sidedish

love these duchess baked potatoes.

November 19, 2021 by Becky Spoon

If you’ve ever asked if mashed potatoes can be cooked ahead, the answer is this recipe. The texture is like that of a twice-baked potato.

Sometimes you want a potato dish a little more special and these Duchess Baked Potatoes are just that.

This dish would be a great alternative to standard mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and perfect for your Christmas prime rib.

love these duchess baked potatoes.

This recipe is decadent with garlic, heavy cream, rich egg yolks and Yukon gold potatoes.

Lighter than a twice baked potato, I think these are a perfect side dish for any entree.

Want another potato recipe? Try my buttery mashed potatoes! They are delicious: delicious buttery mashed potatoes!!

Duchess Baked Potatoes

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Servings: 8 Servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, holiday

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

12 Medium Youkon Gold Potatoes 3 1/2 -4 pounds)
Kosher salt
5 Large egg yolks
2 Garlic cloves, finely grated
1 1/4 Cups Heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
10 Tbsp Unsalted butter, melted
2 Tsp pink or black peppercorns, finely ground

Method

Place potatoes in a large pot and pour in water to cover by 2”; season with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until a paring knife very easily slides through potatoes, 25-36 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk egg yolks, garlic, cream, sour cream, butter, and peppercorns in a large bowl. Season generously with salt.
Peal Potatoes.
Pass peeled potatoes through a ricer or a food mill (or mash them by hand if you don’t mind a few lumps).
Shred them right into the bowl with the egg mixture. Fold in gently being careful not to overmix. Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and decoratively shingle or swirl the surface. Bake, rotating once, until golden brown and slightly puffed, 30 or 40 minutes.

You’ll love this Delicious Sweet Potato Casserole!

November 18, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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Who doesn’t love a sweet potato casserole for the holiday meal, especially Thanksgiving?

This is my sisters recipe and my Mom loved it. We always had a sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving, sometimes with marshmallows, sometimes candied but this one topped with a brown sugar mixture and pecans make it extra special. Thank you for the recipe sister Jackie!

Simply Delicious Sweet Potato Casserole

This recipe has the following ingredients:

sweet potatoes
sugar
butter
eggs
vanilla
cup milk

For the topping:

butter
light brown sugar
flour
pecans

How can you go wrong with such delicious ingredients? I added some pomegranate to the top for color.

Serve this as a side dish to this beautiful Turkey!

Beautiful Dry Brined Spiced Roast Turkey

Simply Delicious Sweet Potato Casserole

Here’s the recipe for this delicious casserole! Follow “the 2 spoons” for so many more delicious recipes!

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 10

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

6 cups sweet potatoes boiled and mashed up about 5 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

For the Topping

1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cooked and mashed sweet potatoes with next five ingredients , the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Put mixture in a buttered 9×13 casserole dish.
Mix the melted butter, light brown sugar, flour and pecans and sprinkle on the top.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Casserole will be puffed and begin to brown on top! Delicious!

Two Cheese, Quick Summer Squash Casserole

April 2, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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I have made this summer squash casserole for years. It is quick and easy, and oh, so good. With all the summer squash available in the supermarkets or soon to be in your garden, this dish is an essential addition to your side dish repertoire. This is the perfect side dish for your Southern entrees like meatloaf or southern fried chicken; the possibilities are endless.

Not only is the casserole topped with cheddar cheese but I’ve added just a little Velveeta (yes, Velveeta!) to the ingredients that creates richness and creaminess all at the same time. Who doesn’t love a little Velveeta, after all? The addition of a little poultry seasoning almost makes this squash have the taste of cornbread dressing. The red and green bell peppers add vibrant colors that make this a visual appetizing dish also!

Two Cheese, Quick Summer Squash Casserole

Not only is squash delicious but it is good for you. Just a small serving adds a significant amount of the daily requirements of your vegetable required intake. Here’s a link that gives you a little more information regarding squash’s health benefits: https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/factsheets/.

With the addition of the Velveeta and topped with the cheddar cheese, it’s an easy way to get the kids to eat their veggies….and adults!!

Not only can you use yellow squash in this recipe but you can use a combination of zucchini and yellow squash, or just zucchini squash.

