed and I am not sure why.  They are SO easy and SO delicious! I honestly forget to make these fabulous little delights because I am always trying to find new amazing ways to make the same damn thing-potatoes:) But, the other night I was digging through the bare fridge and pantry (yes I too hate going to grocery store sometimes) and I found 2 sad looking russet potatoes, some butter (I will never not have butter), garlic (same thing-never not have it), left over chicken stock and rosemary (I have a huge plant of rosemary-I could bathe in it I love the smell so much). I pulled out my trusty cast iron skillet and created these to die for potatoes!

Ok, lets discuss cast iron skillets.  You MUST own a cast iron skillet! Stop what you are doing and go buy one!  I know this sounds old fashioned and silly, but you will be able to pass down a good cast iron skillet […]

Awe the lonely side dish. We all get so focused on the main course that we forget about the side dish. And frankly who has the time to prepare a main course and a fancy side dish?  Well, my approach is during the week I keep my side dishes EASY! I steam green beans, blanch asparagus or roast broccoli. All of these take about 5-10 minutes to prepare.  Add a side salad out of a bag and you are good to go for dinner!

My family loves this roasted broccoli recipe and I make it often since broccoli is pretty much “in season” all year round. Make a double batch and save the extra in the fridge to add to omelets in the morning or serve along side a grilled chicken breast for lunch.  Now I realize that in the hot summer months you don’t want to want to heat up your kitchen by using the oven, but this takes only about 10 minutes so your oven won’t be on long and roasting gives the veggies such a […]

You can’t have Mexican food without refried beans. Here in Texas, Mexican food is a staple food that most people eat at least once a week, if not more.  Now don’t confuse Cal-Mex with Tex-Mex.  There is a big difference.  In Texas it is an indulgence-we use a lot of beef, cheddar cheese and pinto beans or refried beans.  With every dish you order at a restaurant you will get a side of refried beans unless you ask otherwise.  And they are SO good, but they are SO high calorie.  I have come up with a recipe that is super easy and quick but is also a bit more healthy.  I won’t say diet food, but it is not made with lard like most refried beans recipes.

I make these beans whenever I make enchiladas, fajitas or tacos and the kids love them.  They are cheesy and smoky and a bit spicy. And if you have a picky eater you can use these beans and whip up a bean and cheese soft taco-that is my youngest […]

New Year’s Eve Day is filled with lots of food traditions.  We normally go over to my parents house where my mom prepares a huge “good luck” meal. One of the most important dishes served is Black Eyed Peas. They are thought to bring prosperity in the new year and who can use some prosperity?

I have been busy finalizing my Thanksgiving menu and I always like to throw in a new recipe just to add to my collection of holiday recipes.  This one is delicious!  Its hearty and flavorful and the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.

I seem to remember when I was growing up that we always had 2-3 side dishes with each meal.  Which I find crazy!   I don’t remember the side dishes being elaborate, but we had them.  My mom cooked every night of the week and we always sat down as a family to eat. I cook almost every night of the week, but I cook 1 side dish at most for 2 reasons-1- I don’t have time to come up with or make 2 side dishes and a main course and 2- my kids won’t eat that many vegetables, ha!  So I generally spend time on my main course and then add a very simple side dish like steamed broccoli or steamed green green beans or roasted potatoes, simple. 

I put this recipe separate from the Turkey Meatloaf because it is so good and can go with any main course you serve and it takes about 10 minutes to make. It is so good and your kids will not know it is cauliflower. My middle son who hates EVERYTHING ate this and loved it! I nearly fell over when I got a “yum Mom”!

Spring is here and so are all the beautiful vegetables. The grocery store is full of gorgeous colors and amazing aromas. I bought so many vegetables just to annoy my kids:) They, like most kids, do not love veggies.  They will eat what I make, but under duress. But, I am not giving up! I figure eventually they will come around to like a few.