Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

4/10/2024

Here's a version of a classic potato dish for sweet potatoes! It's great for a weeknight meal, but is also great for entertaining.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

4-6 sweet potatoes
8 Tbsp. butter, sliced thinly
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
salt, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 400, bake sweet potatoes until soft, but not cooked through. Once sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, sliced into them 2/3 of the way, but not all the way through. Insert a slice of butter into each slice, then top each sweet potato with pecans and cranberries, drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with salt. Return to oven to cook through.

Pumpkin Soup

4/10/2024

This is so easy to make! It's not the quickest recipe, but the hands-off cook time is what is long - not the hands on time. I list apples in the recipe, but have substituted with applesauce in a pinch! So easy and so delicious!

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups pumpkin, chopped
2 cups apple, chopped
6 cups stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4-6
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

In a medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Saute onion until softened, then add pumpkin, apples, stock, salt & pepper. Once vegetables are softened, puree using an emersion blender.

Sweet Potato Gratin

4/10/2024

A sweet twist on a classic dish. This dish is festive enough for any holiday get together but easy enough for a weeknight. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Gratin

Ingredients

3 lb. sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Gouda, grated

Serves 6-8
Cook time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 350. Using a mandolin, slice sweet potatoes into thin slices. Meanwhile, melt butter is a medium sauce pan; once melted add flour and whisk in; cook until the roux is blond in color. Slowly add the milk to roux to create a bechamel; be patient and keep whisking while cooking; allow mixture to thicken.
Shingle in sweet potato slices in the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Pour some of the bechamel over the first layer of sweet potato slices. Keep layering sweet potatoes slices and bechamel until you run out (try to finish with the bechamel). Sprinkle with grated cheese and cook until browned and bubbly.

Spoonbread with Candied Peppers

12/19/2023

This ooey-gooey spoonbread is a great alternative to cornbread. It's rich and yummy and when topped with extra butter and candied peppers it's over-the-top delicious! Use pepper jelly if you can't find candied peppers.

Spoonbread with Candied Peppers

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp. cane syrup (or honey)
1 tsp. salt
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can corn creamed corn
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 eggs
4 Tbsp. butter, sliced (optional)
8 oz. candied peppers (a.k.a. Cowboy Candy) or pepper jelly (optional)

Click he Serves 6-8
Cook time: 35 minutes

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, then add melted butter, sour cream, corn kernels, creamed corn, and salt, stir to combine. Add dry ingredients and combine.
Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish and bake for 35-40 minutes until set.
For the optional candied pepper topping: using a chopstick or skewer, poke holes in all over the top of the spoonbread, top with pats of butter and a jar of candied peppers.re to edit.

Field Peas

12/19/2023

This is a very simple recipe for field peas similar to what my grandmother used to make. Simple but delicious! Pictured below are Sea Island Red Peas, but any field pea will work.

Field Peas

Ingredients

3-5 strips fat back, cut into 3" pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 cup dried field peas
enough water to cover field peas
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4 - 6
Cook time: approx. 1 hour, depending on type and age of field pea

Sautee fatback over medium-high heat to render some of the fat. Sautee onion in the fatback until translucent. Add dry peas and enough water to cover. Cook until done - depending on the variety and age of pea this could take 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on the water level and add more if needed, you'll want the beans to be submerged during the entire cook time.

Creamed Beet Greens (or Spinach)

12/19/2023

This is a classic creamed spinach recipe (pictured below using beet greens...hence the slightly pink hue...you can use any leafy green you would like) that is quick and easy to make. I like to entertain with it because it is a great make-ahead dish that only needs to be popped in the oven prior for 15 minutes prior to serving.

Creamed Beet Greens (or Spinach)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 small onion, minced
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
20-30 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and rung out to excess remove liquid
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Gruyere
1/4 cup panko
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 8 - 10
Cook time: 45 minutes

Preheat the oven to 400.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the cream, milk, and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix in the spinach and artichokes. Add the sour cream and stir until melted in. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the mixture to a 4-quart casserole dish; combine the panko and Gruyere, and sprinkle on top. Bake until bubbling and light golden on top, about 15 minutes.
This can be served immediately or will keep at room temperature, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

12/13/2023

This is a staple at my Thanksgiving table. It's a delicious sweet potato casserole topped with a butter streusel topping. This year, I had to travel several hours before serving, so I made my casserole in a slow cooker insert the day before, refrigerated, and then heated in the slow cooker on high for about and hour and a half and it came out great (even if my pictures didn't)! Don't worry about buying maple sugar if you don't have any, you can easily substitute with brown sugar.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Casserole
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup half and half
2 eggs, beaten
1 mandarin or clementine, juiced and zested
1/3 cup maple syrup
salt, to taste

Serves 6 - 8, with leftovers
Cook time: 45 minutes

Cut butter into flour and combine with other ingredients.

Bake potatoes till soft; peel and mash. Combine remaining ingredients, top with streusel topping, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Macaroni & Cheese

12/13/2023

Here's a classic macaroni and cheese to add to your recipe book. It's got a great custardy cheese sauce made with a combination of Colby Jack and cheddar cheeses. It's pictured in a slow cooker because I was taking it to an event a few hours away and I wanted an easy way to reheat it. The slow cooker did great job: I set it to high for about an hour and a half and it heated it through with no problem (it had been refrigerated overnight). I was able to cook it in my oven in the slow cooker insert the day before. Traveled far better than I would have imagined!

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients

Pasta

1/2 lb. short pasta
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp. powdered mustard
4 cups milk
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 egg, beaten
8 oz. Colby Jack, shredded
8 oz. cheddar, shredded
salt & pepper, to taste
Topping
4 Tbsp. butter
1 cup panko

Serves 6 - 8
Cook time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
In a medium pot, melt the butter and cook onion until softened; whisk in flour, paprika, and mustard and cook until blonde in color, whisking often to keep lumps from forming. Gradually add milk and simmer, stirring often, until thickened (10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and temper in egg; stir in all the Colby Jack and half the cheddar cheese. Then fold in the pasta and pout mixture into a greased casserole dish.
Top with remaining cheese and cook for 30 minutes. While casserole is cooking, melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a small pan and brown panko. Add panko to casserole about 10 minutes before casserole is finished. Keep and eye on it so the topping doesn't burn.

Green Beans Amandine

12/13/2023

Here's a quick and easy side to serve during the holidays. There's not much that can be made ahead, but it's really quick to do just before serving. Feel free to switch out the pistachios and currants for any dried fruit and nut you'd like.

Green Beans Amandine

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup water
squirt of lemon juice
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4 - 6
Cook time: 20 minutes

Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted add pistachios and toast just a little to help bring out flavors, then add currants, salt and pepper. Scrape onto plate and put green beans and water into pan. Cover and cook, shaking frequently, 10-15 minutes, or until the green beans are as cooked through as you like (I prefer a bright green with a little snap to them still).
Once beans are cooked add half the pistachio mixture back in and toss to combine; add more butter if necessary and a squirt of lemon juice. Neatly arrange (so beans are all going in the same direction) in serving bowl or platter and top with remaining pistachio mixture.

Herbed Potato Salad

11/8/2023

A fairly traditional potato salad with a little twist! This is a great make-ahead dish that will work at almost any summertime party. It's easy to throw together and will feed a crowd - it's also easy to size down to accommodate a slightly smaller party. Enjoy!

Herbed Potato Salad

Ingredients

6 lb. small red potatoes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 18 - 20
Cook time: 25 minutes

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Dress potatoes with dressing while still warm so they absorb the most liquid. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.