Farmhouse Succotash
Succotash is one of the Dad-man’s favorite sides for thanksgiving, or really any time of year. This adapted recipe from an old church community cookbook has become his favorite for Thanksgiving. The addition of the onion, tomato and roasted peppers adds just enough flavor to make you go “hmm” without taking away the flavor of the corn and lima beans.
Farmhouse Succotash
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen corn, thawed 10 oz
- 1 bag frozen lima beans, thawed 10 oz
- 1 tablespoon jarred roasted red pepper, diced
- 1 T jarred sun dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- 1/4 c chopped onion
- 1/2 stick Butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of your skillet, saute onions until golden brown.
- Add corn, roasted pepper, sun dried tomatoes and lima beans into the pan on medium heat. Heat veggies through; add butter and melt butter to coat veggies.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Recipe Box – Potluck Ready Church Potato Salad
There is nothing fancy about this potato salad, just a grandma’s recipe. Originally found in one of those community cookbooks.
Church Potato Salad
Equipment
- Large pot
- Measuring spoons
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 3 lbs mini Ukon gold potatoes
- 1-1/2 c mayo
- 1 T white vinegar
- 1 T yellow mustard
- 1 t salt
- ¼ t black pepper
- 2 stalks celery chopped (1 c)
- 1 medium onion chopped (1/2 c)
- 4 hard boiled eggs
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool. Cut potatoes into bite size chunks.
- Mix mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add celery, onions and potatoes; toss gently. Cut eggs into bite size chunks and stir into potato salad.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Deviled Eggs, a Simple Picnic Classic
Deviled eggs are one of my dad’s favorite side dishes in the spring and summer, but he doesn’t like to get tired of any one food, so I make them two to three times a year. Easter is one of those events, the other for sure is for Memorial Day or any summer cook out.
Story behind the Recipe
This recipe comes from my aunt on my mom’s side, via my cousin. These are her go-to deviled eggs that she brings to almost every potluck. Funniest part to me is that my cousin vehemently really dislikes deviled eggs. But in my incredibly biased opinion, they are really good, deviled eggs.
The very optional part of this, depending on who you are and the time of year you decide to make them, is to dye them with good old vinegar dye kit. I know this will not be everyone’s preference for coloring eggs. But it’s what I grew up with, so it sticks in my head. However, I do not recommend hiding said colored eggs for littles to find, unless you want a stinky surprise in a few days. I speak from my dad’s experience of trying to hide real eggs for my twin and I to find. We, in fact, did not find them all and one ripened to all stinky glory of an egg in the desert.
Recipe
Deviled Eggs
Equipment
- flat container with lid
- Pot for cooking eggs
- Small mixing bowl
- piping back or plastic quart zipper bag
- Fork
- knife
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 1 c mayo
- 1 T yellow mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 t white vinegar
- 1 T milk
- 1 t sugar
Instructions
Cooking eggs
- Put cold eggs into cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes. Plunge directly into ice water.
Deviled Eggs
- Peel eggs. Cut them in half and put the yolks into a separate bowl. Mash yolks with a fork until smooth.
- Mix together dressing ingredients into a separate bowl. Taste and make adjustments as needed.
- Mix yolks and dressing together.
- Fill egg whites using a pastry bag or sandwich bag with the tip cut off. Sprinkle it with paprika and serve.
We use this recipe as part of our Easter Dinner feast because in our house it is synonymous with the easter bunny hiding real eggs. As I mentioned briefly before my family would dye the eggs before making the deviled eggs, but if vinegar and food dye aren’t your thing, I recommend Fresh Fork Market’s post about vegetable dyed eggs. They’re not as neon as the food coloring, but they make some very vibrant eggs.
Whether you use this recipe for a spring celebration or the next friend’s and family get together, this simple recipe is sure to please all the egg-lovers in your yard.
Extra Creamy Creamed Spinach with a Kick
Creamed Spinach in both a southern staple and the base for so many tasty recipes. But it can get redundant. I easiest solution is to that blandness that spinach can get is to up the salt and add in the spice. Now, when I say spice, I don’t only mean pepper flakes and chili powder (though I add both liberally).
While creamed spinach is not my favorite side dish, it is fantastic in the fall and winter for its hearty quality. It makes a great topping for a seared pork chop, or stuffing. I have no special story for creamed spinach in my family, other than the grocery store stopped selling it in the frozen section. Therefore, I started making it myself because the loss of the ingredient didn’t outweigh the love for dishes using it.
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh spinach or ½ pound frozen spinach
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced or minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half & half or heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/8 t ground nutmeg
- 1/4 t red chili flakes or cayenne pepper
- 3/4 t fine sea salt
- 1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for about 1 minute until it begins to wilt. Place into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking immediately. Drain.
- Heat up butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it melts.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and stir occasionally while cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the flour to the skillet and stir constantly while cooking for about a minute until it becomes foamy.
- Gradually whisk in the half and half and milk. Add the nutmeg, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper into the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes until it slightly thickens.
- Add the spinach and Parmesan cheese into the skillet and mix them in. Cook the mixture for another minute to heat everything through.
This creamed spinach is also the base for my hot spinach artichoke dip, of which we add much more cheese to it. If you are serving this as a side dish, I recommend doing a less seasoned side dish along with it because it can get heavy for some palates.
