Candied sweet potatoes

We do a big family lunch for Thanksgiving and this year I was assigned to bring sweet potatoes.  A quick google search led me to these Harvey House candied sweet potatoes from the NY Times Cooking site.  At first glance I thought this dish would be too plain for a Thanksgiving meal, but was swayed by the stellar 5-star rating and gave it a chance, and I'm so glad I did- these were DELICIOUS!!  I modified it a bit by topping half of the dish with chopped pecans, which turned out to be a great addition.  I only did half since nuts can be controversial, but everyone agreed they added great texture and flavor, so next time I'll do nuts all over.  (To add nuts, reserve a few Tbsp of the sugar mixture to coat the chopped pecans and add them in the last 10 minutes of baking time to prevent burning).  These were such a hit, they are going to have an encore appearance at our Christmas Eve dinner!

Polenta fries

Here's that recipe for those polenta fries I promised you (see previous post).  These are a fun, quirky, delicious side dish- give them a try!!

Roasted zucchini salsa

Our favorite local Mexcian restaurant serves a great assortment of salsas, and one of the best is their zucchini salsa.  When I saw this recipe from Closet Cooking, I knew we were destined to try it.  It's a delicious side item, and would also work great as a sauce for tacos or nachos.  Yum!

ROASTED ZUCCHINI SALSA

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

1 handful cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of 1/2 a lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Brush the zucchini with oil, place it on a baking sheet cut side up, and roast on top rack until tender, about 45 minutes.

Puree roasted zucchini and remaining ingredients in a food processor.  Serve with vegetable sticks or chips.

Corn and black eye pea salad

We had a nice, long weekend at the lake for the 4th, and that means grilling and eating well.  We made this corn and black eye pea salad from Reluctant Entertainer, and it was a HUGE hit!  Such bright, fresh flavors, which makes it the perfect summer side dish.

CORN AND BLACK EYE PEA SALAD

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

Sea salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 can black eye peas, drained

6 ears fresh corn, blanched and cut off the cob

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup diced orange or red bell pepper

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

4 Tbsp. basil, chopped

1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  Slowly whisk in olive oil, which will slightly thicken the dressing.

Blanch the corn in boiling water for 1 minute; put directly into ice water. Cool and cut off the cob.

Mix the corn kernels and black eye peas, along with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Gently toss with the dressing, and season to taste.

Restaurant style salsa

I made the Pioneer Woman's restaurant style salsa for a party a few weeks ago, and I loved, loved, loved it!  It is so simple to throw all the ingredients into a (large) food processor, and it tastes much better than anything I've had out of a jar.  It's so delicious, and with football season around the corner, it's a great one to feed a crowd!!

RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA

Yield: a lot

Ingredients

1 can (28 Ounce) whole tomatoes with juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced tomatoes And green chilies)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup cilantro (more to taste)

1/2 lime, juiced

Instructions

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---(about 10 to 15 pulses). Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour before serving.

Pub potatoes with horseradish cream sauce

So you may have noticed that I'm a little deficient in the side items category on this blog.  There are lots of reasons (excuses) for that, with the main ones being 1) we're entree kind of people, and don't need a lot of extras, 2) sometimes I don't have the time and energy to devote to a second dish, and 3) if we want a side we do something simple like rice or a salad, nothing worth blogging about.  But occasionally something catches my eye that I have to try, and these pub potatoes from Rachael Ray fit the bill.  I served them with burgers (imagine that!), and they are fantastic!!

PUB POTATOES WITH HORSERADISH CREAM SAUCE
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil

5 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2–2 lbs. baking potatoes

Coarse salt and black pepper

1 cup sour cream

Splash of heavy cream or half-and-half

2 tbsp. prepared horseradish

3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives (I buy these frozen at Fresh Market)

Instructions:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of EVOO. Scatter the bacon in the pan and brown, then transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain; leave the drippings in the pan.

2. Peel the potatoes and halve lengthwise. Slice each half lengthwise into 4 wedges, then crosswise into thirds (24 pieces per potato). Scatter the potato pieces in the bacon drippings and season with salt and generously with pepper. Cook to brown, about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet with foil, lower the heat and steam the potatoes, 6 to 7 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, flip and brown on the other side until deep, deep golden and very crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Stir together the sour cream, heavy cream, horseradish, chives, salt and pepper. Serve the pub browns topped with the horseradish sauce and bacon.

Grilled potato salad

Our side dish with the English muffin burgers was this grilled potato salad. It looks like a big mess in this picture, but trust me, this was delicious. A mix of red and sweet potatoes parboiled, then grilled, then tossed with a bacon vinaigrette. Yummy!

Grilled corn on the cob with roasted jalapeno butter

Last week we made a spicy chicken recipe from Rachael Ray that we decided was just average (kind-of hard to make a chicken breast turn into anything too exciting), but I served it with Cooking Light's grilled corn on the cob with roasted jalapeno butter, which was a big hit! Delicious corn-on-the-cob is in abundance right now, so fire up your grill and try this one!

