Make Holiday Meals Easier by Customizing Store-Bought Side Dishes: 6 Mini Recipes

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Hello, everyone! I’m back from vacation and already planning ahead for next month. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is fast approaching? To get ready I’ve been thinking about ways to make holiday meals fun and easy.

One way to minimize stress and cooking time but still serve the special foods that make the holidays memorable is to customize store-bought side dishes. These quick stir-in suggestions and mini-recipes make it easy to whip up the dishes you look forward to every year:

1) Add praline pecan or marshmallows topping to store-bought mashed sweet potatoes. Directions: heat mashed sweet potatoes according to package directions and then transfer to a casserole or glass baking dish.

For praline pecan topping: stir 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans together in a bowl and then sprinkle over the sweet potatoes; bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

For marshmallow topping (AKA candied yams): sprinkle mini-marshmallows evenly over sweet potatoes, and then bake at 350°F until marshmallows are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

2) Stir diced dried tropical fruit, chopped fresh orange segments, or thawed frozen blueberries to store-bought cranberry sauce or cranberry relish. Directions: roughly chop fruit and thaw if necessary. Stir into cranberry sauce or relish. If desired, heat in a heavy saucepan over low to medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

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Posted by Lacey

Favorite Fall Recipes: Easy Sausage and Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash

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Now that it’s fall I finally get to try all of the hearty, cool-weather recipes I’ve been hoarding all summer. I just made this easy Sausage and Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe last night, and let me just say, oh baby.

I’d planned on taking some of the leftover stuffing for lunch the next day, but it was so delicious my husband and I each had seconds and scraped up every last bite from the skillet. I’m definitely adding this one to my weeknight dinner recipe rotation because it’s so easy to make. Bonus: it also looks impressive and makes for a good entertaining recipe.

Here’s it is:

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Posted by Lacey

30 Minute Meals: Quick Curried Pork Chops Recipe

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I was both intrigued and a little suspicious when I saw this curry pork chops recipe the other day. Normally I can take or leave pork, but the unusual flavor combination inspired me to give it a try.

The first time I made the recipe I found the prep a little time-consuming and the pork chops didn’t turn out as tender as I’d like. I knew the recipe had potential, though, so I decided to make some changes and try it again.

This time I loved how the dish came out. It had just the right balance of sweet and savory notes, the pork chops were tender, and the curry flavor was refreshingly different from your typical brown gravy or canned cream of mushroom soup sauce. My family and I scraped up every last bite from the pan, and I officially moved the revised recipe into our weeknight dinner rotation.

Here it is:  (more…)

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Posted by Lacey

How to Braise Chicken

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When I first started cooking I always seemed to ruin chicken. I just couldn’t find that sweet spot between undercooked and dry and tasteless. Luckily, my brother finally took pity on me and taught me how to braise. Now it’s is my favorite way to cook chicken, and it always comes out perfect.

Don’t let the term intimidate you—it’s really an incredibly simple technique. To braise means to:

1) Cook meat in butter or oil just long enough to brown it

2)  Then add a little broth or other liquid to the pan, and finally

3) Put a lid on the pan and cook it over a low simmer (low to medium-low heat)

You get the best of both worlds cooking chicken this way: the browning creates extra flavor and the low cooking in liquid keeps the meat moist. And not only is it easy, it’s quick—it takes half the time to braise chicken as it would take to bake it in the oven, making it perfect for weeknight dinners.

Here’s a basic recipe that’s ready in less than 30 minutes:

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Posted by Lacey