Delicious Holiday Side Dish Ideas

It feels like Thanksgiving just ended, but it’s already time to think about what to cook for all of the upcoming holiday parties, potlucks, and dinners that are upon us. It’s open season on eating. Here are some yummy special occasion side-dishes to help you in your holiday cooking.

Candied Butternut Squash with Cinnamon and Honey
Butternut squash is baked with honey and cinnamon and pecans and butter.
Ingredients:

* 1 large butternut squash, quartered lengthwise
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Scoop seeds out of butternut squash. Arrange butternut squash pieces, cut-side down, in a large baking dish. Pour hot water in the baking dish to a depth of about 1/4-inch. Bake butternut squash at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender. Cool squash; peel.

Cut squash into 1/2-inch slices and place in a 9×13x2-inch baking dish. Pour butter and honey over squash, then sprinkle with pecans and cinnamon. Return to oven and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until butternut squash is glazed and hot.

Smashed Red Potatoes With Garlic

The garlic adds flavor, but you can leave it out if you prefer, or add a little fresh chopped parsley and chives.
Ingredients:

* 2 pounds small red potatoes
* 4 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
* Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Scrub potatoes and cut into small chunks. Put potatoes and the sliced garlic in a medium saucepan; cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain well. Pour into a bowl and mash with the butter and milk or half-and-half. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4 to 6.

Traditional Green Bean Casserole

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French’s French Fried Onions

1. Mix soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-quart casserole.
2. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until hot.
3. Stir. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

TIP: Use 1 (16 to 20-ounce) bag frozen green beans, 2 (9-ounce) packages frozen green beans, 2 (about 16-ounce) cans green beans or about 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans for this recipe.

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

* 2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 12 cups chicken stock
* 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
* 1 cup wild rice
* 3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
* 2 cups fresh corn kernels
* 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.]

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Buttery Maple-Thyme Biscuits

1. In a small saucepan, cover the thyme sprigs with the maple syrup and simmer over moderate heat for 1 minute; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, table salt and chopped thyme. Cut in the butter until it’s pea-size. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened; turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a ball.
3. Roll out the dough ‚ inch thick. Using a floured 2‚-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out the biscuits as close together as possible. Press the scraps together and stamp out more biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°. Brush the biscuits with the maple glaze and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm.

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