From now until the end of the month we’re talking about Thanksgiving. Everyone knows how to cook a turkey and everyone’s dressing is a special one that you aren’t going to change, so we’ll be sticking to sides. In our family there are some must haves, but the sides can be anything. Although I made mashed sweet potatoes one year and everyone acted like they were going to die even though they were delicious.
I did, however, change everyone’s mind about Brussels sprouts with my panfried version. As a matter of fact, there was one year when I didn’t get any because of all the pigs in line before me. Young kids today have no concept of making sure they don’t take too much so that everyone can have a serving. This is my made-up recipe, so I have no measurements, just a method.
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts Bacon Brussels sprouts Butter Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice Parmesan cheese Cook some bacon. Empty some of the grease but leave enough to coat the bottom of the pan well.
Cut a sliver off each sprout on the bottom. Slice the sprouts in half making sure to leave them intact on the end. Heat the bacon grease until it’s hot. Place the sprouts in a single layer cut side down in the biggest skillet you can find. Mine is non-stick. There should be a lot of frying noise in the pan at this point. Add some pats of butter on top of the sprouts if you so desire because it’s Thanksgiving. The butter will melt down into the bacon grease.
Poke a sprout and look at the cut side regularly and adjust your heat accordingly if they are getting too brown. Also taste them along the way for doneness.
When the sprouts are tender, pace them in a serving bowl, add salt and pepper, add the crisp crumbled bacon. Serve like that or drizzle some thick, aged Balsamic vinegar over them. For a totally different flavor drizzle with lemon juice just before serving, but not if you’re adding Balsamic vinegar. Do one or the other. And be sure to add grated Parmesan cheese. Because it’s Thanksgiving. —kwc— Could you just have sautéed spinach as a side dish? You could. But it’s Thanksgiving so why not add some cheese and heavy cream? I don’t know that the dish needs a whole tablespoon of salt, but you know how Ina is. Salt to taste.
Ina’s Spinach Gratin 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large) 1/4 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups milk 3 pounds frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted (five 10-oz packages) 1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon f reshly- ground black pepper 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese Preheat the oven to 425. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. —kwc— I’ve fallen in love with a woman who calls herself “That Midwestern Mom” and she has good recipes from Minnesota. A lot of them are called “Minnesota Salads That Aren’t Really Salads.” This is her most popular one that I’d never heard of but would definitely eat for dessert.
Snicker Salad 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding 1 cup milk 1 (8 oz) container Cool
Whip
5 apples, chopped 5 full size Snickers bars, chopped 1/2 cup grapes, cut in half 1/2 cup sliced strawberries Combine the pudding mix and milk in a large bowl. Fold in the whipped topping. Add the apples, Snickers, grapes and strawberries to the bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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