Archive for the Side dish Category

Popovers

Ingredients:
- 4 cups warmed milk
- 8 eggs
- 4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 heaping tbsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups graded gruyere cheese

Directions:
1. Place the popover pan in the oven and heat to 350 degrees
2. Gently warm milk over low heat and set aside
3. Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (be sure not to cook eggs) and set aside
4. Sift the flour with the salt
5. Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth
6. Remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non-stick spray
7. While batter is slightly warm or room tempurature, fill each popover cup 3/4 full
8. Top each popover with approximately 2 1/2 tbsp of cheese
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, rotating pan half a turn after 15 minutes
10. Remove from pan and serve immediately

Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients:
- 1 pkg of string hash browns
- 1 16oz container of sour cream
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
- 1 package of shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Mix together hash browns, sour cream and soup and put into a baking dish
2. Cover hash brown mix with shredded cheese
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1hr 15min

Potato-Bacon Torte

This can be found at The Food Network

Ingredients:
- 4 strips bacon
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows
- 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.

4. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes.
5. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full.
6. Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the cream.)

7. Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed.
8. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust and put the pie pan on a baking sheet.
9. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes.
10. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Pie Crust:
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Directions:
1. Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand.
2. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps.
3. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round.
5. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients.

Pretzels

Ingredients:
- 1 package dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-5 cups flour
- 1 egg
- Coarse salt

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except flour
2. Add flour gradually, forming a fairly stiff dough
3. Continue kneading for 10 minutes
4. Divide the dough into 30 pieces
5. Roll each piece into a rope, then shape the rope like a pretzel
6. Place the pretzels on a lightly greased baking sheet
7. Brush with a beaten egg
8. Sprinkle with coarse salt
9. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients:
- 2 cups Bisquick
- 2/3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Stir Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms
3. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds

4. Drop by 10-12 spoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet
5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown

6. Stir together butter and garlic powder
7. Brush over warm biscuits before removing them from the cookie sheet

Serve warm

Foccachio bread

Ingredients:
- 2 pkgs dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 8 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- Olive oil (to brush on bread)
- Coarse Kosher salt

Directions:
1. Dissolve dry yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside until bubbly
2. Mix flour, olive oil and salt
3. Add yeast mixture and remaining water
4. Knead dough until smooth and elastic
5. Place in large greased bowl.
6. Cover and place in warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 to 2 hrs)

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
8. Punch down
9. Place on a large baking sheet and flatten to 1/2 inch
10. Make indentations in dough with thumb
11. Brush evenly with olive oil
12. Sprinkle with Kosher salt
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown

Artichokes

Ingredients:
- 4 large California artichokes
- 1 cup focaccia or herbed bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- Salt and pepper

Directions:
- Wash artichokes under cold running water. Cut off stems at base and remove small bottom leaves. Cut off top quarter of artichokes; discard.
- Spread leaves, remove center leaves and fuzzy centers with a spoon and discard.
- Toss bread crumbs with cheese, olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff bread crumb mixture between leaves of artichokes and fill centers.
- Place stuffed artichokes in a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Pour 2 cups boiling water around the artichokes. Cover with lid or foil. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until artichokes are tender.
- Remove artichokes from baking dish and place on rack; cool to room temperature

Black Bean Chili

This is a nice easier chili than the other and a bit healthier as well.

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until meat is brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil and vinegar.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

Chili

There is a lot of stuff in this thing, but it is well worth it!

Ingredients:
- ~3 pounds meat (ex: 1.22lbs ground turkey, 1.22lbs Hot Turkey sausage, 1.22lbs Hot Pork sausage)
- 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
- 3 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (with spices) with juice
- 1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 cubes beef bouillon
- 1/2 cup beer (or more up to 1 full bottle)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon white sugar

- 3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon bacon bits (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the meat into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer.

3. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar.

4. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary.

The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Fingerling Fries

Baked fingerling potatoes

Ingredients:
- 1lb fingerling potatoes washed and cut length-wise
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)
- Spices to taste (salt, pepper, etc.) - I used an Italian seasoning mixture
- Ketchup (optional - not needed if using spices beyond salt and pepper)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In mixing bowl, mix oil, seasoning and potatoes and coat well
3. Bake in oven for 25 minutes (turning over half way through)