Rosemary Mustard Roasted Potatoes

These Rosemary mustard potatoes are so simple to make and they are a great side dish to chicken, pork and even steak. The Dijon mustard really adds a nice tang to these delicious potatoes. They are roasted in the oven and turn out crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.

Here’s what you need:

*1 IB or more red, yellow or russet potatoes, cut into bite size pieces; I usually use red potatoes, but my store was out so I used russet.

*3 TBS Dijon mustard

*1/4 cup olive oil + more for the pan and to pour over the potatoes while cooking if needed

*2 tsp. dried Rosemary or 1TBS fresh rosemary chopped

*1/2 TBS smoked paprika

*3 garlic cloves, minced

*1 tsp. salt or more to taste

*1 TBS white wine

Preheat oven to 425°

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except for the potatoes.

Add potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat.

Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a baking pan. Pour in the potatoes and spread in an even layer.

Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are golden brown on the outside and soft in the inside.

If the potatoes appear to dry out during the cooking time, drizzle with more olive oil.

Place in a serving bowl and serve.

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Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs aren’t just for the Holidays, but if you need a last minute appetizer or a side these make a very tasty addition. These have the creaminess of mayonnaise, with a hint of mustard, celery and dill. Feel free to add any other tasty ingredients as well.

Here’s what you need:

*6 eggs

*1/4 C Mayo plus additional if needed.

*1 tsp. mustard of more to taste

*salt to taste

*1 tsp. dried dill weed or more to taste

*1/2 tsp celery seed or more to taste

*paprika for garnish

Place eggs in a small pot and fill with warm water.

Bring to a gentle boil, cover and remove from the heat and let sit for 12 minutes. Drain and fill with cold water, let sit for about 5 minutes or until eggs are cool enough to handle. Peel shells under running water. I find this helps remove the shells easier.

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the yolk and place into a food processor. Set aside the whites to fill later.

You can mix this by hand, but I find it easier and you get a creamier consistency when blended in a food processor. If mixing by hand, with a fork, break up the yolks until it resembles the consistency of sand.

Add the rest of the ingredients except for the paprika.

Pulse until smooth scrapping down the sides if needed while mixing. Taste and add any more of the ingredients if needed.

Spoon the mixture into a ziplock bag and cut one of the corner tips.

This makes filling the eggs easier. Slowly fill the eggs with the yolk mixture.

Sprinkle with paprika to garnish.

Serve as an appetizer or a side.

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Nina’s Baked Mac and Cheese

I wanted to share with you another side dish idea for Thanksgiving. This was my grandmother’s go to mac and cheese. She was always asked to bring her mac and cheese to our family gatherings. She would set it down right in front of everyone and declare ” I’m sure I missed something and it may not be any good.” Of course by the time she finished that sentence the dish would be half gone. I think deep down she knew she had us right when she came walking in with her casserole dish and the scent of cheese wafting through the air. She never wrote down her recipe for her mac and cheese, but I had watched her make it so many times that when she passed away, I had to remember what exactly she put into it. I will confess, it took several attempts before it tasted like hers. A little side fact about my grandmother, when I was little she wanted me to call her Nana, but nope, I always had to be different and instead called her Nina. So from then on she became my Nina. As I have mentioned before, she loved to cook and she was also one who inspired me to cook as well as my mom and dad. Whenever I make this mac and cheese for family or just for hubby and I, I always think of her.

This mac and cheese is more like a mac and cheese pie. You will see plenty versions of this southern side dish at family and church gatherings. It’s layered with noodles and lots of cheese then baked so all of that comes together in one glorious, cheesy goodness…. the ultimate comfort food.

Here’s what you need:

*1 lb elbow macaroni

*2 cups evaporated milk

*1 egg

*1/2 tsp. dry mustard

*pinch of nutmeg

*1/2 tsp. salt, divided

*1/2 stick of butter, cut into small cubes

*3 cups shredded cheddar cheese; I recommend shredding your own cheese and do not buy the kind that is pre shredded in a bag. Those have anti- caking agents so the cheese will not melt as well.

Pre heat oven to 350°.

Boil noodles in salted water one minute less than package directions; drain and set aside.

Whisk together evaporated milk, egg, dry mustard and nutmeg; set aside.

Spray a large casserole dish with no stick spray.

Layer some of the noodles on the bottom of the casserole dish and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of the salt; add some of the cheese on top of the noodles. Place some of the butter cubes on top of the cheese. Add another layer of noodles and the rest of the salt, then top with the remaining cheese; scatter the remaining butter cubes on top.

Pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the noodles and cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes then uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Let it sit about 10 minutes before serving.

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Air Fryer Herb Potatoes

About a month ago, I bought an air fryer.

