Cheddar Bacon Grits Casserole

So this year of blogging has obviously gotten off to a rocky start! At first it was just the busyness of the start of the year. And then I couldn't get any of my pictures to upload on to the blog. Days and days spent trying to figure it all out. Finally it's figured out. I have to do a few extra steps but it's fine, whatever. I'm back! And hopefully this won't happen again! Also grits. So good!

5 slices bacon
4 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups quick cooking grits
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups cheddar cheese (divided)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs

Heat oven to 350. Cook bacon in a large pan. Crumble the bacon. Leave 2 tbsp of bacon grease in the pan. Stir in the water and chicken broth then bring to a boil. Carefully stir in the grits then add the garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Reduce heat and stir frequently. Once the grits have thickened, stir in 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Stir in the butter, milk and eggs. Then stir in the crumbled bacon. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan then top with the remaining cheddar. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. 

Pimento Cheese Grits

Pimento Cheese Grits is one of my absolute favorite things to get at one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Mount Pleasant South Carolina. Last time we were home in Columbia, I grabbed some yummy grits from a few different local companies and I have been waiting to use them! These turned out great and even my sometimes picky 10 year old that doesn't like grits or cheese (!!!) had two servings!

1 cup stoned ground grits
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup pimento cheese (i used a jalapeno pimento cheese)

In a pot stir together the grits, chicken stock and water.  Stir the grits over high heat for 2 minutes then reduce heat. Strain off the floating grounds on top. Stir in the salt. Bring back to high heat. Once the grits begin to boil reduce to low heat and stir every few minutes making sure the bottom doesn't burn. Cook the grits over low-medium heat until they begin to soften and firm up, 25-30 minutes. Once the grits begin to firm up, stir in the whole milk and butter. Once that has combined, stir in the pimento cheese and continue stirring until it is melted. Serve.

Homemade Squash Casserole

I'm posting the full recipe for this but I halved it when I made it because I had a sneaky feeling that my people were not going to be as on board with this as I was. I LOVED it, I mean I love squash casserole so no surprise. Everyone else, not so much. But they don't love casseroles like this so...their opinions just don't count. This recipe was adapted from Chef in Training.

3 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
10 cups sliced yellow squash
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4oz cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups crushed ritz crackers
4 tbsp butter

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.  In a large pot bring the water, chopped onion and chicken broth to a boil. Add the squash and bring to boil with the squash. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the squash and onions. In a large bowl combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and egg. Stir well. Carefully stir in the squash. Stir in the cheddar cheese. Pour into the greased baking dish.  Top with the crushed ritz crackers. Cut the butter into small slices and place over the top of the crackers. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots, Green Beans and Potatoes

Does anyone else struggle with good sides? I feel like I'm constantly making the same things over and over. I'm sure my family would disagree with this assessment. I made these a few weeks ago with Pork Tenderloin and it was a great side! This recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy.

5-6 red potatoes (cubed into bite size pieces)
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup fresh green beans (trimmed)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400. Toss the potatoes, carrots and green beans together. Stir in the olive oil, dried basil, dried thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. 

Greasy Rice

Growing up my grandmother made a recipe that we all called Greasy Rice. It was the BEST rice. Unfortunately no one every got her recipe from it but I've always wanted to try my hand at it and this recipe was it! It's so flavorful and reminds me so much of eating at her dining room table. My son said it was the best rice I've ever made and I absolutely agree. It's amazing.

1/3 cup butter
1/2 yellow onion (finely diced)
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Stir in the rice and coat with butter. Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook for 15-18 minutes. Turn off heat but do not remove the pan from the stove and let cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from stove top and serve. 

Crunchy Roasted Broccoli

I'm always looking for a new but simple way to fix vegetables. This was a great way new way to make broccoli and the crunch just added a little something extra.

4 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Heat oven to 400.  Lightly grease as sheet pan. Put the broccoli in a ziplock bag and add the melted butter. Coat the broccoli with butter then add the panko and garlic salt. Shake until the broccoli is coated. Remove to the sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. 

