Eclectic Recipes

Side Dishes Recipes

Swiss Chard Recipe

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

When i browsed the aisles of the produce department yesterday, I eyed the Swiss Chard again. I always keep meaning to try it, but in the past I have always past it up for more familiar greens, like collards, mustard, and turnips. Well yesterday, I finally decided to give Swiss Chard a chance. I got the [...]

Collard Greens Recipe, Low Fat!

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

I just realized that I have neglected to share a collard green recipe with you. This is my go to, lower in fat recipe that I use most often. I always buy a large bunch of greens and cut them up myself. I cut the leaves thin and leave the stalks in the leaves because [...]

Our Favorite Macaroni and Cheese

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

This is my easy, go to recipe for mac and cheese. I like to prepare mine on the stovetop. I make an easy roux based cheese sauce and add whatever shredded cheese I have on hand. My favorite is to do sharp cheddar cheese, but I have also done mac and cheese with every variety [...]

Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

I think these potatoes really speak for themselves. There are countless ways to make great mashed potatoes. This is my favorite way though. Lots of fresh chives and sour cream with Yukon gold potatoes is the perfect compliment to just about anything. I leave the peels on the potatoes, but you can peel them if [...]

Roasted Ratatouille and Adopt-a-Blogger

Monday, March 1st, 2010

I love ratatouille roasted in the oven. It is so easy to just throw all the vegetables together on a baking sheet. Just make sure to place the vegetables are on a single layer in the roasting pan to ensure roasting and prevent steaming. I think its wonderful how you can put so many different [...]

Green Black Eyed Peas

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Today I am bringing you a simple recipe that will inspire you to have a home garden, that is if you don’t already. If you happened to catch my new year’s black eyed peas recipe, you know that I am not fond of dried black eyed peas, unless they have some serious flavor help, like [...]

Herb Roasted Red Potatoes

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

This is my easy go to recipe for roasted red potatoes. Its so easy and delicious. This dish pairs perfectly with roast poultry or grilled steak. I served it the other day with roast Cornish game hen. You can add any variety of herbs that you like. You can also use any of the Mrs. [...]

Spicy Black Eyed Peas

Friday, January 8th, 2010

This is a delicious recipe for black eyed peas. Even if you think you don’t like black eyed peas, you are going to like these. They are full of flavor, and perfect for any occasion, including A New Year’s celebration. When I was a kid, we only had black eyed peas that were green. We [...]

Buttermilk Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Buttermilk mashed potatoes are a delicious alternative to traditional mashed potatoes. The tang of the buttermilk is very good, and the added garlic makes this version of mashed potatoes full of flavor, but not fat. You can lower the fat in this recipe even more by omitting the butter, and just adding more buttermilk. Buttermilk [...]

Southern Turnip Greens Recipe

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Happy New Year everyone! Its New Years Eve, and I am making preparations for tomorrow’s New Year’s Day dinner. We always have the traditional southern New Year’s Day dinner, revamped a bit. We have abandoned the fatty hog jowls for a delicious spiral ham. Actually, my family abandoned the hog jowls, when my grandfather became [...]

Spinach and Tomato Orzo

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

orzo

I added spinach and tomato to orzo to create a colorful and flavorful side dish.  The orzo is lightly browned first in butter and a little garlic.  The browned butter gives this dish an addicting flavor you will love. When I was a kid, our pastas consisted of spaghetti and macaroni and cheese. It wasn’t [...]

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

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Corn on the cob is a summer favorite. It is at the peak of its freshness and sweetness. There is no better way to enjoy this delicious summer food than eating it right off the cob. I was reminded of this when my son grabbed a piece of corn out of the baking dish and [...]

Spicy Baked Beans

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

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I only make this recipe once or twice a year, and it is such a treat. The bacon makes this dish so wonderful. This recipe also calls for a great sauce that I had the opportunity to try, Country Bob’s sauce. It is full of flavor. You can click here, or on my giveaway button [...]

Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

spinach

This is one of those busy weekday recipes that I again came up with on the fly. I had first decided we didn’t have a thing to make, but I so did not want to make a grocery run, I looked really hard in the pantry and fridge and came up with this. I love [...]

Broccoli Salad

Friday, August 14th, 2009

broccoli-salad

This is the broccoli salad I made for my husband’s potluck this week.  It is a roasted broccoli salad with bacon, American cheese, onions, peppers, and radishes for spice.  It turned out really well, and was a great addition to a summer potluck to accompany other cold salads and fried chicken.

Perfect Guacamole

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

guac

This is a super easy and simple way to make the very popular guacamole. This is a staple at our table whenever we are having any Mexican inspired dishes, or just for dipping. I have tried adding different things to my guacamole, but I always go back to this simple recipe. I really like to [...]

Black Bean Spanish Rice

Monday, July 6th, 2009

black-bean-rice

This is my version of Arroz con Frijoles Negro, or Black Beans and Rice. I first had this dish at a local Cuban restaurant. I absolutely love black beans, and combining them in this classic rice dish brings out the flavors wonderfully. I came up with this recipe after surveying my cuban friends about how [...]

Homemade French Fries

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

french-fries

This is my version of homemade french fries. The secret of my version is in the frying oil. I picked this up from my mother. She was very frugal and kept and reused frying oil. When she made french fries, from scratch, or frozen, she always used frying oil that had already been used to [...]

Roasted Asparagus

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

roasted_asparagus

This is my favorite side dish to make, especially on busy weekday nights. It is so tasty, and my family eats so much of it, I either buy the large bunch of asparagus from Sam’s or  from the grocery store. We eat it like candy. This is definitely the best way to cook asparagus. Use [...]

Herb Roasted Green Beans and Tomatoes

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

roasted_greenbeans_and_tomatoes

This is a quick and easy summer side dish that goes great with anything from a pasta dish to sandwiches. I began roasting most of my dishes a couple of years ago, and it has made all the difference in the taste, and the quantity of vegetables we eat. It is alot easier to eat [...]

White Acre Peas

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

white_acre_peas

I was reluctant to add this to my blog, because I ate so many peas growing up, it isn’t even funny. I shelled more peas with my little hands in the summers than most people would ever even think about shelling in their whole lifetimes. I was so sick of peas, especially zipper peas. I [...]

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