Side Dishes
Roasted Rice
My mom has been making this recipe for about 50 years. She made me a family cookbook quite awhile ago and this is one I turn to time and time again. I’m going to include the original instructions followed by any changes I make.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white rice
- 3 chicken bullion cubes
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 2 1/2 cups water
Spread rice on a cookie sheet. Roast at 375°, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. I always put it in a skillet on the stove at medium-low heat and stir until it’s opaque to light brown. Whichever way you do it be careful not to scorch it.
Combine remaining ingredients and add rice.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. You can also use a steamer or whatever method you use for cooking rice. I use a microwave with a simmer function.
Here is the finished product. It has a great flavor and I think the roasting in the oven (or skillet) gives it a nice light texture.
Macaroni and Cheese
I made a huge batch of this for my sons graduation and everyone raved about it. The first time I tried it was probably 10 years ago and it is a family favorite. I prefer sharp cheddar as it really gives it a nice flavor.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 – (3 oz) can french fried onions
Cook the pasta to al dente.
Combine the soup, milk, mustard, pepper, cheddar, and onions.
Mix pasta and soup mixture and pour into greased casserole dish.
Cover with foil and bake in 350° oven for 35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve.
BLT Pasta Salad
This recipe might seem like an unusual combination but it really has a nice flavor. I like to use homemade mayonnaise when I make this.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz rotini pasta
- 8 slices bacon
- 1/2 head lettuce
- 1 tomato
- 4 green onions
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp chicken bullion granules
- 1 tsp sugar
Boil pasta according to package directions. I usually cook to al dente (the lowest time) as it will absorb moisture from the salad. Drain and allow to cool.
Crisp cook the bacon and blot with a paper towel. Crumble or lightly chop in a food processor.
Slice the green onions and chop the lettuce. Scrape the seeds from the tomato and dice. Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, bullion, and sugar. I used fresh lemon juice it should be about one or two lemons.
Combine the cooled pasta, bacon, vegetables, and mayonnaise mixture. Allow to completely cool in the refrigerator.
Pressed Salad with Japanese Dressing
This is a nice chopped salad that doesn’t get soggy when refrigerated. It’s great with the Japanese dressing (like a steakhouse dressing). Here’s what you need:
Salad:
- 1 head Napa cabbage
- 1 small red onion
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 green apple
- 1 cucumber
- 1 small daikon radish
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tbs ketchup
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 2 tbs celery, chopped
Chop all the salad ingredients (I grate everything using a food processor). You can also thinly slice the cucumber and radish. Here’s the vegetables I used.
Sprinkle the salad with the salt and toss. Place into a bowl and place a plate and weight on top. I use a press.
Let it sit for several hours then drain in a colander or cheese cloth. There should be quite a bit of water that drains out.
For the dressing blend all the ingredients. Here is the finished dressing and salad.
Sauerkraut (Fermented)
I have been making my own fermented sauerkraut for a couple years now. It takes a little time to make, but I think it is completely worth it. It is wonderful with Homemade Corned Beef.
Ingredients:
- 7 – 8 lb green cabbage (about 3 large heads)
- 2 green apples
- 2 small onions
- 3 bay leaves, crumbled
- 1/4 tsp cheese culture (optional)
Plus the following ingredients are per pound:
- 1 tsp pickling salt
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
- 3 juniper berries
Storage:
- 2 tbs salt
- 1/4 cup vinegar
Clean and quarter the apples and onions. Slice the stem off the cabbage and remove outer leaves. Reserve a couple leaves for later. Quarter and core the cabbage; do not discard the core.
Slice the cabbage thinly.
Grate the cabbage cores, apples, and onions.
Combine the vegetables and bay leaves. Weigh all the ingredients.
The salt, caraway, and juniper berries are measured according to weight. My vegetables weighed 7 1/2 lbs so I added 7 1/2 tsp salt, 3 3/4 tsp caraway seeds, and 23 juniper berries. Mix with the cabbage mixture and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
I use a 5 liter Harsch fermenting crock (on the right). You can also use an open crock.
Place a large handful of cabbage in the crock and press down firmly with a potato masher or spoon. Keep adding handfuls of cabbage and pressing it down until all the vegetables are in the crock.
Add the cheese culture. Some of the recipes for fermenting called for whey so I started adding the culture instead of whey. Add the stones and enough filtered (or spring) water to cover. If you are using an open crock spread out the reserved whole leaves over the vegetables. Then add enough water to cover.
Put the lid on the crock and add enough water in the trough to cover the hole. If you are using an open crock fill a large plastic bag with water, place that over the cabbage being careful to watch for trapped air. The reason it needs to be covered in this manner is so air can escape, but not get into the crock. Here is a close up of my crock that shows the hole that allows air to escape.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 4 weeks. Mine started slowly bubbling after 2 days and continued for about a week.
After 4 weeks has passed remove the lid. When you first remove the lid it might smell a little funny and the liquid will be cloudy. The important thing is that the vegetables still have a nice texture; not soft or squishy. Add the salt and vinegar storage ingredients to a one gallon jar. Remove the sauerkraut and place into your storage jar. Pour in the liquid from the crock. Cover and refrigerate. This lasts for months in the refrigerator.
Lemon-Herb Fried Potatoes
I made fried potatoes the other day that everyone raved about. I planned on making just plain fried potatoes then decided try something different.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 2 -3 tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 2 tsp herb blend
- salt and pepper
Put the oil, onion, and garlic into a large skillet. Cook on medium until soft. Add the potatoes, lemon juice, herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook through and lightly brown. I usually leave the lid on until they are starting to get soft, then brown them with the lid off.
Classic Risotto
This was an accompaniment for our Father’s Day dinner. My daughter made it the first time we tried it. She did it so well that it’s become her job every time.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup arborio rice, do not rinse
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup butter, divided
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup dry white wine (I use vermouth)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Heat water and broth in a saucepan on low. Put the onion and 2 tbs butter in another saucepan. Cook on medium until soft. Add the rice and stir together. Add the wine and stir until absorbed.
Increase the heat to medium high and stir in 1 cup of the broth mixture. Stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Keep stirring and adding the broth mixture 1 cup at a time. It should take about 30 minutes for all the liquid to be absorbed. Stir in butter, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes.
I recently tried this with short grain rice and I had very nice results. I think I’ll continue to use the arborio, but the short grain would probably work in a pinch.
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