I had been wanting one for some time, but was skeptical. After seeing a few posted recipes and hearing how much others liked theirs, I decided to go for it. I started trying it out by mainly cooking frozen foods, like french fries, mozzarella sticks, burritos….things like that. So far I’ve been very pleased. After seeing Diane’s tasty air fryer home fries (https://indianeskitchen.com/2020/09/21/air-fryer-home-fries/ )from her site https://indianeskitchen.com/ (which you really should stop by her site because she has some very good recipes and she is such a delightful person.) I thought I should try one of my go to side dishes…my Roasted Potatoes. I was very pleased at how crispy they were and took less time to cook than in the oven. Another plus to cooking in the air fryer, is that it doesn’t heat up the kitchen, and when you are in the middle of the summer down here in the south, that’s a huge plus.

Here’s what you need to make your own air fryer herb potatoes:

This made 3 servings

*2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces; you can use red or gold potatoes if you prefer.

*1 tsp. garlic powder; or more to taste

*1 tsp. onion powder; or more to taste

*1 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed; or more to taste

*1 tsp. dried Thyme; or more to taste

*salt and cracked pepper to taste

*1 1/2 TBS. olive oil

Set the air fryer to 400° and run for 5 minutes without anything in the basket to preheat.

While air fryer is preheating, place the potatoes in a large bowl; add all of the ingredients.

Toss to coat the potatoes.

Pour the potatoes in the basket of the air fryer.

Cook at 400° for 10 minutes. Shake the basket and stir the potatoes. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Place in a serving bowl and enjoy.

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Skillet Roasted Corn

This skillet roasted corn makes an easy and great tasting side dish. This can be done with frozen or fresh corn. By adding a few ingredients and cooking it in a skillet, the corn becomes a little caramelized and really brings out the flavor of the corn. I prefer to use a cast iron skillet because it holds the heat better and it seems to caramelize the corn well, but you don’t have to use cast iron. I would not recommend a non stick kind, because you will not get the same results. Make sure your skillet is big enough so the corn is not over crowded.

Here’s what you need:

*corn, frozen or fresh; I used 1/2 bag of sweet frozen corn.

*1 TBS butter

*1 tsp. olive oil

*1 garlic clove, minced

*1/2 tsp. onion powder

*salt to taste

Heat a medium cast iron pan on medium heat; add butter and oil.

When butter mixture melts and starts to foam, add in the garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes or until garlic becomes soft. Add in the onion powder.

Stir for about 1 minute, this will help flavor the butter and oil mixture, but be careful not to let the garlic or the onion powder burn.

Toss in the corn and stir to coat the butter mixture all over the corn. Spread the corn in a single layer as much as possible.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes; add the salt.

When corn starts to brown, remove from the pan and serve.

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Corn Salad

This might look like an ordinary corn dish, but oh no…..this stuff is addictive.I can not take credit, my aunt Cathy made this and brought it to a lunch me and some of my family had last Saturday (yes there was social distancing and there were only 5 of us…. no men were allowed just us girls). I have to admit, when she mentioned that she brought corn salad to go along with our very tasty chicken salad ( yes, it was a salad kind of luncheon, and not the leafy kind. ) I do like corn so I knew this should be good. But it’s just corn right? wrong! This also has chili cheese Fritos. Yes, Fritos. Don’t scroll away….seriously, it’s that good. I could have just plopped down, spoon in hand and eaten the whole bowl of this stuff. The corn chips add a nice crunch and saltiness, where as the mayo adds just a touch of creaminess to it and a little bite from the onion….. so good.

This can be made a head of time, but do not add the Fritos until it is time to serve or it can become soggy.

Here’s what you need:

*2 cans whole kernel corn ( 1 can regular corn and 1 can sweet corn)

*2 C. grated Cheddar cheese

*1 C. mayonnaise

*1 C. green bell pepper, chopped

*1/2 C. red onion, finely chopped

*1 (10.5 ounce) nag of coarsely crushed Chili-Cheese corn chips.

Mix first 5 ingredients and chill. Stir in corn chips just before serving.

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Corn with Parmesan and Smoked Paprika

Corn makes a great side dish doesn’t it. It can go with so many things. Sometimes, it can be kinda bland or a little tiresome with just the usual butter. This is kind of a kicked up version…..a little take on Mexican street corn. To make things even easier, I used frozen corn, but you can certainly use fresh grilled corn cut off of the cob.

Here’s what you need:

*1 small bag of frozen corn, thawed

*2 TBS butter; divided

*1 tsp. smoked paprika

*2 TBS mayonnaise

*2 TBS Parmesan cheese; finely grated

*juice of 1/2 lime or more to taste

*1/4 C. fresh cilantro, chopped + more for garnish

Set out 1 TBS of the butter at room temperature to soften; about 30 minutes. Mix the smoked paprika with the butter; set aside.

I know you are probably thinking, that this does not look very appealing. You might even be thinking that this looks like way too much paprika. I even hesitated when I started mixing the paprika to the butter, but I can assure you, it’s all worth it.

Heat a medium size pan or cast iron pot ( I used a cast iron pot); add remaining TBS of butter to the pot to melt.

When the butter starts to foam, pour in the corn.

Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Take off of the heat.

Add the butter paprika mixture….

and then the remaining ingredients.

Stir to blend it all together. Garnish with more cilantro and serve.

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Oven Fries

Have you ever noticed how many different types of fries there are? You have your standard cut fries, then there is the curly kind, the steak cut and the popular crinkle cut. There is also the shoe string, which I seem to down those tasty ones pretty quickly because they are so small, and let’s face it, you can grab a hand full of those beauties. I have even seen smiley face fries, though I’m not really sure I want a fry smiling at me while I dunk it in my ketchup pepper mix and eat it. But I’m sure kids might love them. I usually buy the frozen kind that comes in a bag and pop them in the oven until they get nice and crispy, but as my hubby pointed out the other day, I never make my homemade oven fries any more. I knew that was the hint of want homemade oven fries. So of course, that’s what I made.

Here’s what you need:

*russet potatoes ( I find these seem to work the best, but if you prefer another kind, go for it)

*olive oil

*salt and pepper to taste

Wash and peel the potatoes. I like leaving some skin on them, but you can do it how you prefer. Cut the potatoes into desired thickness.

Place potatoes in a large bowl and cover with cold water.

Let them soak for 30 minutes. This helps get rid of the starch in the potatoes and help them crisp up better.

Drain potatoes then place on a towel.

They look kind of cozy don’t they? Dry them really well.

Preheat the oven to 450°.

Place potatoes in a large bowl, pour in the olive oil and sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper

toss to coat.

Spread potatoes in an even layer on a large baking sheet.

Cook for 30 minutes, turning potatoes half way thru cooking time, or until done.

Serve and enjoy!

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Sunday mornings are for biscuit making. When I was a little girl, I spent many afternoons in the kitchen watching my mom make biscuits to go with our dinner. This recipe is part hers and some of mine that I tweaked a bit. Like my mom and grandmother, I never measure….. we just kind of add until it all looks right. Mom did write down her recipe with measurements eventually, so when I tweaked it, it took a while for me to be able to get it the way I was happy to show it off…… with measurements. So here they are…..

Here’s what you need:

*2Cups self rising flour plus more for dusting

*1/2 tsp salt

*1 Tbs lard or shortening

*2 Tbs butter (I use salted because that is what I always have on hand) plus more for brushing tops of the biscuits

*1 Cup buttermilk or more ( you can use whole milk or you can add 1 Tbs to the whole milk to make buttermilk)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Melt about 1 Tbs of butter and set aside.

Spray a round 8 inch cake pan with non stick spray. You can also use a baking sheet; set aside.

Cut the 2 Tbs of butter into small pieces.

Place flour into a large bowl; add salt, lard and butter.

With the back of a fork ( or a pastry cutter which I do not have) cut the butter and lard into the flour. Do this until the lard and butter is well mixed into the flour and there are no large lumps.

Slowly pour in the buttermilk, stirring to make sure it all comes together.

Continue stirring slowly until dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl .

The dough should not be too dry, in fact I leave it a little sticky to the touch, but not wet.

I’m lazy and by this time I’m hungry and craving biscuits, so I do not roll out my dough. Dust your hands with a little flour and scoop out some of the dough and shape in to rounds.

Do this pretty quickly because you do not want to warm up the butter in the dough or the biscuits do not seem to rise as well.

Place into prepared pan, sides touching ( this helps the biscuits to rise taller). Continue this step with the rest of the dough.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter.

Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes or until the tops turn are a little golden.

I know it’s hard, but let cool for a few minutes….. just enough time to pull out plates.

Serve with butter or your favorite jam.

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Parmesan Paprika Potatoes

I made these the other night along with steaks and hubby and I could not stop eating them. They are crunchy on the outside from the Parmesan and soft like little pillows on the inside. These make a great side dish or you could even eat them by themselves. We are in quarantine, no one will know how many you’ve eaten. Your secret is safe with me. Yes, they are that good!

Here’s what you need:

*2 potatoes ( this was just for hubby and me, so you can use more potatoes if you need more servings); peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

*olive oil

*1/2 C Parmesan cheese, finely grated (the kind that looks like sand)

*2 tsp smoked paprika; or more to taste

*2 tsp. garlic powder; or more to taste

*1 tsp. salt or more to taste

*Note:if you are using more potatoes, you may want to increase the amount of the other ingredients.

*no stick spray

Preheat oven to 450°

Spray a baking sheet with no stick spray and set aside.

Place potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, enough to coat potatoes.

In a separate bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, paprika, garlic powder and salt.

Stir together until mixed. Add Parmesan mixture to the potatoes.

Toss until the potatoes are well coated with the Parmesan mixture.

If potatoes appear too dry, add more olive oil.

Pour potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer.

Spray potatoes with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes and flip the potatoes. If the potatoes start to burn or seem to be getting too brown before they are done, turn the oven temp down to 425°. Continue baking another 15 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Serve and enjoy!

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