side dish Archives - Pennywise Cook

13 Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas

November 10, 2014 by amy 23 Comments

There are years when Thanksgiving draws near and I completely go blank when coming up with a menu. There are always staples that everyone expects to be on the table each year, but sometimes you just want some inspiration. I have come up with some yummy side dishes in this post consisting of 13 Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas. Check them out!

P.S.- *whispers* You can really make these anytime of year!

Get a little taste of the country with Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole. Comfort food at it’s best!

Your kiddos might even enjoy this Cheesy Creamed Spinach this year!

Can you go wrong with this Bacon and Green Beans Saute?

Is Thanksgiving even Thanksgiving without Sweet Potato Casserole?

This Roasted Apple Butternut Squash with Maple Cardamom Glaze looks amazing!

Save yourself some time with these 2-Ingredient Slow Cooker Green Beans. SO tasty!

Here’s a healthy spin. Roasted Broccoli is an easy side dish!

This one is to die for. Loaded Potato CHEESECAKE! Need I say more?

What’s a Thanksgiving feast without rolls? Check out these Perfect Wheat Dinner Rolls!

This Super Cheesy Broccoli Casserole looks so tasty!

This Twice-Baked Cauliflower is great for those watching their carbs!

And of course, you can’t forget the mashed potatoes! This recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes is a great addition to turkey and dressing!

You can’t go wrong with Traditional Green Bean Casserole!

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Parmesan Peas

September 15, 2014 by amy Leave a Comment

I’m not exactly sure what it is about peas that makes them seem so unappealing. Did you see what I did there? For most kids I think it may be because they are green. Both of my girls have a strong aversion to green food no matter what it is. So when my oldest came home from school one day and told me that she liked peas, you can just imagine my confusion.

1. She ate peas. Willingly. Without bribery or threatening.

2. She ate peas at school of all places. This is also the place that she discovered she likes green beans. (Which I promise are the only two green foods that she likes.) I mean. What are the schools doing to their green foods to make them so enticing? They have new standards for how healthy things have to be so I know it’s not that they are slathering it all in butter.

3. I gotta come close to making them at least half as good as the school. Woah. What is this world coming to with the statement that I just made?

I came across this recipe for Parmesan Peas and I figured it was worth a shot. If it doesn’t work then I may need to call my daughter’s cafeteria. Again. What weird statements I’m making.

I liked these peas, but I have a feeling that they weren’t as amazing as my daughter is used to. I will be tweaking these a little as I make them more. But for the most part, they are really tasty! The most important tip that I can give is to make sure that you serve them immediately after making. They do not taste the same after they get cold and sit there for a while. Just from my experience anyways.

Also, be sure to use freshly grated parmesan and not the powered stuff. It works, but is not near as good.

Parmesan Peas

2014-09-13 14:56:23

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Ingredients

16 oz Bag of Frozen Peas or 4 cups Fresh Peas
1 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Little squeeze of lemon juice
Dash of pepper

Instructions

Fill a big saucepan 2/3 of the way full and bring to a boil.
Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes if fresh and 1 minute if frozen. This will be your call as to if you think they are ready enough. I like mine to be really tender.
Remove from heat and save a little amount of the cooking water. Drain.
Put them back in the saucepan and add a little of the reserved water. Add the butter. Stir until melted.
Stir in the parmesan cheese and make sure that all the peas get coated.
Squeeze a tad of lemon juice and add a dash of pepper.
Serve immediately!

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Filed Under: Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Sides and Vegetables Tagged With: Cheese, cheesy peas, parmesan cheese, parmesan cheese peas, parmesan peas, peas, side dish, side dishes

Easy Roasted Broccoli

September 12, 2012 by amy 3 Comments

When I was a kid, I never remember thinking I really want broccoli. In fact, I don’t really remember eating it ever as a kid. The word itself had some type of unappealing association with it so we just never spoke of it. Props to my mom for not shoving it down my throat! Luckily I grew up to love it and I’ve passed on that love to my daughter. Though she won’t touch most things that are green, broccoli is something that she will gladly gobble up in a moment’s notice.

