Side Dishes | onedadskitchen

Fiesta Week Part 4 – Quick Pickled Onions and Radishes and Confetti Corn

For the last of the dishes I made for our special taco night bonanza, I added a couple of more side dishes that would also go well on the tacos if you wanted to try them that way. This gave everyone lots of choices to make their tacos, whether they wanted beef, chicken, chorizo or even just vegetable to make a vegetarian taco. To go along with the guacamole, salsa, black bean and cabbage slaw and refried beans I wanted to do some kind of quick pickling that did not require a lot of effort on my part and would still give great flavor from the results. I found this recipe from Bon Appetit for quick pickled onions and since I had some radishes on hand already I thought I would throw them in there as well since they go so well with tacos. You can get this dish done in five minutes, let it sit and you are good to go.

Quick Pickled Onions and Radishes

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 red onion, thinly sliced

3-4 radishes, thinly sliced

Whisk the apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt and 1 cup of water together in a small bowl until the sugar and salt dissolve. Place the red onion and the radishes in a jar and pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Let the vegetables sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

You can easily make these ahead of time and store them covered in your refrigerator for days before you use them. They do get good pickling flavor to them in a short amount of time and I have been having what was left on sandwiches and in salads all week-long as well so it gives you a great option for not a lot of work.

I also wanted to make something with corn as corn seems to go well with tacos. I found this simple confetti corn recipe from Ina Garten and decided to give it a try. Even though we haven’t hit good fresh corn season around here yet, I made this work pretty well using frozen corn instead and it turned out tasting great.

Confetti Corn

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut to 1/2-inch dice

2 tablespoons butter

Kernels cut from 5 ears of corn, or 4 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

2 tablespoons julienned fresh herbs, such as basil, chives or parsley

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet until it is shimmering. Add the red onion and saute for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir in the bell pepper and saute the vegetables for about 2 more minutes.

Add the butter to the skillet and allow it to melt, Over medium heat, add the corn, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the corn just starts to lose its starch. Season the mixture to taste and gently stir in the herbs and serve.

You get a great roasted flavor from the corn as the sugars come out and mix nicely with the red onion and the pepper. It has great color and flavor as a side dish for the tacos or to go right on the tacos if you wish. You could also make this as a great side for all kinds of dishes of beef, chicken, fish or pork and I think it would work really well. Everyone liked it so much I never even had a chance to take a picture of it as it was gobbled up pretty quickly.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Now that I am done with the Mexican recipes I made this week, I can get back to some other things I have tried recently that I would like to share with everyone. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on May 9, 2014 in Cooking, Holidays, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: bon appetit, Cinco de Mayo recipes, confetti corn, food network, Ina Garten, pickled onions, pickled radishes, quick pickled onions and radishes

Fiesta Week Part 3 – Cabbage Slaw and Refried Beans

08 May

Now that you have some good taco recipes from chorizo tacos and chicken tacos, you need to have some good ides to go along with the tacos. Of course guacamole and salsa are always good choices and are pretty easy to make on your own at home. There are also a number of quality store-bought salsas and guacamole if there are some that you like in particular and don’t have the time or energy to make them yourself. Personally, I always like the homemade better since you have more control over the ingredients and can make it just how you and your family like it the best. Anyway, I wanted to make a few different side dishes that could go well either right on the tacos themselves or right along side of them. Of course, I needed to have a classic refried beans recipe and I decided to use this one that I found on Food Network’s website from Ellie Krieger. It is very simple and can be done in minutes.

Refried Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2/3 cup chicken broth, plus more if needed

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the beans and the chicken broth and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher, adding more chicken broth to moisten the beans if necessary. Season the beans with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve.

The beans are very tasty and take no time at all to make. You could really do this with any type of beans that you like the best. I think black beans would be great for this well. The beans added great texture to the tacos overall and make a good side dish not just for tacos or other Mexican meals, but for things like chicken or pork entrees as well.

I also wanted to make a quick slaw to go along with the tacos, but I did not want a typical creamy coleslaw that I often make. I needed something lighter and simpler that people could put on their tacos or right on the side of their meals. This simple vegetable slaw from Bon Appetit fit the bill perfectly and only took a few minutes to make for the meal.

Black Bean and Cabbage Slaw

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 cups coleslaw mix

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the black beans and the cumin in a small bowl and partially mash the beans. Mix the olive oil and the lime juice together in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw mix, green onions and cilantro to the oil mixture and toss them well to coat them evenly. Add the beans to the coleslaw and toss to coat. Season the slaw with salt and pepper to taste.