Side dish or base ingredients creamed spinach is a great way to serve spinach with other cozy favorites. Roasted garlic potatoes are a great dish. And as always: Don’t forget to take the leftovers.
Easy Spinach Salad, a Quick Side for Every Occasion
This quick and easy Spinach salad is a great answer for the question: What can I bring?
This recipe comes from my Aunt Vicky and has been a go-to for her for many a work and church potlucks. And even family dinners when I go back to visit. Its versatility is what makes it a main stay. Tweak the toppings to the season or personal tastes and it’s guaranteed to make waves.
My personal favorite combination is strawberries, slivered almonds and no bacon nor eggs. It just makes the perfect combination for a side dish that will match nearly anything that can be served. I also like to add a sharp cheese, like blue cheese, for a bit of funkiness if I’m making this for myself.
Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- Red onion sliced thin
- Bacon fried crisp
- 1 bag spinach cleaned
- 2 hard boil eggs
Seasonal Alterations
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Mandarin oranges
- Walnuts
- Almonds
Dressing
- â…“ c salad oil
- â…” c apple cider vinegar
- ¾ c sugar
- 1 t salt & pepper
Instructions
- Clean spinach and shake dry. Layer ingredients into a serving bowl.
- In a separate bowl (or mason jar) mix dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Shake dressing and drizzle on top; serve.
If you’re choosing to take this spinach salad as a potluck dish, I highly recommend not putting the dressing on until you are ready to serve. Traveling with this salad is just as easy; it’s all in how you build it. I prefer to build it in layers, as I state in the directions. Simply layer the ingredients in a bowl with a sturdy lid and ample headspace. Don’t worry if the ingredients get jumbled on the ride! It is easiest to shake the salad to mix it.
Sheet Pan Fry Nachos
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Sheet-pan French fry nachos are the cheater’s way to a potato skin. It is a quick and easy snack or side dish for any potluck occasion, though I’ve noticed that it works best for things like sports parties or casual game nights.
This is a more recent addition to my culinary rounds. I did not grow up eating these, at least not in this context. I ate a lot of chili cheese tots. Potatoes and cheese has always been my favorite food combo.
You can top these with pretty much anything your heart desires; I prefer the traditional toppings of potato skins. They tend to go with what I serve at game nights.
Fry nachos have endless topping combinations! While don’t recommend letting everyone top their own, you can definitely for that. I totally understand that the bacon cheese route is not for everyone, so, here are some of my favorite alternative combinations:
Chilli-Cheese: Chilli dog sauce, shredded cheese, diced onion, jarred jalapeno rings
Sonoran Fries: refried beans, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream
Cheesesteak Fries: steak-ems, provolone, sauteed onions and peppers
BBQ Pork: Pulled pork, shredded cheddar, cheese sauce, coleslaw, BBQ sauce
Street Corn: Roasted corn, chili powder, crema, and parmesan cheese
Whether you’re enjoying these fry nachos as your next game day side dish or serving it with your weeknight sloppy joes, I hope you enjoy. Happy cooking.
Sheet Pan Fry Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Frozen fries 22 oz
- 2 T Seasoning salt
- 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pkg Thin cut bacon
- 3 Green onions
Instructions
- Cut bacon into half inch pieces and fry until crisp; drain on paper towel and set aside. Season french fries with seasoning salt or just plain salt. Bake fries as directed on the package.
- Once fries are cooked, top with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbling.
- Serve hot with ranch dip, sour cream or spider web dip.
Ms. Stacys Potato Casserole
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Every family has that one recipe that makes their holiday dinner just a little different than the typical. For my family it is Ms Stacy’s Potato Casserole.
Ms. Stacy was a young woman who was invited to Thanksgiving by my aunt in my extended family. Stacy was a teacher home on a one-month sabbatical before moving to Turkey and Hungary to teach writing over there.
She felt bad not bringing something to a complete stranger’s (my family’s) house for a holiday, so she whipped up these potatoes and brought them. Now, I realize that these are very strange ingredients, but don’t know it until you try them. My entire family cringed at the dish when it walked through the front door, but when we tasted it, it automatically became a staple. They haven’t missed a Thanksgiving since.
Why do I love this potato casserole?
Potatoes are my down-fall, or the only way I get any carbs into my diet. How ever you want to look at it, I eat a lot of them. It actually goes back to tiny-human me, who had nutrient problems and kidney failure (story for another day). Normally someone in kidney failure can’t eat anything in this recipe, but it literally kept me out of the hospital. Over the years, this dish became my go-to whenever I was hospitalized and someone in my chosen family would ask what I wanted most when I got out.
This potato casserole has a special place in my heart. Sappy as this holiday story is, it makes me happy to share it because I’m here to. I hope that it brings you as much cheesy joy as it does to me. Happy holidays and happy cooking.
Ms. Stacys Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 6-8 red potatoes
- 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup Sour cream
- 1-1/2 tsp Fresh parsley
- 2 cups Corn flakes
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese shredded
- 4-5 strips of bacon cooked crisp, optional
Instructions
- Dice potatoes into bite size chunks and boil potatoes until fork tender; let cool. In a separate bowl mix ranch, sourcream, parsley and ½ cup of cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg fahrenheit. Pour potatoes into a 13×9 aluminum pan. Mix in the ranch sauce and bacon (if using). Top with remaining cheese and cornflakes. Pour melted butter over top.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cornflakes are browned and cheese is bubbly. Serve hot.