Two Cheese, Quick Summer Squash Casserole

Here’s the recipe, hope you enjoy. Click on the link for my meatloaf recipe which this is a perfect side dish for!

Summer Squash Casserole

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings: 4 Servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

4 -6 summer squash, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1 inch slice velveeta cheese, cut into chunks
1/2-1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Method

Boil the summer squash in salted water until tender. Drain, pressing to squeeze out as much water as you can. Place in a bowl and mash. Add the Velveeta while the squash is still hot so that it will start to melt.
Melt the butter in a skillet or pan. Add the olive oil and the onion, red and green peppers along with the celery and saute until the celery is soft and the onion is translucent. Pour this mixture over your squash and Velveeta. Mix to combine. Add the poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Check the seasoning before you add the egg. When your seasoning is where you want it, add the beaten egg and start with about a half cup of the bread crumbs, adding more if needed.
Pour the squash mixture into a buttered casserole. Top with the cheese and cover with foil and cook about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and starts to slightly brown.

Easy Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

November 30, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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I start my refried beans with pinto beans that I cook with just a little lard, an onion, and salt, that’s it. I have friends in Mexico and they make amazing refried beans that are so, so simple, yet delicious so that’s how I make mine now. Oh, I do make them in the Instant Pot too. I try to soak them overnight, then set the timer for beans which I think is about 35 minutes. The Instant Pot makes the most delicious, creamy pinto beans, or any beans for that matter.

After the beans cook, I remove the onion if its’ in big chunks, I add a little oil to a saucepan, then add the beans, reserving the bean juice to ladle in as I mash the beans.

One thing I found that is essential for refried bean making is the bean masher. I got mine from Amazon and I love it. The texture is key in refried beans and you don’t want to put them in a food processor. I like a little texture, or don’t wan them mushy at all. https://amzn.to/30wzoeK.

This is a great tool, inexpensive, but a must have!

Easy Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

I always have refried beans in my freezer because we eat so much Mexican food. I make them, them put them in small freezer bags to use when I need them. Since I store them in small bags, I can take out just what I need for that meal.

Here are some uses for them:

as a side to any Mexican dish
nachos
tostados
burritos
tacos
Mexican pizza
layered dip

These are just to name a few. I love to make them homemade. They are so simple and so much more delicious than the canned version. The canned version seems like they just process them. I like to make mine that they are mostly mashed with the bean masher, but there may still be a little texture. So good. Wish I had some now. Here’s my Mexican Pizza that I use them in:https://the2spoons.com/simple-mexican-pizza-easy-snack/.

and, another favorite:

https://the2spoons.com/homemade-chorizo-with-eggs-hashbrowns/

Homemade Chorizo with Eggs, Hashbrowns, and Refried Beans

This is one of Allen’s favorite breakfast!

Here’s the simple recipe!

Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

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Prep Time 10

Course: easy side dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 lb dried pinto beans
1/4 cup lard
1/2 tsp salt
1 white onion, halved
water to cover the beans by 2 inches and more as needed
1 jalapeno, seeded optional

Method

Wash your beans and put in a bowl or pan to soak overnight with a pinch of salt and the onion.
If you are cooking on the stove top, add the lard and bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours until tender. Check for salt.
If you are cooking in the Instant Pot, cover with water by 1 inch. Add the lard to your pot. Use the bean mode and set for 35-45 minutes. Since we are using these for refried beans, we want them to be pretty soft.
When the beans are done, add a little oil to a skillet or a sturdy saucepan. Add the amount of beans you want to use, mashing with your bean masher, adding liquid as needed. Serve with your favorite Mexican food, Texmex dishes as a side dish or stuffed in a burrito with cheese. We like to add cheese to the top when we are using them as a side dish! Great for nachos too!

Giblet Gravy

November 19, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Giblet Gravy is another of those recipes that is a family tradition. Most of us in Texas not only put giblets in the gravy buy we add sliced boiled eggs. Of course you can leave these two things out and have a delicious gravy, just omit the part about cooking the giblets and the final adding the hard boiled eggs!! You will love it and you have to have gravy for the dressing, mashed potatoes, turkey?

