Easy (Thanksgiving) Dinner side dishes

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog, written by Kirk and a few friends.  Today Cathy is talking about cooking.

Hi. I hope everyone is getting ready to have a day or two off from work next week and planning on a little feast with family and friends.  It is Friday, when I try to show an inexpensive meal for two, however I figure I'll just show some easy(two or three ingredient) and tasty side dishes that you can prepare for home or to take to someone's home as your contribution to the meal.  

Yep, you're seeing it correctly.  Sweet potatoes, yams, whichever you prefer- on sale this week and next.  Get about as many as will fit in the casserole dish you are using

Then there is that can...of frosting. Coconut pecan frosting.  It has all the ingredients you'll need.  Really

 

Chop the tubers into about the same size pieces. DON'T peel.

As always, put root vegetables into cold water and then turn on the heat.

Boil, put a fork in to see if tender. 

Cool.  Don't rinse.

  See how easily the peels come off...

 

Put the cooked and peeled potatoes/yams in the casserole dish, top with the frosting and into the oven it goes! (I just toss things in the oven while the turkey is cooking)

Take it out when the frosting is kind of melted.  It is already cooked and can be served and eaten hot, warm or cooled (like, um at a tailgate...)

 

Next two ingredient side dish: Bacon and Brussels sprouts. Also on sale this week.

There are no measurements you know.  You can make this for yourself for lunch, with two slices of bacon and five sprouts or the pound of bacon and  a casserole dish of sprouts.

Chop and cook the bacon until crispy.  *Leave* the grease in the pan and remove the bacon.

 

Peel any bad outside leaves from the sprouts, chop the stems off the  bottom, cut the sprouts in half.  Place centers down into hot bacon grease first.

The steam from the grease will help cook.  Remove when tender and bright green color.

Mix bacon with Brussels sprouts.

Serve.

 

OK.  Next ingredients.  Fresh cranberries (12 ounce bags are how they are sold.

  

You also will need one cup of sugar.

One cup of water.

 

Put the sugar and water in a pan.  Heat until boiling. 

You can see the sugar has melted and what is now formed is called "Simple Syrup"

 

Add the cranberries. Bring back to a boil.

 

Then lower the heat and simmer for about ten minutes.  The cranberries will pop.

Let cool to room temperature.  Then you can refrigerate.  The cranberry skins have helped form a pectin gel and it is done.  Fresh and simple.

 

Really lazy dessert.  You all know I don't crave sweets, right?

 

These pie crusts come like this. 

 

Unroll, cut out ( I used one of my thick walled  coffee glasses)

  This is pie crust, so is not at all sweet, but will come out flaky. I sprinkled some sugar on top before baking.

 

Put in the oven and take out when the bottom is light brown, like those two upside down in this photo.  You can see the cookies puffed up and are basically flaky layers.  If they are not sweet enough for you, grab some of that cranberry sauce and dollop on top....

 

Finally, my mom's "Hot dish".

Frozen potatoes, cream of chicken soup and cheese.

 

Let the potatoes thaw.  Put a layer onto the bottom of a casserole dish, half the can of soup, some grated cheese. Do this again with another layer.  Top with a layer of potatoes and cheese and maybe some pats of butter.

Put into the hot oven.  The potatoes are cooked so this is another  more or less heat through item.

 

This is a good side dish, or if you add leftover chicken, a good casserole.

I hope you've enjoyed this episode of a $5 Friday and that maybe you'll try these simple tasty sides for one of your meals.

Have a good weekend (and week, if you are taking a little vacation)!

Comments

[Liz]

I will try your yam and potato dishes next Thursday. I usually do mash potato, so boring. Those look so easy and yummy. And I always make my own cranberry sauce too. If you get the pack from trader joes, it has the recipe on the back.

[Cathy]

Just use butter and white pepper and salt and mash by hand, Liz...(see my meatloaf recipe/post to the left)...mashed potatoes are wonderful if done simply.
The yams are on sale everywhere and so easy to do. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving.

[Carol]

Wow, I think your sweet potato dish is easier than my candied yams. I cook together brown sugar and butter to make a caramel sauce and then top the cooked yams. Then bake in the oven like you do. I'll have to look into that magic coconut pecan frosting!

[Jimmy]

Those look great, I am going to have to try all those recipes.

[Cathy]

I think carmel sauce would be better, just because of the butter, Carol. I would do that for myself at home. It is fun to do the frosting and not let anyone know your "secret".

I hope you do try each of the recipes, maybe not all for Thanksgiving, but just as good and easy stuff to eat, Jimmy. I make smaller versions of each one for at home snacking and could do a year of various casseroles.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Yum. Thanks. But all I get to do this Thanksgiving is gravy.

But I will remember these.

[Cathy]

They are all so easy, ed, and not even for a special day or meal. Hm. Gravy, without a turkey. If you were here, Trader Joe's is selling a 32 ounce box of turkey gravy for only $2, which I want to try...

[tina marie]

Why haven't I ever seen that can of frosting? Hmm I definitely need to take a closer look next time I'm in the baking aisle.

I make candied yams the "traditional" way. But this shortcut is worth a try! :)

Oh and those brussels sprouts and bacon just look delicious, after all bacon makes everything taste better right?

I wanted to add that I also make my own cranberry sauce too and if there's leftovers I pop in the freezer and scrape it and instant dessert cranberry granitas!

[Jeff C]

Cathy,
great ideas. I'm assuming the cold water routine for boiling the sweet potatoes is to maximize the "sweetening" that happens when the carbohydrates breakdown. Cook's Illustrated has a great article on this process but uses the oven method.
I really like your potato gratin type recipe. Simple and easy.

[Cathy]

Oh Tina, you must be so much younger than me. Long ago,(when frosting came powdered and in a box)this was basically what was used as "German Chocolate Cake Frosting" and I could use that, mixed with the water from boiling the sweet potatoes. It tasted even better than this recipe.
Bacon is the most wonderful food, ever. Salty yet protien.
I freeze cans of fruits packed in heavy syrup to make granitas in the summer. Makes the $1 cans of cranberry sauce useable.
Thanks, JeffC-Right, for sweetness. Easy way to remember is you cook vegetables grown under the ground in cold water and veggies grown above ground get tossed into boiling water to cook. Everything can be roasted. With olive oil and salt. Or maybe Herbes de Provence.

[ed (from yuma)]

I ended up doing the brussel sprouts and bacon just as a main course for dinner one day this week and it was awesome. As someone who stayed away from bs because all I had as a kid were frozen brussel sprouts, these were a revelation. Such a simple recipe and soooo gooood! Thanks!

[Cathy]

So happy you liked this version, ed. Cabbage in just about any form is good. Teamed with bacon, better.

[caninecologne]

i will be making these brussel sprouts with bacon soon!!! anything is better with bacon, i say!

[Cathy]

You'll notice the initial part of the recipe is five sprouts to two slices of bacon, cc. Much research went into figuring that ratio:)