Bruschetta & rosemary roasted cashews

These appetizers are actually from one of our Bachelor watch parties in February, but I am just now getting around to putting them on the blog. This honey-tomato bruschetta with ricotta from Food & Wine and these rosemary roasted cashews were FANTASTIC! Seriously, I would plan a party just so I could make these again. We've actually made the nuts a few times since - it's impossible to stop eating them once you start!

Pimiento cheese

Since the Bachelor finale was an hour longer than usual, I made this easy pimiento cheese to accompany my usual sweet snack. This recipe has been on my to-make list for a few weeks - she had me at pepperjack cheese, one of my favorites! I made a pimiento cheese recipe from Southern Living earlier this year, but Robert and I agreed that we prefer this version- we like the spicier cheese and no nuts. I served it with Ritz crackers, but it would make a great sandwich, too!

Bombay sloppy joes and apple-lime-peanut slaw

Dinner tonight was a taste of India: bombay sloppy joes and apple-lime-peanut slaw, both from Aarti Sequeria of Food Network fame. From the smell of the sauce simmering on the stove, I knew we were going to like this - and our dinner guests walked in the door and immediately commented on how good everything smelled. The ingredients were easy to find, with the exception of Garam Masala, which I didn't see at Kroger, but bought from the bulk bin at Whole Foods (which is even better, because I just bought what I needed for these recipes vs a whole jar). And my sister who doesn't care for slaw (or "salad", as she insisted on calling it), went back for seconds. These are a fun way to combine Indian flavors with familiar American dishes!

Cheese straws

We took dinner this week to friends who have a new baby: on the menu was a repeat of chicken parmesan with pepperoni, but with the addition of these cheese straws from Ina Garten. Oh my. So simple, yet SO delicous! I mean, puff pastry paired with cheese is a no-brainer, right?!

Black bean hummus

My notoriously picky toddler has hummus on her approved foods list, so I tried this recipe from Cooking Light made with black beans. If I told her it was black beans she wouldn't have touched it, but hummus was the magic word. Simple to make, and everyone loved it- young and old!

Balsamic onion salad

We made this balsamic onion salad from Ina Garten a few weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to posting about it. This has a very strong onion flavor, so you've been warned, but it is DELICIOUS. We served it as a side with her penne with five cheeses, which we gave an average grade of B-. This salad definitely stole the show, and we'll be making it again and again.

Garlic Hasselback potatoes

We made these garlic Hasselback potatoes last week, and they were fantastic! I followed other reviewers advice and stuffed ours with garlic AND shallots, and the herbed sour cream is a must to go on top.

Bacon burgers

We were craving big, beefy burgers last week, and this bacon burger recipe from Tyler Florence/Food & Wine magazine really hit the spot. We followed the recipe as is, except we scaled it back to feed 2. But bacon and beef weren't enough - we added to the gluttony with these cornmeal fried onion rings. YUM!

Pimiento cheese

Robert has developed cravings for pimiento cheese because he loves the one served at The Capital Hotel Bar. We're having a lazy weekend at home, and thought it was a great opportunity to make a batch for sandwiches and snacks. This version has toasted pecans, which gives it a little twist!

Mexican meatloaf and poblano potato salad

I have been on an un-intended hiatus from the food blog lately. The last 4 or 5 recipes I've tried were deemed mediocre, therefore not blog-worthy. Combine that with a busy last few weeks of summer, and it feels like an eternity since I've talked food! But, as Robert said tonight after we licked our dinner plates... I'm back! I found my swagger again in the kitchen tonight, thanks to Marcela from Mexican Made Easy and her Mexican meatloaf and poblano potato salad. These recipes are spicy and delicious! I'm not sure I'd call these easy recipes, due to the amount of ingredients and the steps required- and the number of dirty pots and pans we had to clean. But who said great food was going to be easy?? Lots of excellent, smoky flavors in these with poblano peppers, serrano chiles, and even a bit of chipotle. Looking forward to having leftovers this weekend!

Fried okra

Thanks to a generous donation of okra from my Mema's garden, we had Paula Deen's delicious fried okra this week. It was easy to make and turned out great!

Nuevo cubano sandwiches and summer peach & tomato salad

Dinner last night was nuevo cubano sandwiches and summer peach and tomato salad, both from Cooking Light. We subbed turkey instead of ham on the sandwiches (personal preference), and chose mango over tomatoes. I couldn't find any wheat hoagies I liked, so we used wheat sandwich thins, which worked great. This is a simple and delicious sandwich! Robert was skeptical about the salad at first, but he was smitten after the first bite. I peeled the peaches for ours - I don't mind a little fuzz, but Robert isn't a fan - and scaled everything down as I was only cooking for two. I also took reviewer's suggestions to use balsamic vinegar in place of sherry vinegar - we prefer balsamic, and it gives the salad a caprese-like twist.