Again, it is a very simple recipe that has a great fresh taste and flavor. This slaw could even be used as a taco filling all on its own if you wanted to go with something as more of a vegetarian option for tacos. All you need to do is heat dome tortillas, spoon the mixture onto the tortillas, add a little cheese and any other toppings you like, and you are good to go. I have actually been eating the slaw with my lunch the rest of the week and have added it into some salad that I made for lunch yesterday for an even better variation on regular salad.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on May 8, 2014 in Cooking, Holidays, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: black bean and cabbage slaw, black beans, bon appetit, chicken tacos, Cinco de Mayo recipes, Ellie Krieger, food network, pinto beans, refried beans, refried beans recipe, vegetable slaw, vegetarian tacos

A Fresh and Fulfilling Side Dish – Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

02 May

I like cauliflower, but I often have a couple of problems with it. Number one, when it is not in season it can be quite expensive to get a fresh head of cauliflower around here. I usually have to wait until it goes on sale someplace before I pick some up. The second problem I have is that by itself it can be quite bland. If you have ever steamed cauliflower or boiled it you know that it doesn’t always have a lot of flavor to it by itself and a lot of people get put off just by the smell of cauliflower as it is cooking. One of the reasons I do not often buy frozen cauliflower is that it can be pretty tasteless in my opinion unless you do something with it. So when I bought some fresh cauliflower last week, I set out to try to find a good way of cooking it. I love roasting vegetables myself; it brings out much more flavor and you get the chance to add some herbs, dressings or sauces to it to make it even more flavorful. This works particularly well with cauliflower, so I was glad when I found this recipe from Bon Appetit for roasted cauliflower with lemon-parsley dressing and decided to give it a try.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into florets
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the cauliflower florets and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season the cauliflower with salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower, tossing it occasionally, until it is tender and golden brown, about 25–30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse the parsley, the lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor until it is very finely chopped; season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the roasted cauliflower with the lemon-parsley mixture and top the cauliflower with the lemon zest.

It is a very simple side dish that really gets the flavors of the cauliflower brought out by the roasting. The lemon dressing really helps to bring it all together as well. You can use this as a side dish for really any type of entrée you are making, such as steak, lamb, chicken or pork. I used it as a side when I made the molasses-glazed pork tenderloin I had made and it went perfectly with the meal. You can also make the dressing ahead of time since it is easy to put together and keep it chilled in the refrigerator until after you have roasted the cauliflower. it makes for a great option for you if you are tired of steaming or boiling.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I just want to take a quick moment to thank everyone who has been following along or reading the blog as it continues to grow. it has been a lot of fun for me and I hope you can find some great recipes that you want to try for you and your family. If there is ever anything that you want to see, a question you may have or a recipe of your own you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment below, send me an e-mail at IguanaFlats@msn.com or catch up to me on my Facebook or Twitter page. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on May 2, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: bon appetit, cauliflower, cauliflower florets, lemon-parsley dressing, roasted cauliflower, roasted cauliflower with lemon-parsley dressing

A Spicy Side Dish – Tex-Mex Rice and Beans

22 Apr

When I made the surf and turf burritos last week, I wanted a simple side dish to go along with them and instead of making a standard rice and beans to go along with the meal,I decided to spice things up a bit and found a few different recipes for Tex-Mex rice, but I decided I wanted some beans in the dish too and made a minor adjustment to this recipe that I found from Cook’s Country. It is a very simple side dish that can go well with a bunch of different entrees and you can have it all done in about 30 minutes.

Tex-Mex Rice and Beans

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 poblano chile, seeded and chopped fine
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped fine
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt

Process the tomatoes in a food processor until they are smooth; set aside. Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain the rice well.

Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion, poblano, and jalapeños and cook until they are softened, about 5 minutes; reserve ¼ cup of the pepper mixture. Stir in the rice, black beans, cumin, and oregano into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is a deep golden, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, the processed tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the reserved pepper mixture. Cover and let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt. Serve.

