Southern Green Beans
Enough of those canned green beans. Gross. Buy some fresh green beans, snap off the ends and make some REAL green beans with bacon. That’s how we do it in The Ville.
Southern Green Beans
Ingredients
- 4-5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed and snapped in half
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and dry green beans.
- Cook bacon pieces in a large pot until crisp.
- Add green beans to pot and continue to cook on medium heat, tossing beans well to coat in bacon drippings until beans turn bright green, about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the chicken broth. Add salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low, covered with the lid cracked just a bit, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain if desired.
Notes
Real Mashed Potatoes
I used to add all kinds of shit to my mashed potatoes to get that just-right texture and flavor. Garlic powder, milk, butter, cream cheese…you name it. Turns out that the best mashed potatoes are MUCH easier than what I was doing. Insert Chef David Moeller from my Cooking at the Cottage class. These are so simple you won’t even believe me. But these are hands-down the creamiest, most delicious potatoes you’ll make.
Real Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon potatoes, cut into large pieces
- Heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place potatoes in cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender. Drain and allow to dry for 5 minutes.
- Place potatoes in the bowl of a mixer. Whip.
- When potatoes are broken down, add heavy cream, to texture and taste.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- That’s it.
- I’m serious.
- Just eat the damn things and you’ll see.
Notes
BBQ Green Beans
Like everyone else, I hate going to the dentist. But I started going to Valhalla Dental and the dental hygienist, Gloria, and I really hit it off. We loved to discuss recipes and travel. She would usually ask me if I’ve ever eaten x, y or z right when my mouth was wide open and all I could do was grunt. HILARIOUS. Anyway, one day she told me about these BBQ Green Beans that she made. And can you believe I remembered that recipe until I got home and could write it down. And boy was she right, they’re awesome. The perfect compliment to any meat or BBQ dish.
BBQ Green Beans
Ingredients
- 6 15-ounce cans French green beans, drained
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 medium onion, diced
Instructions
- Fry bacon until crispy
- While bacon cooks, spread green beans in 9x13” pan.
- Once the bacon is crispy, remove bacon from pan, leaving bacon grease in pan.
- Add brown sugar to pan. Stir to incorporate all the sugar into the grease.
- Add the ketchup and onions and heat to a simmer, about 2-3 minutes, to make BBQ sauce.
- Pour BBQ sauce over green beans.
- Crumble bacon over top. Stir to combine beans, sauce and bacon.
- Bake at 325°F for 1 hour.
Notes
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
We literally fight over this dish every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Julie Churchman makes more each year but I think her dish just gets deeper and our bellies have gotten bigger, so the servings seem the same and we fight regardless over who took too much and why didn’t I get seconds. The recipe is simple…the satisfaction is off the charts.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 bag/box frozen chopped broccoli, drained
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/4 lb. Velveeta cheese, medium diced
- 1 cup crushed oyster crackers
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add Velveeta and stir to combine until all the cheese is melted.
- Add broccoli to a 2-quart buttered casserole dish. Add cheese mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.
- For topping, over medium heat, melt butter and then add crushed oyster crackers. Stir to combine until crackers are covered in butter and have slightly softened.
- Spoon cracker mixture over broccoli.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until heated through and crackers have browned.
Notes
Candied Yams
So what are candied yams? Well…they’re the ones that come in the pot with all the brown sugar and butter and not the ones with the marshmallows. Nevertheless, these are really good and my husband just simply cannot enjoy any holiday without them. This is his mother’s recipe by way of his sister, Kathy. Kathy’s one of those people who when you ask her for a recipe she says “put some of this, add some of that”…measurements aren’t really her thing. We worked together on this, though, and came up with a solid recipe that is a hit. RIP Caretha.
Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 3 yams or sweet potatoes, cut and peeled
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon nutmeg
- 1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and cut yams into cubed slices.
- Pour 1/4 cup water into large saucepan.
- Add yams and bring to a boil.
