Classic Green Bean Casserole

I really love green bean casserole for some reason; maybe it’s the crunchy fried onions or the cheese or both!  I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole recipe.   I saw the fried onion pieces from Trader Joe’s and used those instead of the usual French’s french fried onions.  I also used my homemade cream of mushroom soup, which is so much better than the canned condensed soup.   Overall this classic green bean casserole is perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish!

Classic Green Bean Casserole

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups green beans, sliced (from my local farmers’ market.)

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup onion, diced (I used a yellow onion.)

½ cup mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini mushrooms.)

2 cups cream of mushroom soup (I used homemade soup.)

1 cup french fried onions (I used Trader Joe’s.)

¼ teaspoon granulated garlic

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar and Italian mix)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add green beans.  Boil for about 5 minutes and drain.

In a large pan, over medium heat, add butter and olive oil.  Add onions and mushrooms, sauté for about 5 minutes until softened and browned.  

Add in green beans to onions and mushrooms.

Stir in cream of mushroom soup.  Add in garlic, salt and pepper. 

Stir in ½ cup french fried onions.

Pour mixture into 8x8 inch baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese and remaining ½ cup French fried onions. 

Bake for additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 6.

Roasted and Glazed Brussels Sprouts

I am a veggie lover and these roasted and glazed brussels sprouts are absolutely fantastic.  This is another Thanksgiving side dish test.  I adapted this recipe from Guy Fieri's Bumped-Up Brussels Sprouts recipe.  Guy used pancetta in his recipe but I am still in a bacon kick and need to use up all the bacon I have.  I also used a peach flavored balsamic vinegar that I received as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law.  I think it gives a hint of flavor that you don't really know where it comes from but its so good!  These roasted and glazed brussels sprouts are sweet and salty - they may be perfect for Thanksgiving.  If you don't like brussels spourts, you might change your mind with this recipe! 

Roasted and Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

3 slices of bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 tablespoon capers

1 pound brussels sprouts, halved

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used a peach flavor.)

1 tablespoon maple syrup (You may use 2 tablespoons if you want it more sweet.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a dutch oven or ovenproof pan, over medium heat, cook bacon and capers.

Remove bacon and capers from pan, and reserve a little of the bacon fat in the pan.

Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook until they begin to brown (about 5 minutes).  

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil.  Season with a little salt (because bacon and capers are already salty) and pepper.

Place pan into oven and roast about 15 to 20 minutes.  Toss brussels sprouts a few times during roasting time.

Remove from oven and toss bacon and capers with brussels sprouts.  Season with additional salt and/or pepper if needed.

Serves 4 to 6.

Corn Pudding

I wanted to test out this Corn Pudding recipe I saw on Food.com because it had great reviews.  (Click here for the link to the original recipe.)  This is a sweet and savory dish that I thought could be great for Thanksgiving.  I actually really enjoyed this corn pudding, who doesn't like corn anyway?  I will be going to a big family potluck Thanksgiving dinner and I wanted to bring at least one or two side dishes.  I posted an unofficial poll on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SophieInTheKitchen.  So far results seem positive! 

Just a quick note on Facebook, if you already like the Sophie in the Kitchen Facebook page, you might not get to see all the updates in your news feed/timeline.  If you want to see all the updates, first make sure you liked the page.  Next, hover over the "Like" button and make sure you checked "Show in News Feed".  You can also click on the settings button and "Add to Interest Lists" or "Add to My Page's Favorites". 

Corn Pudding

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1/8 cup sugar

1 ½ tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup heavy whipping cream (You may substitute with half and half.)

¼ cup butter, melted

3 cups frozen whole kernel corn

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  I put it on top of a small baking sheet just to make it easy to move around.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.

In a larger bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy whipping cream, and melted butter.

Slowly add in dry ingredients, whisking until smooth.

Stir in corn.

Pour into baking dish.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until golden brown on top and set.

Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Serves 4 to 6.