Just a couple of quick notes about this recipe. if you cannot find any poblanos or don’t want to use poblanos, you have lots of other choices as far as peppers. you can make this as hot or as mild as you want it to be. You could simply use some Anaheim peppers or just jalapenos or even just some bell pepper if you like. Also, rinsing the rice does make a big difference since it washes off a lot of the starch so you do not end up with gummy rice and get some nice fluffy rice instead. I liked the mix of the heat of the dish to go along with the burritos and adding the beans into the dish made it even heartier and they took on some of the flavor of the sauce and the peppers. This would work great for any Mexican or Southwestern dish you want to make, or even with pork, shrimp, a steak or some chicken. You get a lot of options with this dish and the recipe makes a lot of rice, so you will have leftovers to eat as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on April 22, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Rice, Side Dishes

Tags: black beans, Cook's Country Tex-Mex rice, rice and beans, Tex-Mex rice, Tex-Mex rice and beans

Cook’s Country Steak Tips with Tomatillo Salsa and Refried Black Beans

08 Apr

I look forward to getting Cook’s Country in the mails every two months more than any other magazine. They always have great recipes to try and most of them are really easy to make and give you meals with great flavor in no time at all. When I got the April?May edition of the magazine recently I saw a bunch of recipes that I immediately wanted to try out but I figured I would give this one a try first. It os for steak tips with tomatillo salsa and refried black beans. It is very simple and elegant and has all kinds of great tastes going on.

Steak Tips with Tomatillo Salsa and Refried Black Beans

1 pound tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed, dried and halved

2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed

Pulse the tomatillos in a food processor until they are coarsely chopped, about 8 pulses. Transfer the tomatillos to a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and allow them to drain for about 5 minutes. Reserve 3/4 of a cup of the tomatillo liquid. Combine half of the jalapenos, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, half of the minced garlic, the drained tomatillos and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomatillo liquid in a bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste and set it aside.

Pat the steak tips dry with paper towels and season the steak tips with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil on a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it is just smoking. Cook the steak until it is browned all over and the meat registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare) on an instant read thermometer, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the onion to the now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until the onion is just softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cumin, the remaining jalapeno and the remaining garlic and cook until it is pregnant, about 30 seconds. Add the black beans and the remaining 1/2 cup of the reserved tomatillo liquid. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the steak with the beans and tomatillo salsa.

I really loved the flavor of the tomatillo salsa and the black beans were a perfect complement to the steak tips. Everything had great taste thanks to the tomatillos and since there are only a few ingredients in this meal you can get everything done in under 30 minutes. You could certainly use another cut of meat if you did not have sirloin steak tips. I think you could cut up a London broil or other steak and it will work just fine with this meal. Either way, it’s a good quick meal to make during the week when you need something fast. Serve it with a side salad and you are good to go. As you can see from the picture, this is before I added the tomatillo salsa, which I actually served on the side of the steak and beans because Sean wasn’t too thrilled with the salsa. He thought it was too spicy, but I think it was just fine.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on April 8, 2014 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Sauce, Side Dishes

Tags: black beans, Cook's Country, Cook's Country steak tips with tomatillo salsa and refriedblack beans, refried black beans, steak rips with tomatillo salsa and refried black beans, steak tips, tomatillo salsa

Changing Up a Classic (Just a Bit) – Stovetop Mac and Cheese

22 Mar

There is no other way for me to say it – I don’t like macaroni and cheese. I don’t eat pasta or cheese, so for me, this meal is almost the worst combination you can come up with (it’s right up there with lasagna and baked ziti for me). I know this may sound like blasphemy, but it is just the way it is for me and my family accepts it. That doesn’t change the fact that Michelle and Sean both love macaroni and cheese and would eat it just about every day if they could. That being said, usually when it comes to making macaroni and cheese in this house, I step away from the kitchen and let Michelle take over. She knows how it should be and should taste so I just let her do it. When she and Sean saw this recipe this morning from Amy Thielen on Food Network, they immediately decided they wanted to try it for lunch today.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

4 ounces (about 3 to 4 slices) bacon, cut into small dice
Salt, for pasta water
1/2 pound pasta, such as elbows
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces American cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 ounces aged cheddar, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add the bacon and cook, stirring, until the bacon is lightly crisp, about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside; reserve the bacon fat for another use.

Bring a 2-quart pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is just tender to the bite, or al dente. Before draining the pasta, use a heavy liquid measuring cup to pull out 3/4 cup of the pasta water; set the water aside. Drain the pasta and return the pot to the heat.

Heat the butter in the pasta pot, then add the cooked pasta. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Add the shredded American cheese and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the shredded cheddar cheese, milk, pepper and the cooked bacon and mix well. Dribble in the extra pasta water as needed to make a soft, creamy sauce. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve immediately.

