Side dishes – Page 3 – The Funky Oven

Jalapeño hominy casserole

This is NOT my recipe. It comes from an online source copycatting Perini ranch steakhouse in Buffalo gap, Texas. This hominy is simple to make and very good. In fact, I hated hominy until I ate this. It is quite unique. I changed the recipe I found just slightly. I think it said to use poblano peppers and I chose red bell peppers.

5-6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1 15 ounce can white hominy

1/4 cup hominy liquid from can

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, diced

2 tablespoons picked jalapeño juice

Cook bacon and remove from pan but reserve grease. In the same pan, add back 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add the onion and red bell pepper and sauté until tender or about 10 minutes. When cooked, add in drained hominy, bacon, cheese, pickled jalapeño, reserved hominy juice and pickled jalapeño juice.

This can be made ahead and refrigerated if needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place all into a prepared 8×8 casserole pan. Add additional cheese if desired. Bake for 30-40 minutes uncovered.

Vinegar based coleslaw

Side dishes

This is a very light and flavorful salad for summer. It is so easy to make and requires little to no effort.

1/2 small head of cabbage sliced

1 cup shredded carrot

3 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix together the vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and celery salt. Pour this over a mixture of the cabbage, carrot and green onion. Mix well. Refrigerate for about 8-10 hours prior to eating.

Roasted Brussel sprouts

Dinner, Side dishes

I realize there will be people who disagree with my trick for these. I am not trying to please everyone. Grandma had a trick to her cooking – bacon grease! While it is not always heart healthy, bacon and brussel sprouts sure go well together. You can also use oil or butter but the crispiness and browning are just not the same. I store my leftover bacon grease in a jar in the fridge for a week. I really only use it for brussel sprouts, green beans, and black eyed peas. For these 3 dishes, it makes a world of difference.

Brussel sprouts

1/2 cup small diced yellow onion

2 tablespoon bacon grease

salt and pepper

Clean and wash brussel sprouts. Cut them either in halves or quarters depending on the size. Place the sprouts and onion in an 8×12 baking dish in a single layer. Add bacon grease on top (it will melt later). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 425 degree for 15-25 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.

Rather than plain black pepper, I really like Jane’s crazy mixed up pepper seasoning for these.

Creamed spinach

Side dishes

This version of creamed spinach is packed full of garlic flavor. It is made using only 2 pans which is great for clean up. For those of you who do not enjoy nutmeg flavored creamed spinach, this is a great alternative. It is made with fresh spinach and finished in the oven with panko for a little crunchy texture.

10-16 ounces fresh spinach – remove the long stems and wash

1/2 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon chive flavored cream cheese

1-2 cups whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup panko

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the onion for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and spinach. Continue to cook until spinach is fully wilted.

Add the cream cheese and continue to stir until fully melted.

Add the flour. Gradually add 1 cup of milk while stirring constantly. Add heavy cream. Add up to 1 more cup of milk to desired texture. I like this more firm so I stopped at 1 cup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a prepared baking dish. Top with sprinkled panko. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling and panko is brown in color.

Au gratin potatoes

Side dishes, Uncategorized

These are pretty simple to make although not at all healthy. They are a definite “treat” food….. and so worth it!

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and thin sliced

8 ounces heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 clove garlic

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare an 8×12 baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the cream, garlic, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup of cheese, and thyme in a sauce pan. Heat until warm but not boiling. Stop cooking when you begin to smell the garlic. Remove the clove of garlic. Place 1 layer of potatoes (not overlapping) in the pan. Drizzle some of the cream over. Add another layer of potatoes. Add more cream. Continue layering until all potatoes are used. Pour the remaining cream on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes total. Sprinkle with remaining cheese after 20-25 minutes of baking. Cook until cheese on top is slightly browned and potatoes are fork tender.

Cranberry sauce

Side dishes

I grew up eating canned cranberries. Nothing compares to the fresh sauce. It really is easy to make. I use the recipe on the bag of the Ocean Spray cranberries. The only difference is that I add the juice of one lemon at the end after straining the berries. You do not have to strain. This recipe works perfectly either way. I personally prefer a smooth sauce to a lumpy sauce.

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

3 cups fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Place the sugar and water in a large pot on the stove. Cook until boiling.

Now add the cranberries. Here is the fun part for kiddos. They will pop just like popcorn. I recommend a fry screen over the pot to keep the hot sugar from splashing little faces. Here is a photo after one popped.

Boil this on low, stirring often. Add lemon juice at the end.

Here is the labor intensive part (if you do not want skins). Strain the mixture though a mesh collander or food mill. Here is a photo of my setup. Super fancy, right?

I gently mash the craberries through the strainer with a spoon and collect the at the bottom. The sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 14 days and also freezes well.

Cheesy jalapeño hash brown casserole

Garden creations, jalapeno, Side dishes

SONY DSC — cheesy jalapeño hash brown casserole

What happens when you have a bumper crop in your garden? You get creative.

Hash brown casserole is another example of a typically over creamy, over buttered wonderful food that can be made without all the extra fat. The jalapeño adds a really nice flavor. Cooking them first makes it not too spicy.

20 ounce fresh shredded hash browns

3 jalapeño, remove seeds and dice

1 cup diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese – divided

Cook the jalapeño and onion in butter on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the flour. Slowly add the water in small amounts while stirring constantly. Add in the bouillon, pepper, and cumin. Continue to stir often until thickened. Remove from heat. Add in 3/4 cup of the cheese. Stir until melted.

SONY DSC

Place the hash browns into a bowl. Fold in the prepared cheese sauce until fully mixed. Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 casserole pan. Press the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes uncovered.

SONY DSC

Italian salad dressing

Garden creations, Salad dressing, Side dishes

My husband and I are going to be healthy for a little while. Healthy means I am having fun with salad dressings. The perfect salad to me is a little lettuce, spinach, and TONS of cut up veggies…. green onion, peppers, tomato, broccoli, cucumber, radish, carrots….. pile it all on. Sometimes it ends up more veggies than lettuce but thats okay.

Juice of one lemon

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons honey

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon parmesan

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

This is the best part. Shake it all up. Look how pretty it is before you shake it.

I do not think I will ever use a store bought Italian dressing again. This was literally the best ever….

Homemade Croutons

Bread, Side dishes, Snacks

The more you make a salad fun, the more likely you are to eat it. These croutons take 10-15 minutes to make and you can use all the extra bread laying around.

Cubes of bread – about 4-5 cups

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoon Spec or similar non- salt seasoning

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the oil with seasonings. Then mix the oil and seasoning with the bread cubes. Pour onto a baking sheet. Make sure they are spread out. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the bread density. Watch them closely after 10 minutes.

Saffron rice with pancetta

Side dishes

This is adapted from Giada’s recipe on food network. I made it beef based and added shallots for a stronger onion flavor. It is really really good.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 6 ounce package diced pancetta

2 tablespoons salted butter

3 shallots thinly sliced

1 cup jasmine rice

1 beef bouillon cube

1/2 teaspoon saffrom threads

1 1/2 cups water

In a saucepan, cook the pancetta in the olive oil on medium heat for 6 minutes.

Remove the pancetta and drain on paper towels. Add the butter to the pan. Cook the shallots for 3-4 minutes.

Add the pancetta, rice, water, bouillon, and safron to pan.

Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Leave the pan covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.

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