This recipe is based on 6-8 servings but it is easily doubled. The prep time is after you have your giblets cooked, so I'll add the instructions on cooking your giblets and boiled eggs first.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Giblets

1 package giblets (hearts and gizzards) plus the neck and heart and gizzard from your turkey
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion, quartered
1 carrot
6-8 cups water
1-2 cubes bullion (I like Knorr)
1 bay leaf

Hard boiled gs

4 eggs
water to cover

For the Gravy

Giblets that have been sliced, with the cartlidged removed
4-6 cups chicken stock left from the giblets or store bought is fine
1/4 cup pan drippings or vegetable oil
4 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp dressing
4 eggs cooled and sliced

Method

For the Giblets

Add the giblets to a stock pan and add 6-8 cups water. Add a stalk of celery, the onions, carrot, the bullion cubes and bay leaf. An alternative to the bullion cubes would be to cook the giblets in stock, but if you are like me I always seems to run out of stock for my gravy and dressing, so I like to make this additional stock that you can strain and use in your gravy.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer to medium heat and cook until the giblets are tender. An Alternative is to do this in your Instant Pot and set it for 30 minutes.
Once your giblets are tender, strain the broth and pick out your cooked giblets from the vegetables, discarding your vegetables. Slice the gizzards removing the cartridge part...just keep the meat part, shred the meat off the neck, slice the heart and set aside. Save the broth to be used in making your gravy.

Boiled eggs

I know we can all boil eggs, but I'll go ahead and give you the instructions of how I do them. Place the eggs in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat just a little. Once they start to boil, start timing 10 minutes. Remove from the heat at this time and submerge in ice water to stop the cooking and to insure you have a lovely yellow yolk. Tap the ends on the counter and roll your egg for easy pealing. An alternative given to me by a friend is to put your eggs in an Instant Pot with one cup water and set the timer for 4 minutes. When the timer goes off...release the steam and remove to the ice water....follow above instructons from here.

For the Gravy

Add the 1/4 cup pan drippinngs from your turkey or vegetable oil to a pan and heat to medium heat. Add the flour, using a whisk stir and cook for about a minute. Still whisking, add your stock, bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until thickened. Be careful as the gravy will easily boil over, so reduce the heat as soon as it starts to boil. (At this point your gravy is ready to serve if you do not want to add the giblets and eggs)
Go ahead and add your giblets and keep the gravy warm until ready to serve. When ready to serve add your dressing and lightly stir to combine, then add your boiled eggs, just stir to combine.

Green Bean Casserole

November 18, 2018 by Becky Spoon

In my family, as long as I can remember, there was always Green Bean Casserole on the Thanksgiving table!! I think it is on most southern Thanksgiving tables and elsewhere.

This recipe uses fresh mushrooms and makes the sauce rather than the customary canned soup from the original recipe from years ago. And the topping is shallots that you flour and fry instead of the canned onion rings!! This is a great recipe.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Green Bean Casserole

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot chopped
1 8 oz package button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps chopped fresh thyme
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
2 cups white cheddar cheese, saving some for the top
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Panko bread crumps for the top

The Crispy shallots for the top

2 cups vegetable oil
4 shallots thinly sliced
1/2 to 1 cup flour

Method

For the fried shallots that you will top your finished casserole

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat to about 325. Dredge the shallots ion flour, separating them as you go coating them thoroughly. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook stirring until golden brown and crispy. Drain and set aside.

For the casserole

Preheat oven to 350
Heat a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the trimmed and halved green beans and blanck for 4 or 5 minutes. Remove to ice water so they will retain their color. Set Aside.
Melt butter in a skillet and add the shallots and mushrooms. Cook until tender and slightly browned. Stir in garlic. Cook for about a minute and add the flour and cook about one minute more. Add the chicken stock, scraping bottom and sides, bring to boil, then lower heat and cook for about 4 minutes.
Add the green beans and cook until crisp-tender....one or two minutes should all since they were blanched...longer if needed. You want them tender, but still a bite to them as they will cook more in the oven.
Turn off the heat and add the white cheese and the heavy cream. Stir to just combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add this mixture to a buttered casserole and top with the panko and remaining cheese.
Place into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven when bubbling and slightly browned. Sprinkle the shallots on top and serve. Delicious!!