It seems to me that this is just as easy as it would be to open one of those boxes of macaroni and cheese that have the cheese “dust” in it and I have to admit this smelled a lot better than the usual mac and cheese to me because of the use of the bacon. Sean absolutely loved it with the bacon in it, since bacon pretty much makes everything better anyway. Michelle really enjoyed it as well, though she thought it could use some more cheese in it and vowed to add more the next time around. Overall it seemed to be a pretty good hit with both of them and showed plans on bringing some to school on Monday for lunch.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. As always, there is still plenty to share as we are always trying something new around here. If you ever have any recipes you would like to share or something you would like to see on the blog, feel free to leave a comment, or catch up with me on Facebook or Twitter or send me an email at IguanaFlats@msn.com. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 22, 2014 in Dinner, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Side Dishes

Tags: Amy Thielen stovetop mac and cheese, bacon mac and cheese, food network, mac and cheese with bacon, stovetop mac and cheese, stovetop macaroni and cheese

A Sweet Side Dish – Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

20 Mar

The sweet potato, in my opinion, is a side dish that often gets overlooked. At least I know in my house we forget about them a lot and we really shouldn’t see it is considered a super food. To me it’s a great side and has a lot more flavor than your typical Russet potato or Yukon gold potato and I would rather have a sweet potato than either of those. Anyway, I had come across this recipe from Guy Fieri on the Food Network when I was looking for something different to do with a sweet potato for dinner and I saw this simple recipe for twice-baked sweet potatoes. I actually changed it a little bit by microwaving the potatoes for 12 minutes first instead of baking them in the oven for an hour to soften them up so they could be done faster, but you can use either method and still get quality results.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

4 medium-sized sweet potatoes

5 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 stick butter

Vegetable oil, for greasing the roasting tray

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly scrub the sweet potatoes under cold running water. Place the potatoes on a roasting tray and bake the potatoes until they are tender, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and allow the potatoes to cool slightly before cutting of the top third of the potato lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh using a large spoon and be sure to leave enough on the base so the skin will be able to hold its shape and reserve the bases.

Add the sweet potato flesh, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, cayenne pepper and the butter to a food processor. Process the mixture until the ingredients are completely combined and the puree is smooth. Season the potato mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a roasting tray with a little bit of the vegetable oil. Set the potato skin bases upright on the tray and fill the bases with the sweet potato mixture.

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and the pecans, if using, in a small bowl. Sprinkle the top of each stuffed sweet potato with the sugar-pecan topping. Bake the potatoes for 10 minutes. Finish the potatoes under the broiler for the top to brown, about 1 minute, if desired.

As I had said, I scrubbed the potatoes and poked them with a fork and cooked them in the microwave for 12 minutes until they were tender so I could significantly cut back on the cooking time and I think they came out just fine. The flavors of the potato with the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg were great and although I omitted the pecans, I did drizzle a little bit of pure maple syrup on each one for some extra flavor. To me, it’s a great way to make an easy side dish to go with just about beef, pork or poultry dish that you want.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 20, 2014 in Cooking, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: food network, Guy Fieri twice baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes recipe, twice baked sweet potato, twice-baked sweet potatoes

A Bevy of Beguiling Irish Dishes for St. Patrick’s Day

17 Mar

A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all! While for most people who think of Irish cooking as simply corned beef and cabbage and nothing more, I can tell you there are a lot of great Irish dishes you can try beyond that typical meal. There are some great meals you can choose from all over the Internet and I have posted a lot of Irish recipes on here, being he good Irish boy that I am. I have always wanted to see the cuisine beyond the corned beef and when Michelle and I went to Dublin we got to see, smell and taste a lot of different things. So if you are looking for some things to try this St. Patrick’s Day, here are some Irish meals I have posted on the blog that you can check out, including the classic corned beef and cabbage.

Beef and Barley Broth

Irish Cream and Coffee Cookies

Irish Onion Soup

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

Irish Mussels in Guinness Cream Sauce

Beef & Guinness Stew

Guinness Chocolate Truffles

Traditional Irish Stew

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Pressure Cooker

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Colcannon

Guinness Mustard

Grasshopper Pie

Homemade Shamrock Shake

Potato and Leek Soup

Irish Soda Bread

There are also lots more great recipes out there on the Internet that you can check out from some great sources if you are looking for something a little different. I will be making the corned beef and cabbage in the pressure cooker, along with some Colcannon, cabbage and the brown bread. Of course there will be Guinness and Irish coffee later on as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more great recipes. Until then enjoy the rest of your day, have a happy St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 17, 2014 in Beef, Beverages, Breads, Breakfast, Cakes, Cookies, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Lamb, One Pot Meals, Pie, Potatoes, Sauce, Side Dishes, Soups & Stews

Tags: corned beef, corned beef and cabbage, dishes to make for St.Patrick's Day, Irish cooking, Irish dishes, Irish recipes, St. Patrick's Day recipes, Traditional Irish Stew

Simple Southern Sides, Part 2 – Jamie Deen’s Homemade Baked Beans

13 Mar

Continuing along with some of the southern side dish recipes I have tried recently, I wanted to try something new with some baked beans so I was on the lookout for another recipe. I have tried good ones in the past but I did not want one that I had to put in the slow cooker and I wanted one that I could put in the oven with the other items I was cooking so I could have the stove top free for other things. I came across this recipe on Food Network from Jamie Deen, one of Paula Deen’s sons. I always like his recipes as he tries to keep things simple and a bit healthier when he can, so when I saw this recipe out there I knew I was going to give it a try.

