The Platefull

Inspiring home cooks to be creative with accessible, nutritious recipes.

Street Corn Salad

~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

This is my favorite side dish to serve with any type of Mexican food. It’s best in the Summer, when you can cut fresh sweet corn off the cob, but it works in the Winter with frozen fire roasted corn (or frozen sweet corn). It’s simple to make and a super flavorful, healthy side dish! I like to serve this side dish with Chicken Chimichangas.

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Street Corn Salad

  • Author: Sarah
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Ingredients

Scale

4 ears fresh corn, cut from cob or 3 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 oz Cotija or Feta cheese, crumbled

3 Tbsp Avocado Mayonnaise (or regular mayo)

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, divided

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ancho chili powder

1 large avocado, diced

Salt to taste

Instructions

After chopping the red onion, place it in a colander and run cold water over the onion (this will remove the bite from a red onion).  Let drain.  

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add corn (fresh or frozen – no need to thaw), season with salt to taste and toss, then let cook, tossing only occasionally (about every 2 minutes) until corn is charred (about 6 – 10 minutes total). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a serving bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp lime juice, regular chili powder, and ancho chili powder.  Add in the corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, and half of the cheese.  Stir to combine.  Squeeze the remaining 1/2 Tbsp lime juice over diced avocado.  Top the salad with the avocado and remaining cheese. 

Notes

If you want less spice, you can leave out the jalapeño.  You can also use 1/2 tsp of regular chili powder instead of 1/4 regular and 1/4 ancho Chile powders.

Chicken Chimichangas

~ Main, The Platefull Blog

This recipe has always been a freezer staple in our house. I prep batches of these, wrap them individually, and freeze them for a quick weeknight meal. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge, place on a baking sheet, and bake. Couldn’t be easier! I top them with store bought guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Side note – My boys don’t like any sort of spicy food, so when I make these, I prep theirs before I add the pepper jack cheese to the filling.

These can either be baked, or made in the air fryer. If cooking in the air fryer, you’ll need to let them come to room temperature on the counter before cooking, otherwise the filling won’t get warm. I love the extra crispy shell that the air fryer produces, but I don’t usually have time to let them come to room temp, so the oven it is! The oven instructions are in the recipe below. For the air fryer, cook at 400 for 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

Here’s step by step how to fold the chimichanga. Place the filling in the center, offset toward one edge of the tortilla.

Fold the edge closest to the filling over the filling and use your fingers to tuck the tortilla around the filling, pulling towards you to wrap tightly around the filling.

Fold in the edges.

Roll the chimichanga forward, to finish the wrap.

Now wrap individually and freeze, or bake. I typically make these for dinner one night and bake half and freeze half. That way, I’m prepping two meals at once! I like to serve these with my Street Corn Salad.

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Chicken Chimichangas

  • Author: Sarah
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. Pepperjack cheese, shredded

1 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 lb. rotisserie chicken, shredded

8 flour tortillas, burrito size

cooking spray

shredded cheddar cheese

green onions, for garnish

sour cream

salsa

guacamole

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and taco seasoning.  Mix in the chicken.  Divide the filling between the 8 flour tortillas.  Roll into chimichangas and spray the outsides with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking.  Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and green onions.

Notes

To freeze these, do not bake.  Once you have filled and rolled the chimichanga, wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in a ziploc bag, and freeze.  Before baking, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Bunny Juice

~ Drinks, The Platefull Blog

Apparently we have a thing for naming juices after animals (see the Green Gorilla Juice recipe), but hey, if it makes juicing fun for my kids, I’m all for it! They love this juice and so do I. During cold and flu season, I’ll sometimes add in a small piece of peeled turmeric, but it stains my hands pretty badly, so it’s not my favorite thing to do. :). More often, you’ll find me buying a turmeric shot at Whole Foods and just dumping it in at the end. I also sometime buy a ginger shot if I don’t feel like peeling ginger. I know, lazy. Another great add in is mango juice!

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  • Author: Sarah
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

8 oranges, peeled and quartered

5 carrots, ends removed and halved

1 lemon, peeled and quartered

1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled

Instructions

Run all ingredients through a juicer. Chill before serving.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

~ Baking, Dessert, The Platefull Blog

Every year for Thanksgiving, I make my apple pie. It’s beautiful and delicious and my absolute favorite. But, the weird people in my family love pumpkin pie. I will never understand the love for pumpkin pie, with its mushy texture. But, I do love pumpkin flavor. This cheesecake makes the perfect compromise! Don’t ask me how the mushiness of cheesecake is okay but the mushiness of pumpkin pie is inedible…that’s just the way it is. This cheesecake can be made ahead and refrigerated. On Thanksgiving Day, just decorate and serve!

Start by preparing the crust. Combine the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs and 1 Tbsp of the sugar. I try to buy graham cracker crumbs, but if I can’t find them, I let my kids turn graham crackers into crumbs for me since they are experts at making crumbs.

Then, press the crumb mixture into a springform pan. I used a pan with a bottom that lifts out because I couldn’t find my springform pan and I just wanted to eat the cheesecake already. It worked fine too.

Once you’ve mixed the filling, pour it into the pan and bake for 60-70 minutes at 350.

It will turn golden on top. My cheesecakes always crack, and it really doesn’t bother me because I just cover them with a topping. If you are super fussed about your cheesecake cracking, rumor has it you could try starting with room temperature cream cheese and bake it in a water bath. Sounds like a lot of effort to me for a cheesecake that will taste the same. I say just cover the top with whipped cream and no one will ever know. 😉

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

  • Author: Sarah
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Ingredients

Scale

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

Whipped Cream, for serving

Chopped Pecans, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 Tbsp sugar.  Stir with a fork until the mixture is combined well with the butter.  It should be crumbly.  Pour the crust mixture into an 8 inch springform pan.  Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the pan.  Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Add the eggs, pumpkin, and spices and beat until well combined.  Pour the filling into the crust.  Bake for 60-70 minutes.  Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before refrigerating. 

When ready to serve, top the cheesecake with whipped cream and chopped pecans.

Pomegranate and Vanilla Buttered Brussel Sprouts

~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

As recently as 5 years ago, I had never met a Brussel sprout I liked. That all changed with this recipe and now you’ll find me eating them in a variety of ways! This is the perfect holiday side dish because its got beautiful colors and is definitely a crowd pleaser.

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Pomegranate and Vanilla Buttered Brussel Sprouts

  • Author: Sarah
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Ingredients

Scale

1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved (or quartered if they are large)

2 Tbsp olive oil

5 Tbsp butter, softened

1 vanilla bean (or vanilla bean paste equivalent)

Pomegranate arils

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss the trimmed and halved Brussel sprouts with the olive oil.  Roast for 30 minutes, until tender.  In the meantime, mix the vanilla bean paste into the softened butter.  When the Brussel sprouts are still hot, toss with the vanilla butter.  Toss in the pomegranate arils and chopped pecans and serve immediately.

Green Bean Casserole

~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

Green Bean Casserole is something that I assumed all people ate growing up. That is apparently not true, because my husband had never had it until he met me. What a lucky guy! It’s a favorite of mine and the boys and super simple to make. I’ve gone away from making it with canned Cream of Mushroom soup and I now use this recipe to make Cream of Mushroom soup from scratch. It is SO delicious! The recipe contains instructions for swapping the homemade soup for 1 can. Use it in this green bean casserole – or stick with the canned soup if you’re short on time!

Start by mixing the Cream of Mushroom soup with the milk, salt, and pepper.

Add the green beans and 1/2 cup French fried onions.

Stir to combine.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the remaining French fried onions on top and bake for 5 more minutes, until they start to crisp up.

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Green Bean Casserole

  • Author: Sarah
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Ingredients

Scale

1 15 oz can cream of mushroom soup

2 15 oz cans French style green beans

3 Tbsp milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 cup French Fried Onions, divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a baking dish, combine the cream of mushroom soup with 3 Tbsp milk, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.  Stir in the green beans and 1/2 cup French fried onions.  

Bake for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup French Fried Onions over the top and bake for 5 more minutes.  

Grandma Ruth’s Sweet Corn

~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

When I was a little girl, we would visit my Grandma Ruth in the summer, at the peak of sweet corn season. Everyone would sit out on the driveway at my Grandma’s house and shuck corn to put up for Winter. My Grandma would make pans and pans of this corn and each family would take some home for their freezer. This corn is served at every holiday meal and has been since I was a kid! It’s creamy, sweet, and oh so delicious. A favorite family tradition! The past 2 years, my kiddos have gotten in on the action, helping to shuck corn outside at our picnic table. They love getting to help, and even more, they love getting to eat!

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Grandma Ruth’s Sweet Corn

  • Author: Sarah
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Ingredients

Scale

16 cups sweet corn, cut off the cob (about 36 ears)

1 pound butter, cut into pieces.

1 pint half and half

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the corn off the cob and place in a large roasting pan.  Mix in the butter pieces and half & half.  Bake at 350 for one hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so.  Cool the corn completely, bag, and freeze.

Notes

If you don’t have a pan that will fit all of the corn, you can split it into two pans.  Just split the butter and half & half as well.

Sweet Potato Casserole

~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

This may be more of a dessert than a side, but at Thanksgiving, who cares! My kids still turn their noses up to sweet potato in every dish (despite the number of times I’ve given it to them, which has to be in the hundreds at this point), but they will eat it in this. Of course, because it’s loaded with butter and sugar. I still have hope though, because this dish is one of the first that got me to like sweet potatoes too!

To prepare the sweet potato mixture, soften the butter. Microwave the sweet potatoes to cook them through. Let them cool a little so they are easier to handle, then scoop the potato out of the skin, into a mixing bowl. Let the potato cool in the bowl so that it doesn’t scramble the eggs when you add them. Once the potato has cooled a little, whip the potato alone until it is fluffy (this will also help it cool faster). Then add the softened butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar and mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture into an 8×8 pan. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate if you are preparing this recipe ahead. I typically make this the day before Thanksgiving. I mix the dry ingredients for the crumb topping the day before as well.

When you are ready to bake the sweet potato casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the remaining 1/3 cup of butter and combine it with the dry ingredients for the topping. Top the sweet potato casserole with the crumb topping. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

  • Author: Sarah
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings
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Ingredients

For the sweet potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick butter, softened

For the topping

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the potatoes in the microwave.  Let cool (enough to handle) and scoop the potato into a mixing bowl.  Whip until fluffy.  Add the softened butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar, and mix until well combined.  Pour the potato mixture into an 8×8 pan.  Melt the butter for the crumb topping and mix with remaining ingredients.  Spread over the top of the potato mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Notes

If you want to make enough for a bigger crowd, double the recipe and place in a 9×13 baking dish.

Traditional Sage Stuffing

~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

There are two kinds of stuffing that I love, but in my mind, Traditional Sage Stuffing just can’t be beat. (My other favorite stuffing recipe is William’s Sonoma’s Cornbread Stuffing With Dried Cherries). I love this recipe because it’s pretty simple to put together and I can make it the day before. Just cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Start by chopping the onion and herbs.

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until they are soft.

Place the bread pieces in a large mixing bowl. Top with the softened onions and butter mixture, then add 1 1/4 cups of the chicken broth, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and remaining 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth. Pour over the bread mixture and toss again to combine well. Pour the mixture into a buttered 9×13 baking dish and dot with remaining butter, cut into pieces.

Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

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Traditional Sage Stuffing

  • Author: Sarah
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 90 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 9x13 baking dish 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

1 pound dried bread pieces

1 yellow onion, diced

2/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup sage, chopped

3 Tbsp rosemary, minced

2 Tbsp thyme, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 eggs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9×13 baking dish, on the bottom and sides.  Place the dried bread pieces in a large mixing bowl.  In a skillet, melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup). Add the onions and cook until soft.  Pour the butter and onions over the bread pieces.  Add the herbs, salt, pepper, and 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth.  Stir to combine well.  In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and remaining 1 1/4 cup chicken broth.  Pour over the bread mixture and stir well.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Cut the remaining 1/2 stick of butter into pieces and dot the top of the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Notes

If you can’t find fresh bread pieces that have been dried out at your grocery store, you can do this yourself by placing cubed bread on a baking sheet and baking at 250 degrees until dried out.

Thanksgiving Herb Buttered Turkey

~ Main, Recipes, The Platefull Blog

This is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving Turkey. The herb butter keeps the turkey moist and provides great flavor. Don’t skip out on the fresh herbs for this recipe – they are a must. Plan on 1.25-1.5 pounds of turkey for each person. For leftovers, 1.5 pounds per person is a good sized turkey.

It’s really a quite simple recipe. Chop the herbs, grate the lemon zest, and mix with the softened butter. You can mix the herb butter, then cover and refrigerate until Thanksgiving Day. You will just need to allow time for the herb butter to soften again.

To prep the turkey, first let it thaw in the fridge. You can plan on about 24 hours for every 5 pounds. I usually give myself another 24 hour buffer just in case it isn’t fully thawed. When you are ready to prep the turkey, remove the neck and giblets. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, but do not rinse it in your sink. Place the turkey in a roasting pan, breast side up. Use your fingers to gently separate the skin over the breast portion of the turkey so that you can spread the herb butter under the skin. Be careful not to poke holes in the skin. If you can get down to the leg portion without tearing through the skin, spread the butter mixture there too. Spread the herb butter over the top of the turkey. If you find the herb butter hard to spread, microwave it for a few seconds (it doesn’t need to melt fully, just soften more) and use a pastry or grilling brush to brush it on. Last, you will stuff the turkey with the quartered orange, lemon, and onion. Tuck the wings under, and tie the legs if that has not already been done for you.

Bake the turkey at 325 using the following as a rough guideline for an unstuffed turkey:

  • 8-12 pounds: 2 3/4 hours to 3 hours
  • 12-14 pounds: 3 hours to 3 3/4 hours
  • 14-18 pounds: 3 3/4 hours to 4 1/4 hours
  • 18-20 pounds: 4 1/4 hours to 4 1/2 hours
  • 20-24 pounds: 4 1/2 hours to 5 hours
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Thanksgiving Herb Buttered Turkey

  • Author: Sarah
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Ingredients

Scale

2 sticks butter, softened

1 Tbsp chopped sage

1 Tbsp chopped thyme

1 Tbsp chopped Rosemary

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 lemon, quartered

1 onion quartered

1 orange, quartered

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine the softened butter with the chopped fresh herbs and lemon zest.  Remove the neck and giblets.  Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, but do not rinse it in your sink.  Place the turkey in a roasting pan, breast side up.  Use your fingers to gently separate the skin over the breast portion of the turkey.  Spread not quite half of the butter mixture under the skin, working it as far around the turkey as you can, being careful not to poke holes in the skin.  If you can get down to the leg portion without tearing through the skin, spread the butter mixture there too.  Spread the herb butter over the top of the turkey.  If you find the herb butter hard to spread, microwave it for a few seconds (it doesn’t need to melt, just soften a little more) and use a pastry or grilling brush to brush it on the outside of the turkey.  Last, stuff the turkey cavity with the quartered orange, lemon, and onion.  Tuck the wings under, and tie the legs if that has not already been done for you. Roast the turkey at 325 until the thickest part reads 160-165 degrees.  Remove from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Notes

I am typically roasting brussel sprouts at 400 degrees right before putting the turkey in the oven.  When the turkey goes in, my oven is at 400 but I immediately lower the temp to 325.  Starting in a hotter oven will help the skin get crispier.