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SIDE DISHES
BARLEY AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE
This a simple easy to make side dish, say, instead of potatoes or pasta, do the barley. And, it IS good for you, imagine that, something that is good and is good for you.
5 TBS butter
2 medium onion chopped
10 oz. Fresh mushroom cleaned and sliced
1 cup uncooked barley
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 325F
Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat and add the onions and cook those for about 5 minutes and stir them, they should be browning. Now add the mushroom and cook for another 3 minutes. Now put the onion and mushrooms in a casserole and add the barley, salt and pepper and pour in the chicken stock and stir this. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. I like to add a little fresh thyme to this, but its not needed. And one more thing, if your having this dish with beef, use beef stock instead of the chicken.
BASIL BAKED TOMATOES
Serves 4
Get away from the norm. If you like onions and you like tomatoes, then you can't go wrong with this dish. I am trying to remember where I had this one, but you know how it is with this thing called age. Just be glad I can remember the recipe.
3 oz. Butter
2 large onions sliced and made into the rings
10 large tomatoes, sliced thin
2 TBS fresh basil, chopped
fresh ground black pepper and Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease a deep-dish pan with butter. Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a large frying pan over low heat and add the onion rings until they are limp, say about 10 minutes. Put a layer of the onion rings on the bottom of the pan your going to cook this in, and sprinkle with basil and then do a layer of the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar and repeat till you have used all the stuff for this. Dot the top with more butter and then spread those breadcrumbs and add a little more of the butter. Now bake that for 30 minutes and eat.
WILD RICE
If you don't know how to cook wild rice, you're not going to like it much. We love wild rice and this is just one way of cooking it.
4 ounces wild rice, washed and washed again
3 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 to 1 red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
12 ounce beef stock
Salt and pepper imagine that
The first thing you HAVE to do with wild rice is wash is good with cold water.
In a saucepan, heat the butter and the olive oil and when the foaming has stopped add the onion and celery. Cook that for 10 minutes or until it has softened. You do know to stir don't you.
Add the rinsed and drained rice with the beef stock to this and bring it to a boil. That's where you salt and pepper it. Cover it with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Give it a stir once and a while. It's not done until all the liquid is absorbed. Just before you serve, add more butter to taste, at least 3 more TBS, and stir it in or just leave it in the middle. Looks good that way.
GRATIN of BABY TURNIPS
Why keep serving the same ole veggie all the time. If you like turnips, then you have to make this. It's pretty easy and will serve between 4 and 6 people.
1 1/2 pound baby turnips
2 TBS butter
1 large egg
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, freshly grated
3 TBS Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 325F. Peel the turnips and slice them thin. Put them in a bowl and cover with cold water and leave them for 15 minutes.
Grease the dish you are going to cook this in and serve it in. Now drain the turnips and dry them or let them dry, but they should be dry. Whisk the egg and the cream together, just enough to incorporate them.
Lay the turnips in the dish overlapping each other in rows. Salt and pepper those. Pour 1/4 of the cream mixture over and sprinkle with the Gruyere cheese and then the Parmesan. Repeat this till they are all arranged and each row has the cream and the cheese. Use all that you have. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Take cover off and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
SWEET POTATOES TOPPED WITH PECANS
This side dish is so good, having left-overs is a plus. It is easy to make and will surprise you on how good it is. This will serve 6 people easy.
2 1/2 to 3 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, cooked and peeled
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. Each cinnamon and salt
3/4 to 1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup pecan halves
Mash the sweet potatoes and beat in the eggs, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the melted butter, salt and cinnamon. Now add the orange juice and beat it till it is fluffy. Put this in a 2 quart casserole. Now arrange the pecans on the top and sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar and drizzle the rest of the butter over it. Bake in a 375 oven for 20 minutes. Serve
SCALLOPED LEEKS
If you like onions and you like leeks, you will like this. It is easy and serves 6.
1 1/2 pounds leeks, thinly sliced with some green
Salt and pepper
2 TBS> poppy seeds
3 oz. Cream cheese softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
In a 1-quart casserole dish or a pan that is deep, grease it really good and arrange your leeks. Salt and pepper them and poppy seed them.
In a small pan heat the cream cheese over low heat until it has melted and add the milk, stir till smooth and pour over the leeks. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake at 350 for an hour.
