If you ask me, nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of delicious, cheesy mashed potatoes! This version features the intermingling of tangy buttermilk with sharp, melty cheddar cheese. Leave the skins on the potatoes for extra texture, color, and nutrition. This dish makes a perfect pair with saucy pork chops, roasted chicken, holiday turkey, or juicy pot roast.

Buttermilk-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

5-6 medium red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/2-3/4 cup buttermilk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, diced or shredded

Place potatoes in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Salt the water, if desired. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes for about 20-30 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Over low heat, add the butter and mash the potatoes with a masher or ricer. We like to leave ours a little lumpy for texture. Gradually add and stir in the buttermilk, until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Last, add the cheddar cheese and allow it to melt before serving.

This is an easy, reasonably healthy, and absolutely delicious side dish that my husband and I love to add to our dinners.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, washed
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your sweet potatoes into thick-cut “fries,” roughly 1/2″ thick. Cut as uniformly as possible to ensure even cooking. Toss the potato slices with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until completely and evenly coated.

Spread the slices in an even single layer across a large baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, tossing the fries occasionally to evenly brown them on all sides. Serve plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.

If you ask me, sweet potatoes are hard to improve upon – the simple richness of a sweet potato baked to caramelized perfection is my ideal. That is why I love this simple, old-fashioned recipe for mashed sweet potatoes. It subtly enhances the flavor and texture of the sweet orange flesh without overwhelming the main ingredient with unnecessary embellishments. This dish is pleasingly fluffy and light, and it melts in your mouth like sweet candy.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
adapted from Southern Cooking by Mrs. S. R. Dull

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed

Place clean potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender (boiling time will depend on the size of the potato). Carefully peel the hot potatoes and slice cross-wise into 1/2″ slices – this will prevent any stringy parts of the potato from ruining the texture of the dish. Place the potato pieces in a medium bowl and mash with the butter until melted and incorporated. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Add the salt, milk, egg, and brown sugar. Beat gently with a fork until light. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish. (At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the dish for up to 24 hours.) Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until piping hot all the way through and edges are beginning to brown.

Note: For a more upscale dish, you could embellish this recipe by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans and topping the potatoes with this crumbly mixture. But sometimes I just like the simple sweet decadence of the potatoes alone!

Here is another wonderful vintage recipe from my mom’s friend Sue. We have made it with Sue’s original recipe, but we’ve also tweaked it to be a bit lighter. Try it the old fashioned way or the basmati way – either way it’s absolutely delicious! The perfect side dish to accompany beef or pork!

Rice Casserole
from my mom’s friend Sue

1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 cans beef consomme
2 small cans mushrooms
3/4 stick butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the onion with the tablespoon of butter.

Wash the rice in water 3 or 4 times, draining the water completely. Place in an oven-safe casserole dish. Add the onion, consomme, and mushrooms with liquid. Cover and bake in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and toss lightly to combine.

Mushrooms and Basmati Rice
adapted from Sue’s recipe

1 pint fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups basmati rice
1 3/4 cups water
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, or more

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sautee the mushrooms with the olive oil.

In an oven-safe casserole dish, combine the sauteed mushrooms, the basmati rice, the water, the beef broth, the butter and the salt.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove, add the parsley, and toss lightly to combine.

Sometimes I like to consider myself a sophisticated foodie:  a worldly woman with high-class taste in food, wine, and the finer things in life.  Other times, all I want to do is sit down in front of the TV with a big bag of sour cream and onion potato chips and an icy cold Coke.

Well, you might consider this dish a combination of those two sides of me . . . because these colorful, flavorful, and decadent mashed potatoes actually taste like a delicious sour cream and onion potato chip.  The fresh herbs add a punch of flavor, and the sour cream brings a hint of creaminess.  Leaving the skins on your red potatoes puts that perfect colorful touch on this delicious dish.  Enjoy!

Sour Cream and Herb Mashed Potatoes

4-6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed clean
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Place on the stove and bring to a boil; cook until fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove the potatoes to a bowl, reserving the liquid in the pot.  Mash potatoes until coarse.  Add the sour cream, chives, and parsley.

Continue to mash until desired consistency is reached, adjusting with the reserved liquid if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Our family strives to put mostly seasonal fruits and veggies on the table.  Not only is it more economical, but veggies that are in season tend to be more nutritious because they don’t have to travel from the other side of the globe before they reach your plate!

Seasonal produce in the spring come as such a refreshing change after the winter.  Asparagus, strawberries, and avocados are such a welcome change!!  Here is a delicious way to prepare asparagus that will tempt even the asparagusphobes in your household.  It also really captures and highlights those fresh-from-the-garden flavors that just sing out “It’s Spring!!!”

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

1 large bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle over the cheese and the salt ad pepper. Use your hands to toss the ingredients together until the asparagus is completely coated with the oil, cheese, and seasoning.

Bake for 10 minutes and serve immediately.

You may remember my post about my cousin, the Meat Lady.  She is the one who introduced me to this up-and-coming new cut of meat: the flat iron steak.  You can read all the details here, but basically meat scientists like my cousin are finding new ways to cut meat so that you can get a really tender steak without having to pay $15 per pound.  I got the steak here for about $4, and it was more than enough to feed both me and the husband (right around 16 ounces).  The best part, though, is that this steak has the texture, flavor, and irresistible melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of filet mignon.  Pretty good deal, huh?

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Onions and Peppers

1-2 flat iron steaks
Montreal Steak Seasoning (or other steak rub of your choice)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons butter

Preheat your grill to medium heat.  Generously season both sides of the steak(s) with your chosen rub.  Grill the steak(s) on both sides to your desired done-ness.  As I’ve mentioned before, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer for these sorts of tasks.  You don’t want to over-cook your steak!  When it is done, remove the steak to a platter to rest for at least 10 minutes.  This will ensure that your steak maintains its juiciness instead of leaking all the goodness all over the plate.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet.  Add the onion and the bell pepper slices.  Sautee until the onions are trannslucent and the peppers are tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the butter over the steak before slicing, against the grain.  Top with the sauteed peppers and onions, and serve immediately.

Fiesta Rice

2 cups white rice, cooked
1 cup fresh or canned Mexicorn
3/4 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the rice, the Mexicorn, and the shredded cheese, tossing lightly with a fork.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

There is nothing my husband loves more than a dinner of plain ol’ pinto beans and cornbread.  In fact, his family still loves to tease us, saying that they know I was “the one” for him when I sat down on a dusty roadside at a fall festival a few months after we first met, and ate pinto beans and cornbread with him for lunch.  I didn’t think much of it at the time – I just thought it was a pretty yummy lunch.

So here is the recipe that my husband loves most.  Enjoy!

Pinto Beans and Cornbread

2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed with cool water
Water
3/4 cup diced ham
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion
Cornbread

Pour your rinsed beans into a large pot.  Cover with water about 2-3 inches above the tops of the beans.  Cover and allow to soak overnight.

The next day, drain the beans in a colander.  Return them to the pot, and cover with fresh water, at least 1 inch above the tops of the beans.  Add the diced ham.  Simmer the beans on low for 4-5 hours, or until the beans are nice and tender.  Alternatively, you can cook the beans on low in the crock pot for about 6 hours.

After the beans have cooked, season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, sprinkle each serving with salt on top and fresh diced onions.  Serve with cornbread to soak up all the delicious broth!

I’m always at a loss when it comes to a side dish for Indian cuisine. After making these tasty little fried eggplants thet other evening, I have a feeling that my Indian side dish crisis is officially averted.

These fluffy golden nuggets are crispy, ever so lightly battered, and rich with the flavors of a delicious yellow curry. The juicy eggplant inside perfectly compliments the spicy, golden brown crust. Once you taste one of these, it will be hard to stop.

Indian Fried Eggplant
from my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 medium eggplant (about 1.5 lbs.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup salad oil

Wash eggplant. Beat remaining ingredients vigorously with a whisk until smooth. Heat oil one-inch deep to 375 in a large skillet.

Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices (we had some long and skinny eggplants from our CSA farm basket, so I just cut them into little medallions). Dip the slices in the batter, letting the excess drip into the bowl. Fry in hot oil until golden brown – about 2-3 minutes – turning once.

Drain on paper towels. If desired, salt to taste.

To keep the slices warm and crisp, place in a 300 degree oven until ready to serve.