Pull Apart Garlic Bread

This garlic pull apart bread is super fun! I made it for our family Christmas dinner. We had really great lasagna, but the garlic bread stole the show! I was really nervous about making yeast rolls because my only previous experiment with yeast failed miserably, but it turned out just fine! Here is the recipe,

Ingredients -

16 frozen roll dough balls (I used store brand.)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp garlic seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Thaw rolls for 45 minutes. While they are still cold, cut them in half and place in a bowl. Then, mix in melted butter and seasoning until each roll is coated. Carefully place the rolls in a single layer in a springform pan. Allow to rise in a warm place for approximately 2 hours or until they have double in size. Sprinkle with cheese.Make sure to place on a cookie sheet because the butter will leak out a little in the oven! Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes. Serve warm.

Sweet Potato Casserole

We recently had my parents over for a steak cookout lunch, and I decided sweet potato casserole sounded like the perfect side! My mom has always made Boston Market's version, but I am really not a fan. It's SO bad for you, and I always think it's a little watery. (Maybe because she boils the potatoes?) I tried this version from The Pioneer Woman, and we absolutely thought it was great!

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Bake sweet potatoes for 45 minutes at 375 until potatoes are fork tender. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, scrape the flesh in to a mixing bowl. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Add the granulated sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Mash ingredients together until they are incorporated but the potatoes are still lumpy.

Now, in a separate bowl, mash the brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter with a pastry cutter or fork until thoroughly combined. The mixture should resemble a crumble.(I actually melted the butter and mixed. I do my crisps the same way, and I actually prefer it that way. I think it gives the butter more even distribution.)

Spread the sweet potato mixture in a 14-cup oval-shaped baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cowboy Caviar

I had Cowboy Caviar for the first time at a wedding a number of years ago. One of my mom's good friends is "famous" for this recipe, actually. When I loved it at the wedding, my mom proudly informed me that she already had her friend's recipe. I've made it for a few things since. It's nice because it makes A LOT. It's perfect for a crowd at a shower, potluck, picnic, whatever. Today I'm taking it to our neighborhood block party and serving it with tortilla chips. You can also serve it as a salad. Actually, I like it wrapped up in a tortilla for a quick lunch too.

Here is the recipe,

Two cans of white shoepeg corn, drained
Two cans of black eyed peas, drained
Two cans of tomatoes with green chiles (I drained, but you probably don't have to.)

Very finely chop and stir in,

1 green bell pepper
1 jalapeno (or more or less for heat)
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 green onions (I omitted.)

Then, stir in 1 cup of fat free Italian dresses and 1/4 cup of dried parsley flakes.

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppyseed Noodles

This is a really easy, no brainer of a side dish! My mom used to make poppyseed noodles all the time when I was a kid. Tonight, we had mango barbecue chicken, fresh summer veggies and these noodles, and I discovered that I still love them as much as I always have!

Here is the recipe!

Ingredients -

1 lb of noodles, prepared as directed
3-4 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of poppyseeds (or more or less)
1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Directions -

Prepare noodles as directed. Drain and stir in butter until it is completely melted. Then, stir in poppyseed and lemon zest. Serve warm or room temperature.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

This twice baked potato casserole is one of our family favorite side dishes. It definitely isn't the healthiest thing in the world, but it makes enough to feed an army! It's great for potlucks or family get togethers for that very reason. Here is how you make it,

Ingredients

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 slices bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced (I omitted because green onions and chives are one thing I really don't like!)
• 2.5 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Boil potatoes over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife.Transfer to a colander to drain.
2. While your potatoes are cooking, cook bacon until crisp and browned, turning once. (We bake in the oven at 425 for 17 minutes.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop in to bacon bits.
3. With an electric mixer, whip the potatoes. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, bacon and a generous amount of black pepper. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

(Note, this picture is before the final step of baking these. If possible, I prefer to finish them off wherever we're eating, so they're nice and warm when served!)

See other great recipes at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Slow Cooker Black Beans

One of the best mom moves I've ever made is serving my kids beans from the moment they were able to eat finger foods. Even my little guy loves them now! We eat a lot of black beans around here. A LOT. I've tried the soaking and cooking dry beans method before, and it didn't go well. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I figured I'd give it another shot. I made a few small adjustments, but they turned out sooooooo good. I was afraid my girls would notice a difference between these and the seasoned canned beans they are used to, but they totally didn't. Like the original recipe creator said, my kids ALSO had two huge bowls.

Here is my adapted version,

6 cups water

3 bullion chicken cubes

1 tablespoon of jarred minced garlic

1/2 jar of salsa (I used less. I just finished up an open jar in my fridge. Love recipes that work for that!)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

I soaked my beans overnight. The next day, I left my crockpot on high for 8 hours and then on low for another 2. When I got home, we had a perfectly SUPER fast and healthy dinner between school and dance. I served these over rice with cheese and sour cream, but this is a great all purpose recipe. It can stand alone as a side or be served in place of any recipe that calls for canned black beans. It would be great in Dorito Salad, on my family's favorite black bean dip or our vegetarian chili.

This was seriously so affordable too! I didn't break down the cost exactly, but it CAN'T be more than $2 for the whole batch!

(Photo credit, A Year of Slow Cooking)