vegetables

Dad’s little roasted potatoes

A great, inexpensive dish for one or a whole crowd. I love these when I add them to one of my sheet pan roasted dinners. But pan roasting works, too. These little fellas are sort of like your best French fries—rounds instead of sticks or planks—crispy outside, soft and tender inside. Yum. Can be varied indefinitely.

The Irish figured out a long time ago that potatoes can be good in many different ways. And choosing either starchier potatoes, like russets, or creamy potatoes, like Yukon Golds, will give you a very different, but equally good, taste and texture experience.

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Brussels sprouts are the new green beans

For holiday feasts, that is. I have nothing, exactly, against the standard green bean, mushroom soup, onion things casserole. But unless you make it from scratch, it just doesn’t compare, for flavor with this easy and candy-esque treatment for b’sprouts. One of the secrets, of course, is bacon. The other is to cook the heck out of the sprouts until they are the kind of candy you like. Continue reading

Easy Southern green beans

A friend, Betty Lou M., who grew up in Richmond, Virginia, says she has been making this recipe since before she was a young bride 60+ years ago. These beans are very easy to make and mighty good—a great side for any occasion. We think they would probably be even better with fresh, local green beans, but know it’s OK if you’re too lazy to try this, like us. We’re pretty sure these beans are close to the ones at Cracker Barrel.

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Cookoff chili

Mom gave me a great cookbook for Christmas some years ago that was full of the Best Recipes of 1999, according to someone. About the only thing I’ve made more than once is a chili recipe, although I’ve played with it to the point where it’s now another “standard fare” item in the Recipe Box. You, too, can play with it to your heart’s content. Just make sure to include the most special ingredients and techniques, and you’ll have everyone oooh-ing and aah-ing for more. Recently, a friend who just won a chili cookoff told me never to enter any contest he was in! High praise.

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