POTATOE CASSEROLE Ala YUMMY
6 to 8 potatoes boiled and cooked
1 8oz cream cheese room temp
1 small onion diced
2 eggs
2 TBS flour
1 can (3 1/2 oz.) French-fried onions
Add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer till smooth. Butter the casserole dish real good and put mixture in it. Cover the top with the French fried onion and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes. SURPRISE!!
BRUSSEL SPROUTS with PECAN BUTTER
If you like Brussels sprouts and the other half doesn't, like here in my house, this will change some minds. I would also like to give some tips on preparing the Brussels sprouts that will help take out the bitterness. And if you have kids, they may even ask for this dish again.
Serves 4 to 6 people
1 1/2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, clean excess off and cross cut the bottoms (that's a tip)
Salted water
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 TBS. Minced onion
1/2 cup sliced pecans
1/4 cup butter
A few drops from a fresh lemon
Trim the Brussels and cut the bottoms cross ways like an X, but not to deep. Soak them in salted water with a few drops of fresh lemon juice for about 20 minutes or longer, cover them. Drain and rinse them good. In a big enough pan to cook these in, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the Brussel Sprouts, onions and salt. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes and then cover and cook another 10 minutes or until they are soft. Poke them with a knife. Don't over cook these, never over cook your vegetables. Drain the sprouts if needed and keep warm. Now in a small fry pan melt the butter and sauté the pecans for about 3 minutes or so until they turn golden. Pout this over the sprouts and mix them and serve.
BRANDIED CARROTS
Easy easy easy! And very good. This will serve 4 people
12 carrots, but not big fat ones
Boiling salted water
3 TBS. Butter
1/4 cup brandy (warmed)
Clean the carrots and cook them in small amount of boiling salted water. Not a deep pan but a wide one. Cook till tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Now add the butter and get that melted real good and then add the brandy and light it on fire. Just shake the pan till the carrots start to brown good and serve. See, told you, EASY!
ASPARAGUS TIPS in ASPIC
The presentation of this dish is very important. So make sure you have the small custard cups or small molds to make this in. With summer being here, if you have an outside party, or inside, this dish is severed cold and will impress.
Serves 6 people
2 cans chicken broth (14 oz. Each)
1 pound of bony chicken pieces uncooked (like when you trim a chicken and have the left overs you don't eat! Those pieces)
3 medium carrots, cleaned and chopped
2 medium onions, sliced or chopped, just cut up
1 lemon, sliced thin
1 tsp. Tarragon
4 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
20 asparagus tips
Boiling chicken broth or salted water boiling
6 wedges of lemon slices
Sour cream
Parsley
In a large pan, combine the broth, chicken pieces, carrots, onions, lemon and tarragon. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour covered. Now strain the liquid and throw away all the other stuff. Chill the broth and when it has chilled, skim off the fat and throw it away.
Now bring the stock back to a boil and whisk in the egg whites and let come back to another boil. Remove from the heat and let it stand for a minute or 2. Wet a muslin cloth in cold water and ring it dry, you only want it damp, not dripping in water. Line a large wire strainer with the cloth and pour the liquid threw it, drain it well. Don't even try to wring the cloth, toss it with the egg whites.
Measure the stock and reserve 3 cups, hold on to the rest of the broth, we'll get to that.
Soften the gelatin in cold water and then dissolve over hot water and blend it into the stock. Cover and leave out at room temp.
Cut asparagus tips to fit the molds length-wise so you can arrange them in the cups. Now with the left over broth, pour it into the pan your going to cook the asparagus in and if needed, add water to cover them. Cook the asparagus till they are just tender for eating, NOT WIMPY!!
Pour about 1/2 inch of the stock into each of the cups (molds) and chill those till they are set. Now place a slice of lemon on each first layer and top them with 2 or 3 asparagus tips. Pour enough broth in to cover the tips.
Chill them again until set. Add 3 or 4 more tips to each of the cups and some more stock to cover the tips barely. Chill again. With what you have left over of the stock, refill the cups evenly till gone, and you got it, chill those little puppies again. When your ready to serve them, just dip them into some hot water for a second, not longer, maybe even less than a second cause all you want to do is make it easy to fold out the molds on each plate. With this done, put a spoon of sour cream on the side and garnish with the parsley.
Page last updated: Oct 27, 2007
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