Cheapskate Rural Dweller: side

Showing posts with label side. Show all posts

SUPER SIDE: Broccoli Au Gratin

Eating healthy can be a bit daunting sometimes but here's a cheat even my son loves. A creamy, cheesy, broccoli side dish.

We're serving this on the side of some pork chops with a port wine, mushroom reduction sauce.

INGREDIENTS (3 servings)

1 large head of broccoli
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup low fat mile
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In a small sauce pan, melt the cream cheese into the milk.

Break up the head of broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Salt and pepper the broccoli. Cover with the cream cheese and milk sauce. Sprinkle the cheddar on top.

Bake, covered, for 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: Buffalo Style Chicken Thighs and Chorizo and Eggs

Chicken wings are so good but it's a lot of work for just a few bites of meat. We fix that by using thighs instead and a homemade Buffalo sauce that's easy and out-of-this-world good.

Some farmer's market dollar-a-pound squash makes a medley for the side dish and breakfast is one of our easy staples, chorizo and eggs.

Recipes are at the links below.

DINNER: Buffalo Chicken Thighs

SIDE: A summer squash medley using our basic super side barbecue vegetable recipe

BREAKFAST: Chorizo and Egg Burritos

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: Pan Fried Ribeye Steak and Honey Glazed Carrots with Asparagus

Oops...a little late posting this but you still have time to get to the store for the ingredients.

This Sunday, I'm breaking in my new cast-iron skillet with some USDA Prime beef and another super side dish, modified from Martha Stewart's recipe.

Recipes at the links below..

DINNER: Pan Fried Rib Eye Steak

SUPER SIDE: Honey Glazed Carrots with Asparagus

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

SUPER SIDES: Honey Glazed Carrots and Asparagus

We're modifying the Martha Steward honey glazed carrot recipe a bit to make this side dish for our pan-fried rib eye steaks. Also, I'm messing with the prep a little bit so I can have it ready early. That way, when it's time to make dinner, the only thing I have to do is stick the pan on the stove and cook.

INGREDIENTS
6 carrots
4 stocks of asparagus
1/2 cup of honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
7 ounces chicken broth
5 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Peel the carrots.

Cut both the carrots and asparagus into 1/2 inch chunks. In a 3-quart pot, melt the butter and cook the carrots for 10 minutes, stirring twice.

Remove from heat and add the asparagus, honey, chicken broth, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook dinner.

When ready, bring to a boil (we're cooking ours outdoors on our gas grill side burner), then lower to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

THIS WEEK'S MENU: Smoked Pork Ribs with Honey Glazed Carrots

Got a new computer and other issues put a kink in our blogging this week but here's your weekend menu. The pork ribs came out amazingly good, as did the carrots which I got from Martha Stewart's website.

Recipes at the links below...

DINNER: Smoked Pork Ribs

SUPER SIDE: Honey Glazed Carrots

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

SUPER SIDES: Honey Glazed Carrots

This is not my recipe but it was very easy and fairly quick to make. You can get the entire recipe at Martha Stewart's website: Martha Stewart's Honey Glazed Carrots

I used half as much as her recipe and used baby carrots instead of sliced carrots, but other than that, completely the same.

Try it, it's delicious.

Darryl

This week's menu: Barbecued Chicken with an Asparagus/Mushroom/Caulliflower Medley

Back out on the grill for this week's menu with a strong barbecued chicken entree served with a nice medley side dish. All prepared on the grill, no pots or pans to wash!

Recipes at the links below.

DINNER: Barbecued Chicken

SUPER SIDE: Garlic Asparagus/Mushroom/Cauliflower Medley

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

SUPER SIDES: Garlic Asparagus Mushroom Cauliflower Medley

Super easy...

Cut up five spears of asparagus, half a head of cauliflower, and four button mushrooms plus a teaspoon of minced garlic.

Now cook using our basic barbecued vegetables recipe.

Darryl

This Week's Menu: Grilled New York Steak with Garlicky Asparagus and Mushrooms

Garlic spices everything up this week, from our New York steaks to the asparagus and mushroom side dish.

Recipes below...

DINNER: Grilled New York Steak

SUPER SIDE: Garlicky Asparagus and Mushrooms

Darryl

SUPER SIDES: Garlicky Asparagus and Mushrooms

Another very easy and tasty side dish using our standard method of grilling vegetables on the barbecue.

I was inspired to do this mixup by a stand at one of our local farmer's markets that fried mushrooms in garlic. They're delicious and the aroma just draws you in. Deep fried mushrooms are not the healthiest thing, though.

This dish is and it's just as tasty.

INGREDIENTS

4 or 5 spears of asparagus
1/2 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Slice up asparagus into 1" pieces. Place asparagus, mushrooms, salt, and pepper into a plastic bag. Hold the top closed and shake up vigorously. Add the garlic and shake again. Add the olive oil and shake again.

Place the resulting mixture on a sheet of foil paper. Close up, grill on the barbecue for 20 minutes.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: Smoked Tri Tip Roast and Stuffed Pasilla Chiles

Changing it up a bit this week by focusing on a side dish instead of breakfast and giving you (reluctantly, I might add) one of my best recipes. It's not quick or easy but, darn, is it good.

It's my version of our Golden State's signature barbecue entree, smoked tri tip. You'll love it!

Super Side Dish: Stuffed Pasilla Chiles

Super Sides: Stuffed Pasilla Peppers

I like stuffed bell peppers but, for some reason, these mild peppers give me an acute case of heartburn. The hotter pasilla chiles don't so I use them instead, just like I would bell peppers.

Here is a very good and easy recipe for them, similar to jalapeno poppers.

INGREDIENTS
3 large pasilla peppers
1/4 pound cream cheese

Slice open the pasilla chiles. Remove the seeds inside if you want to reduce the heat. Slide in some cream cheese.

Loosely wrap with foil paper.

Super Sides: Creamed Corn

While corn on the cob is good, I have to admit I don't like eating with my hands like that.

Instead, I'll make a fresh corn dish that I can eat with utensils. You know...like a civilized person.

INGREDIENTS
3 cobs of fresh, sweet corn (1 for each person)
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup half and half

Remove the kernels from the cob into the bowl. Don't know how? Click here.

Boil the corn for 10 minutes.

Strain and put into a bowl for later.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.

Stir in the flour thoroughly.

Add the milk, about a half cup at a time.