Homemade Baked Beans

1 pound dried pinto beans
8 slices bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Sort through the beans and pick out any dried-up beans or small pebbles and discard them. Rinse the beans well in a colander, then add them to a large Dutch oven and cover the beans with 3 inches of water. Bring the beans to a boil for 2 minutes. Cover and let the beans sit on the stove for 1 hour. Drain the beans and rinse them again. Alternatively, you could soak the beans in water overnight to achieve the same results.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Add the bacon to the same Dutch oven and cook it over medium heat, while stirring, until the bacon has rendered some of its fat, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the garlic and onions and saute until the bacon is almost crisp and the garlic and onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Season the bacon with a good pinch of salt and pepper and then stir in the chili powder, sautéing for 1 minute to toast the spice and until it is fragrant. Stir in 4 cups of water, the chicken stock, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the pinto beans, bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the Dutch oven with a lid and place it in the oven for 5 hours. Check the beans every few hours to give them a stir. Add some water to the pot, only if needed, if the beans are looking dry and to prevent them from burning. The beans are ready when they are tender and the sauce is thick.

I thought this recipe was great because it makes use of the dried beans instead of canned, which I find have a lot more flavor to them. There are not many ingredients in this one and once it is under way I was pretty much able to leave it alone and let it cook since I was making these with the spare ribs I made last week, so both were in the oven and are on their own all day while I could do other things and then have dinner ready all at once. The beans had a nice flavor from the mixture of the chili powder, ketchup, molasses and sugar and we all loved them. This recipe does make a lot of beans (the website says it makes 10 servings) so you will have lots leftover to use for other meals or you could freeze some to have on hand for another time.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe as there is always plenty of cooking going on around here and I am always finding new recipes to try. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 13, 2014 in Cooking, Rice, Side Dishes

Tags: baked beans, baked beans recipe, food network, homemade baked beans recipe, Jamie Deen, pinto beans

Simple Southern Sides, Part 1 – Sweet Potato Corn Bread

11 Mar

I had made a Mardi Gras dinner last week at Sean’s request so I tried to find some recipes for some good side dishes that fit the theme we were going for and were going to be easy to make. Since I was making gumbo as the main part of the meal, I wanted to have some bread to go with it and what would be better than some corn bread? Well I found this recipe on Epicurious for a sweet potato corn bread that sounded really tasty and very easy to make, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Sweet Potato Corn Bread

1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan. Pierce the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork. Microwave the sweet potatoes on high until they are tender to the touch, turning once, about 12 minutes. Cut open the potatoes and allow the flesh to cool. Mash enough of the potatoes to yield 1 cup packed. Reserve the extra mashed sweet potatoes for another use. Place the 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs and the buttermilk.

Blend the cornmeal, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and ground ginger in the food processor. Add the pieces of chilled butter and blend in the food processor until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cornmeal mixture to the egg mixture and stir until they are just blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.

Bake the corn bread until it is a deep golden color on top and a toothpick or tester inserted into the center of the corn bread comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the corn bread in the pan on a baking rack. Serve or let stand at room temperature and serve when you are ready.

Cooking the sweet potatoes in the microwave saves you at least an hour of cooking time in the oven and helps you get the corn bread made a lot faster. I think the bread came out really well. it was not at all dry like some corn bread can be and had a great flavor from the sweet potatoes. If anything, it maybe could even used a bit more sweet potato for extra flavor. This recipe makes a lot of cornbread and says it will serve 10 to 12 people. I actually cut the recipe in half and made a smaller batch for us and we still had plenty to last for the week. I think I would make this one again as it seemed better than some of the traditional cornbread recipes I have tried.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another recipe. I still have a couple of good southern sides to share – a red rice recipe and a baked beans recipe from Jamie Deen, along with the gumbo I made for Mardi Gras, some parfaits, a new pulled pork recipe, beef stroganoff, chicken fingers, 3 pork burgers and a whole lot more. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!