Fried Apples

Posted: October 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Fruit, Side Dish | Leave a comment

One of my favorite autumn side dishes is fried apples. My mother used to make this. It is a very simple recipe, but oh so yummy.

The number of apples you use is determined by how many you want to serve! I slice up one medium apple per person. I recommend a good cooking apple such as granny smith or macintosh. They hold their shape and are very flavorful. I usually peel the apples, but it isn’t necessary.

After peeling and slicing the number of apples you want, set them aside for a minute. In a saute pan or skillet, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter. Once this is melted, add the apple slices. Make sure you turn your burner down to medium or medium-high. Stir the slices around once in awhile. The apples will cook down in volume as they soften. It is up to your personal preference how crunchy or soft you want the apples to be. At the very end, sprinkle on some cinnamon and sugar to your taste.

I prefer to serve them warm, but it is pretty good when it is cooled in the refrigerator too. It is really hard to mess up a recipe like this. Just remember to keep your eyes on the apples while they are cooking. They are done pretty quickly.

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Parsley Potatoes

Posted: October 9, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Potatoes, Side Dish | Leave a comment
My mother used to make this side dish for us when my brother and I were kids. There really was no recipe, so to speak, she just made it off the top of her head. One day I made her sit down and write out what she did when she made these so I could make them for my family. I was amazed at how simple this dish is! The key is to not spare the salt while the potatoes are cooking.

Parsley Potatoes
Serves : 6
3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
salt, to taste

Place potatoes, onions and margarine in saucepan. Add water just until potatoes are covered. Salt as desired. Bring to a slow boil. cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked (approx. 15 minutes). Add parsley flakes just before serving.

This is not a recipe that can be prepared ahead of time. It really is not very good as a leftover either. But it comes together so quickly and simply that it is not necessary to make it up early.

Mac & Cheese

Posted: October 1, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Pasta, Side Dish | Leave a comment
This is another one of those not-written-down recipes from my mother. It is not fancy, nor difficult, but I loved it as a child and so do my children. I prefer this to the mac & cheese in the blue and yellow box and it is just a simple to make.

Stove-Top Macaroni & Cheese

2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
Velveeta cheese
milk
salt
white pepper

Cook the macaroni as directed on the package, being careful to liberally salt the macaroni as it cooks. Drain in a colander and set aside. In that same saucepan, melt a chunk of Velveeta cheese and a splash of milk until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. The amount you use depends on how cheesy you want this to be. I use about 1/3 of a loaf of the Velveeta, give or take, and about 2 tablespoons of milk. Season with salt and white pepper. (I think my mother used the white pepper for the flavor and so my brother and I would not “see” that there was pepper in the mac & cheese. It doesn’t taste “right” without the pepper.) Once it is melted, stir in the cooked macaroni and heat through, stirring carefully. This will brown and burn quickly if the burner is turned up too high. Serves 4-6.

Baked Zucchini

Posted: October 3, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Side Dish, Vegetable | Leave a comment

I usually don’t make anything fancy for dinner on Fridays. In fact, we often have pizza before the football/basketball games with friends. I thought I’d use this day of the week to share side dish recipes that we enjoy.

My mother’s garden exploded with zucchini this year. She is still bringing me good sized zucchini. I’m getting a little tired of zucchini bread. Here is a side dish that I’ve made before that is quite yummy.     

Baked Zucchini

2 pounds zucchini
oil
1 large  onion, finely chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs, divided
1/2 package  grated cheese, divided
2 eggs
                         
1 Grind or grate zucchini and steam in frying pan with enough oil to keep from sticking.

2 Add onions and cook 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly.

3 Add milk and half of bread crumbs and 1/3 cheese. Stir.

4 Add well beaten eggs and another 1/3 of cheese.

5 Put in baking dish, top with remaining bread crumbs and cheese.

6 Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes.