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.

Pomegranate and Vanilla Buttered Brussel Sprouts

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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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

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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.

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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.

Green Bean Casserole

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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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

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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.  

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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!

Grandma Ruth’s Sweet Corn

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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

1 pound butter, cut into pieces.

1 pint half and half

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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.

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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.

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.

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

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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.

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Notes

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

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.

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

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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

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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.

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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.

My herb garden is out of control! I have SO. MUCH. SAGE. And rosemary, so don’t be surprised if you see a post using a ton of rosemary soon. I love sage – it’s one of my favorite herbs. It looks pretty in the garden, grows like a weed, and has the best flavor. These mashed potatoes are the essence of Fall flavors to me, with the butter and sage. But they are so insanely good that you’ll find me eating them year round!

Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Fried Sage

• Author: Sarah
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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2.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into equal sized pieces

1/2 c half and half

4 oz cream cheese

5 Tbsp butter, divided

3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped and divided

1/8 tsp dried thyme

3 gloves garlic, smashed

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot, boil water for the potatoes.  Once the water is boiling, place the potatoes in the pot and cook until tender.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup half and half, 3 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp sage, thyme, smashed garlic, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Let simmer, while stirring for 2-3 minutes, then cover and remove from the heat.  Let the mixture sit while the potatoes cook.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them.  Place the potatoes into a large mixing bowl.  Add the cream mixture and the 4 oz of cream cheese.  Mash with a potato masher and then finish by mixing with a hand mixer until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.  Spoon the potatoes into a baking dish and dot with 1 Tbsp diced butter.

Place the potatoes into a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes until just barely starting to brown on top.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium high heat, until bubbly.  Add the remaining 2 Tbsp chopped sage to the pan and fry until crispy (being careful not to burn).  When the potatoes come out of the oven, pour the crispy sage and whatever butter is remaining in the pan over the top.  Serve immediately.

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Okay, I’m starting this post by putting this out there. I HATE the cauliflower rice trend. Does anyone actually think riced cauliflower tastes remotely like rice?! All I taste is cauliflower. And I don’t even like cauliflower. So for me, the cauliflower rice trend is a no-go. Except for this recipe. This is the sole cauliflower rice recipe that is allowed in my kitchen. And dare I say, it’s actually good! For me to say that is saying a lot since I consider all other riced cauliflower dishes to be inedible. LOL.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, on to the recipe. This is really a pretty simple recipe, but it is best served immediately after it is prepared. I like to serve this with my Fajita Stuffed Chicken. I prepare this dish while the chicken is baking, so dinner is still on the table in 30 minutes or less!

Start by chopping the onion, garlic, and tomatoes. I like to pre-measure out the rest of my ingredients as well so that I don’t have to think as I cook.

Next, you will heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and tomatoes. If you like spicy rice, you could add some diced serrano or jalapeño pepper here.

Once the onion is softened, add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Then add in the riced cauliflower and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and spices and stir to mix well.

Last, add the salsa and heat through.

Cauliflower Mexican Rice

• Author: Sarah
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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4 cups riced cauliflower 

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 white onion, diced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup salsa

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Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions and tomatoes and cook until the onions are soft, 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute.  Add the riced cauliflower and saute for 2 more minutes.  Add the tomato paste, cumin, and paprika and stir to combine well.  Add the salsa and heat through.  Serve immediately.

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I’m obviously on a Mediterranean kick! Loaded Hummus yesterday, this salad today, and wait until you try the Mediterranean Chicken with Yogurt Dill Sauce that I’ll be sharing tomorrow! I will say, I’m not a huge fan of chickpeas (unless they are in hummus). However, I do like them in this salad. Though sometimes if I’m not feelin’ the chickpea love, I leave them out. Either way, any time I make a Mediterranean dish, you can bet this is on the menu!

Mediterranean Pepper and Olive Salad

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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3 cups sliced sweet mini-peppers (sliced into rings, seeds discarded)

1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

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Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Place the sliced peppers in a wide bowl and pour the marinade over the top.  Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.  

When ready to serve, use a slotted spoon to remove the pepper rings from the marinade and place in a bowl for serving.  Add the garbanzo beans, olives, and feta and toss to combine.  If desired, you can spoon a little of the marinade over the salad. 

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