- Add sugars, butter, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, and bring to a second boil.
- Lower heat slightly and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until yams are tender.
Notes
Cowboy Beans
These baked beans are THE SHIT. Literally…they will give you gas. But they are the bomb diggity. I make a pot of these every time we’re invited to a cookout. And the pot is always empty when we leave. Hell, they could almost be a main dish with all the meat and protein it has packed into it. The bacon drippings and molasses really set this dish up right. Trust me, you will LOVE this.
Cowboy Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. smoked sausage, coined
- 1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserving drippings
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- 3 15-ounce cans kidney beans
- 3 15-ounce cans white cannellini beans
- 3 15-ounce cans pork and beans
- 1-2 yellow onions, diced
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions until the meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Cook smoked sausage on medium-high until browned.
- Drain all of the beans except for one can of pork and beans. Combine the beans, cooked ground beef and onions, sausage, and remaining ingredients into your crockpot.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Notes
Collard Greens
I love me some collard greens. But the thought of making them scares me. They have to be just right. Not mushy. Not gritty or dirty. They gotta have FLAVA. Well…this recipe is the one right here. But like everyone has warned me, I’ll warn you…wash those greens. Not once but twice. Seriously.
Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 slices raw bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 lb. collard greens
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- THOROUGHLY wash greens and using a sharp knife, cut out the woody stem. Cut into 3/4” pieces.
- Cook chopped bacon and butter over medium heat in a pan until crisp. Remove a few slices for garnish.
- Add onions to bacon grease and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add greens and garlic. Cook until slightly wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add broth, cover and cook over a low simmer, 35-40 minutes or until tender.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
Couscous with Roasted Broccoli, Almonds & Apricots
This is a side dish for grown-ups.
Couscous with Roasted Broccoli, Almonds & Apricots
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled Couscous
- 1 lb. broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 ounce dried apricots, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place broccoli on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to thoroughly coat.
- Arrange in a single, even layer and roast for 16-18 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork.
- While broccoli roasts, heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling, on high. Once boiling, add couscous and cook 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and rinse under warm water for 20-30 seconds to prevent sticking.
- To the pot of cooked couscous, add the apricots, almonds, roasted broccoli and the juice of all 4 lemon wedges.
- Drizzle with olive oil. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Transfer to serving dish.
Notes
Fruit Pasta Salad
Everyone who tries this salad LOVES it. The problem is getting people to try it. I even changed the name of it to get people to try it! It used to be called Frog-Eyed Salad but all that did was freak people out. It’s because the Acini De Pepe pasta looks like tapioca…but like…AND? Anyway, this recipe makes a BOATLOAD and it’s freaking delicious.
Fruity Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Acini De Pepe pasta, uncooked (1/2 package)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can juice-packed crushed pineapple, drained, reserving juice
- 1 16-ounce can fruit cocktail, drained
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup whipped cream
Instructions
- Prepare Acini De Pepe according to package directions.
- In heavy saucepan, beat egg with wire whisk until foamy. Stir in sugar, flour, salt and reserved pineapple liquid. Over low heat, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
- In large bowl, combine Acini De Pepe with egg mixture. Chill thoroughly, about 1 hour.
- Stir in pineapple, fruit cocktail and marshmallows. Fold in whipped cream. Cover; chill thoroughly.
- Stir before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Kentucky Spoon Bread
This is one of my grandma Libbus’s classic dishes. Think…if cornbread and corn pudding had a baby. It’s the perfect combination…moist and creamy but not soupy.
Kentucky Spoon Bread
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1 package (8 ounces) Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 1 can (8 ounces) creamed corn
- 1 can (8 ounces) whole-kernel corn
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
Instructions
- Melt butter and combine it with corn muffin mix, creamed corn, whole-kernel corn, sour cream, and eggs.
- Pour into 1 1/2 quart buttered casserole dish and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Center should spring back, and toothpick inserted into center should come out clean.
