Living Thankfully ~ Mom's famous Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday at home. I loved helping my mom in the kitchen. Now, with my own children under my feet, I enjoy bringing those same traditions to our table. This year we spent Thanksgiving with my sister and her two boys as well as my dad and stepmom. I made these for us all to share.

Corn Pudding
1 stick butter
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole niblets corn, drained
1 package corn muffin mix
1 egg
1 8 oz. container of sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter, then mix with all other ingredients.
3. Pour into a 2.5 quart casserole dish.
4. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serves 6-8

This is so bad for you... and so delicious. It can be made the day ahead and reheated, or frozen up to a month ahead.

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
4 large cans sweet potatoes, drained
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Jim Beam bourbon
2 cups mini marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mash together sweet potatoes, butter, sugars, and bourbon.
3. Place in large casserole dish. Top with mini marshmallows
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until marshmallows are golden brown.
Makes 10-12 servings

This is my personal favorite. I eat this for breakfast for days following Thanksgiving!

The long lost Puttanesca!

I know, I know!

This blog is shifting focus slightly for the summer. We purchased a CSA from a local organic farm. We also planted 3 "square foot gardening" plots. So I'll be focusing on our recipes for xall our wonderful fresh produce!

Grandma's Cook-Any-Greens
1 bunch fresh greens of any kind (kale, swiss chard, collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, rapini, etc.)
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1. Chop greens (1/2 inch pieces for stems, 1 inch for leaves)
2. Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant.
3. Add stem pieces and saute 5 minutes.
4. Add enough stock to fill the bottom of the pan but not cover the pieces entirely.
5. Cover and braise stems about 10 minutes.
6. Add leaves, re-cover, and braise 5 more minutes.
Serves 6 as a side dish

The Verdict
What a great side dish! So far I've cooked chard, dinosaur kale, and beet greens this way. Josh didn't express an opinion but ate his whole serving. Good thing, because there's always TONS of dark greens in NJ gardens!

What to do with all those veggies?

You know your kids need to eat veggies, but they don't like them. Your hubby won't eat them. YOU don't like them....

Veggie Pancakes or Fritters
2 cups cooked vegetables, broken into small pieces
4 eggs, beaten
garlic
parsley
salt and pepper
3/4 to 1 cup Bisquick

1. Add vegetables to beaten eggs and stir to coat.
2. Add garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix with Bisquick, a little at a time, until a thick batter forms.
4. Cook like pancakes on a preheated pan or griddle, or fry in preheated oil until golden brown.
5. Serve hot.
Makes 10 - 15 pancakes

The Verdict
I made these with leftover cauliflower and this was a HUGE hit with Josh, Jim, and my father- and stepmother-in-law. They are also good with broccoli, grated zucchini, or grated carrots. A great way to use up extra veggies. Josh likes them cold for snacks too!

$0.51 per serving ~ Christine's Corn Fritters

My mom used to make these when I was a kid. This and broccoli were the regular side dishes to a dinner of baked chicken cutlets. At some point she stopped frying them and started cooking them like pancakes, but when I found this recipe in with some others of hers, I knew I needed to make them the old fashioned way...

Christine's Corn Fritters ~ $0.51 per serving, $2.55 total cost
1 1/3 cups buttermilk baking mix ($1.30)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 14.75 oz can cream-style corn ($0.50)
1 egg, beaten ($0.25)
1 cup oil for frying ($0.50)
syrup or molasses

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. While heating, sift together baking mix and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, combine corn and egg.
3. Combine egg and flour mixtures, stir gently.
4. Drop batter by tablespoonsful into hot oil one layer at a time. Fry approx. 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper or towel. Serve with maple syrup or molasses if desired.
Makes 5 servings of 3 fritters each.

The Verdict
I was planning to serve leftover Creamy Ham Chowder tonight. I really wanted to do something a little bit different so that Josh wouldn't get bored... man, was this the right choice! He ate the soup AND 4 fritters, saying "Mama, this is SO yummy" over and over again! Jim took one bite and said, "Yeah, these can't be good for you. I don't think I care." They were just like I remember my Mom's. I shouldn't make them often, but I will make them again.

$2.25 per serving ~ An All-American Dinner

In honor of election day, we went all-American!

Hamburgers (Burgers $4.00, day old rolls $1.00)
Baked Beans ($1.25)
Green Beans ($0.75)

Baked Basil Fries ~ $0.50 per serving
1/2 cup grated cheese ($1.00)
2 tbsp. olive oil
dried basil
garlic powder
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes ($1.00)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine cheese, oil, basil, and garlic powder in a bowl.
2. Cut potatoes ontp 1/4 inch sticks. Add to cheese mixture, toss to coat. PLace in a large baking pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes, bake 15-20 minutes longer.

The Verdict
Quick, easy, delicious, and pretty healthy. Always a crowd pleaser, and Jim has leftovers for lunch tomorrow.