Pasta, Rice, & Potatoes
Cornbread Dressing
Serves 10
1 bunch green onions (tops included), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c celery, chopped
1 banana pepper, minced
2 tbsp bacon dripping
1 lb chicken livers, chopped (ground beef if you have picky eaters)
1 lb hot pork sausage
cornbread (using recipe calling for 4 cups cornmeal) or 2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread Mix cooked and cooled
chicken broth
salt pepper
¾ cup chopped parsley
Sauté onions, garlic, peppers and celery in bacon drippings until tender. Add livers and sausage and cook until tender and done. Add crumbled corn-bread. Soften the mixture with enough broth to make mixture moist. Season to taste. Add chopped parsley before baking. Bake in casserole in 350° oven for 1 hour.
The first time Granny meet Steve was at our house in Florida, Thanksgiving 2013. She and I were cooking this recipe together that day as we had for decades. She asked where were the banana peppers, I said "Back porch left side." She got the pepper came in and we finished cooking. As we sat down to eat Steve took a bite of dressing and starting sweating, he didn't say anything that might offend her cooking. It wasn't until I took a bite that we found out she went to the right, where the JALEPENOS were. We all had a good laugh. - JMKC
Chinese Style Fried Rice
Serves 4
1¼ c water
1½ Minute Rice
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tbsp butter
⅓ c onion, chopped
½ c green pepper, chopped
3 tbsps soy sauce
¼ c water
In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in he Minute rice. remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, using a 10-inch skillet, cook the egg in the butter. Add onion and pepper and cook until tender. Add the rice. Saute, stirring over medium heat until mixutre is lightly browned. Mix 1/4 cup water and soy sauce and stir into the rice.
Note: Sometimes I add 1/2 cup mushrooms.
Company Mashed Potatoes
Serves 8
10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 oz. cream cheese
1 c sour cream
3 oz. cream cheese
1 c sour cream
milk as needed
chives if desired
Cook, drain, and mash the potatoes. Add cream cheese, sour cream and chives, if desired. Add milk if not creamy enough.
Place in buttered casserold dish, cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
Easy Hashbrown Casserole
Serves 8
1 lb. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
2 c chedar cheese, shredded
1 can cream of celery soup
1 c sour cream
⅓ c onion, chopped
**Topping**
6 tbsp stick margarine, melted
1 ½ c corn flake crumbs
Combine first 5 ingredients and place in a greased 9 X 13 baking pan. Mix the topping and sprinkle over the potatoes.
ke at 350 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes.
Easy Rice Pilaf
Serves 4
½ cup vermicelli pasta
2 tbsp cooking oil
2½ c chicken broth
1 c regular rice
2 tbsp butter
pinch salt
Break vermicelli into 1 inch lengths. Brown in oil. Put broth in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add rice, vermicelli, butter and salt. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Serve hot!
Rice Dressing
Serves 8 - 10
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
¼ pound butter
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green bell peppers
¼ cup diced red bell peppers
2 tbsps minced garlic
1 pint select oysters in liquid
6 cups cooked white rice, hot
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Chicken Stock
In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and pork and sauté until golden brown and grains of meat are totally separated, approximately 30 minutes. Add onion, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Continue to sauté an additional 30 minutes or until vegetables are totally cooked. You may need to add chicken stock to keep the mixture moist. Add oysters and oyster liquid and continue to cook until oysters have almost cooked away. As the oysters cook, chop into the meat mixture with the edge of a cooking spoon. Season the mixture to taste using salt and pepper. Add hot, cooked rice, stir well into the mixture and garnish using green onions, parsley and pecans. Adjust seasonings if necessary using salt and pepper. Serve as a rice casserole or use this recipe to stuff a turkey or duck.
With a house divided, Thanksgiving and Christmas always meant two dressings. Granny I would cook a large pot of the meat base, then mix half with rice and half with cornbread. As to if chicken liver and oysters were in there, you should have been in the kitchen to see. -JMKC