It’s officially the holiday season, and what are the holidays without food?! We say they would be nonexistent. But have no fear, we don’t have to cancel the holidays this year! Our friend Karen from Cooking From the Heart is here to show us how to wow our guests this holiday season with elevated and amazing side dishes!
Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole
First, Karen makes an elevated, deconstructed version of green bean casserole.
For this recipe, you are going to want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start with fresh green beans, or the French version- haricots verts. They are the same as regular green beans, just a bit longer and more skinny!
Coat whichever beans you are using with about two tablespoons of olive oil. Next, sprinkle with salt! Put your beans on a cookie sheet in as close to a single layer as you can get. And an important note, be sure to use fresh green beans- as canned or frozen will change the consistency of the dish!
Put the beans in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, and while they’re roasting- let’s get to work on the sauce!
Instead of mixing in cream of mushroom soup, Karen is teaching us how to make a rich and creamy mushroom sauce to go over the green beans.
Next, mince some garlic and then chop up 12-14 ounces of whatever kind of mushrooms you prefer! To find out how to finish the sauce and the recipe, be sure to watch the video in its’ entirety!
Beautiful Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Now, it’s time for Karen’s magical fresh cranberry sauce. Start with a twelve ounce bag of fresh cranberries, give them a rinse and add them to a bowl!
Turn your stove to medium-high, and add your fresh cranberries to a pot. Next, add one cup minus two tablespoons of water to the pot. After you’ve added your water, it’s time to sweeten the deal by adding a cup of sugar! You can add a little more or a little less, depending on how sweet you like your sauce.
Turn the heat down to medium, and add a quarter cup of cinnamon. Karen is using a delicious Mexican cinnamon, which was totally worth the splurge for this holiday side dish! After the cinnamon, add 3/4 of a teaspoon of Madagascar Vanilla.
Karen uses a peeler to get the perfect piece of orange rind to add to the mix, then finally- she adds 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur.
Make sure to add it before your cranberry sauce is boiling, so the alcohol cooks off and you are just left with the flavor. Watch the full video to see the rest of the recipe for your fresh cranberry sauce!
Stove Top Stuffing, Karen’s Way
Finally, she makes something that was of her favorites growing up: stuffing! (Or dressing, depending on how you are going to use it.)
Karen still remembers the nostalgia of when “Stove Top Stuffing” came out, and is doing a copycat of that iconic flavor.Give your family the amazing flavor, with your own carefully chosen ingredients.
First, Karen used a serrated knife to cut a loaf of bread into half inch by half inch cubes. Then she placed all of her cubes on a cookie sheet and put into a 400 degree oven, for about 10 minutes.
Next, chop up about a cup of both onion and celery. It doesn’t have to be exactly a cup, but do make sure that you are doing a “small chop” for these two ingredients. When you’re done, grab your pan and add a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Turn your stove on to high and let the oil heat up.
Meanwhile, grab a second pot and add two cups of chicken stock. Put it on a burner over medium heat, just to warm up the chicken stock.
Add the onions and celery to your pan with oil, and cook until the onions are translucent and the celery starts to soften up. This usually takes about 3 minutes!
Remove the bread cubes from the oven, turn off the broth burner, and take a moment to enjoy the aroma of your kitchen. For the rest of the recipe, you will have to watch the full video! But trust us, you don’t want to miss it.
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