Notes
Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
One of our Thanksgiving and Christmas staples, this version of mashed potatoes is dense and creamy. Pairs perfectly with gravy, turkey and cranberry sauce!
Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons onion salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into large cubes and boil in salted water until tender
- Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, then stir in the sour cream, milk and spices.
- Drain and mash the potatoes in the pot, then stir in the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon into a casserole dish or a 9x13-inch pan. You may cover it and refrigerate for 24 hours, or proceed to baking right away.
- Bake covered with foil at 350°F for 45 minutes. (Increase the time if the dish has been chilled.)
Notes
Baked Mac N Creeshaw
My sister Molly is 10 years and 4 days younger than me. When she was 2 years old, we got the biggest kick out of her saying my name. We broke it into 2 parts. Chris. Tee.
Molly say “Chris”.
“Kwis.”
Ok good! Now say, “Tee.”
“Tee”.
Ok so say it together now, “Chris…tee.”
“Creeshaw.”
Baked Mac N Creeshaw
Ingredients
- 1 lb. egg noodles, prepared al dente
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup small diced Velveeta
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup crushed cornflakes
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk and cook 2-3 minutes. Add in salt and pepper. Slowly add milk, then heavy cream, whisking until smooth. Whisk in mustard and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Heat to a low boil until thickened. Do not stop until thick. Remove from heat.
- Stir in shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.
- Toss cheese sauce with macaroni and pour into a greased 9x13" baking dish.
- Make topping: melt butter and stir in cornflakes and Parmesan. Spread topping across the top of the mac n cheese.
- Bake in a preheated 425°F oven 20 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Parmesan Asparagus
The only way to eat asparagus.
Parmesan Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus, bottom 1/3 of the stalks removed
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Parmesan (or Romano) cheese, shaved
Instructions
- Generously sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, as desired.
- Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is golden.
Notes
Pineapple Casserole
This sounds CRAZY. I don’t even know how to describe it. It reminds me of the old Apple Grande dessert you could get at Taco Johns that had apple pie filling and cheddar cheese on a cinnamon-sugared crispy flour tortilla. Same vibe here. The cheddar really sets off that pineapple flavor and the crackers turn it into a legit casserole. It almost feels like a dessert but it pairs perfectly with ham or chicken.
Pineapple Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 20-ounce cans pineapple chunks, drained, reserving pineapple juice
- 1 cup cracker crumbs
- 1 stick butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese.
- Add the drained pineapple chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined, and pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter and 6 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended.
- Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Scrumptious Potatoes
This is the classic hashbrown casserole. So stinkin good.
Scrumptious Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lb. package frozen hash browns
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 stick plus 1/4 stick butter
- 1 cup corn flakes, crushed
Instructions
- Sauté onions in 1/4 stick butter.
- Once onions are translucent, add soup, sour cream and cheese until cheese is melted.
- Break up potatoes into small pieces and place in a 9x13" greased casserole dish.
- Pour mix over hash browns.
- Melt 1/2 stick butter and add corn flakes. Spread mixture on top of casserole.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to an hour.
Notes
Stovetop Mac N Cheesy
Is there anything more comforting, more homemade…than mac n cheese?? It doesn’t need to be super fancy or complicated. My secret is using egg noodles. They take a fraction of the time to boil as any other noodle.
Stovetop Mac N Cheesy
Ingredients
- 1 lb. egg noodles
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 6 ounces Velveeta, cubed
- 1/4 cup milk
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil.
- Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add milk and Velveeta cubes. Stir occasionally, increasing as Velveeta melts.
- Once cheese is melted, add the noodles to the water and cook until al dente, approximately 5 minutes.
- Salt and pepper cheese mixture and add more milk if needed, so you have a thick but creamy sauce.
- Strain noodles
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add in panko bread crumbs, stirring constantly 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Pour over the mac and cheese.
- Bake in a preheated 325°F oven 12-15 minutes.
Notes