Parental mission, accomplished.

We like to make broccoli many ways around here. Steamed, chopped, swimming in cheese sauce, and in a plethora of casseroles. But mostly, it’s easiest to just roast it to go along with a meal.

When you get a good price on a head of broccoli, stock up and make it for dinner. And if you need an idea for how to make it, consider this roasting method if you haven’t tried this before. It’s quite tasty.

Cut up the head into bite-size pieces. Throw it in a bowl with some salt, garlic (oooooooh, aaaaaahhhhh), chili powder, and of course olive oil. Toss it up and pop it in the oven to get roasted and toasted.

What comes out of the oven is nothing short of amazing. Yummy, flavorful broccoli.

It’s that simple and frugal too!

Easy Roasted Broccoli

Recipe Type: Side Dish, Vegetable

Author: Pennywise Cook

This simple method for roasting broccoli makes for an easy side dish that’s full of flavor!

Ingredients

4 c. Fresh Broccoli (Cut into bite-size pieces)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Chili Powder
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 c. Olive Oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss well.
Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20-22 minutes flipping once halfway through cooking.

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Sides and Vegetables Tagged With: Broccoli, Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Vegetables, side dish, Sides

Basil Ricotta Mac and Cheese

June 28, 2012 by amy 1 Comment

Isn’t it funny how there is never enough time in the day? I can have a completely clear day planned with maybe one thing on my to-do list and half the time I don’t even get that one thing accomplished. Of course, I do have a tendency to go off on tangents. My husband makes fun of me beceause I can barely get a sentence out. In fact, the other day I was telling him something and in the middle of my sentence remembered something else and began to tell him about that instead. He looked at me with the funniest face and said, “Did you just interupt yourself?”. I stopped and thought about it for a moment and then decided yes, I did in fact interupt myself! Leave it to me!

Much like my thoughts getting side-tracked, I easily get distracted when I’m cleaning the house. I’ll be cleaning one thing and come across something that just bothers me and I have to clean that. All the while forgetting about my original intention. It may take me the whole day (and sometimes week) to get the original mission accomplished.

A near future goal of mine is to create a cleaning list for the week. I’ll let you know how that works out. 🙂

Needless to say, time gets away from me sometimes. And on those days, we either have a fend for yourself night for dinner or I whip something up that doesn’t need a lot of work. Mac and cheese is always a great go-to option. Always a pleaser for the kiddos and the picky husband as well.

It’s not exactly the best grown up meal. So when I was having a “day” the other night I decided to liven it up a bit and use up some ricotta cheese that I had in the refrigerator and add a little bit of basil. And to make it more of a meal I added some ground turkey. It was fantastic and even pleased my 5 year old!

Hey, maybe she’ll eat her peas now. Nah….

Basil Ricotta Mac and Cheese

Recipe Type: Pasta, Main Dish

Author: Pennywise Cook

This grown up version of everyday mac and cheese is sure to please everyone!

Ingredients

2/3 Box Elbow Macaroni
1 lb Ground Turkey
1/4 c. Flour
2 c. Milk
2 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese + additional for topping
1/4 c. Bread Crumbs
1/2 c. Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Basil, Chopped
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

{reheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare macaroni a couple minutes less than directed on the box. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, brown ground turkey and stir in ricotta cheese. Add in seasonings and basil.
In a saucepan, stir together flour and milk and cook to a boil until thickened. Then stir in shredded cheese. Mix well.
Mix together pasta, ground turkey mixture, and cheese mixture. Pour into a greased baking dish and top with additional shredded cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted and breadcrumbs begin to crisp.

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Filed Under: Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes, Pasta, Sides and Vegetables Tagged With: mac and cheese, macaroni, macaroni and cheese, Pasta, side dish

13 Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas

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Parmesan Peas

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Easy Roasted Broccoli

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Basil Ricotta Mac and Cheese

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