Garlic Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes might be on of my most favorite things ever. And garlic might be one of my most favorite things ever. These mashed potatoes were super creamy and amazing! This recipe was adapted from Coco and Ash.

2lbs potatoes
10 large garlic cloves (peeled)
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into big cubes. Fill a large pot with water and place the potatoes and garlic in the pot. Bring to a boil then continue to boil for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and garlic of the water then add the cream cheese, butter, 3/4 cup milk, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher and add the remaining milk as you mash. Once the potatoes have reached your desired constancy, serve.

Salt and Vinegar Potato Wedges

One of the reasons I love these potato wedges is that it was easy to make them salt and vinegar style for Gray and I but leave the others plain for the kids who might not be so down with the vinegar part. They were super easy to make and a great side dish. This recipe is from Macheesmo.

2 lbs red potatoes (cut into wedges)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 400. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay on a sheet pan lined with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping half way through. Brush on the desired amount of vinegar. Serve.

Grilled Garlic Green Beans

Any recipe that I just have to quickly throw together and put on the grill is a total win for me! These green beans on the grill turned out so well. They were the perfect side dish to some chicken we grilled.

1lb fresh green beans (cleaned and snapped)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
salt and pepper

Toss the green beans with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Wrap in a foil packet and grill for 6 minutes. Flip and grill for another 6 minutes. Remove and serve.

Grilled Ranch Red Potatoes

We love to grill potatoes. It's such an easy side dish when grilling and this recipe just came out of having some ranch seasoning in the pantry and wanting to use it up! They were delicious!

8-10 red potatoes 

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp ranch seasoning

Wash the red potatoes. Cut each potato in half. Toss the potatoes with olive oil and ranch seasoning. Grill on each side until fork tender.

Grilled Corn with Basil Butter

There is nothing better than good corn in the summertime! I love glamming up corn with something fancy and this basil butter gave it such great flavor and was very easy to make! This recipe is from adapted from Let's Dish.

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
6 ears of corn (husked and washed)
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix together the butter, salt, pepper, garlic and basil. Place back in the refrigerator until ready to use. Rub the corn with the vegetable oil and place on the grill. Grill for 10-12 minutes, rotating often. Remove from grill and rub with basil butter. 

Greek Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad was really easy to put together and has made for a great lunch! It keeps for several days which is a plus but I thought it would also make a great addition to any summer cookout or picnic! This recipe is adapted from Wholefully. 

1 1/2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 cup quinoa
1 cucumber (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
1/2 red onion (diced)
3 roma tomatoes (diced)
3/4 cup kalamata olives (chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Stir the broth and quinoa together and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low, cover and let cook for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Toss the cucumber, red pepper, red onion, tomatoes and kalamata olives with the quinoa. In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice, dried parsley, dried dill, salt and pepper. Pour over the quinoa and toss. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hours before serving.

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Baked Beans

These baked beans turned out so well! I wasn't really sure how they would be but I think everyone liked them and there weren't a lot of leftovers. This recipe was adapted from Sing For Your Supper. 

3 (28oz) can pork and beans

1 small onion (diced)

1/2 cup bbq sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp yellow mustard

5 slices bacon

Place the pork and beans in the crock pot. Mix in the onion, bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and yellow mustard. Layer the bacon on top. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir halfway through. Remove bacon pieces and serve.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes of any kind are one of my favorite side dishes to make. They are pretty hard to screw up and a million ways to season them! I made these one night when we were having Meatball Sandwiches and they were the perfect side.

8-10 large red potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400.  Wash and cut the potatoes into quarters. Toss with olive oil, parmesan, italian seasoning and salt.  Spread out on a greased sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes then flip and roast for 15 more minutes.  

Roasted Garlic Mushrooms and Green Beans

I had to laugh when I made these, I was really excited about them then my oldest walked in the kitchen and saw them and said "oh I thought you were making green beans like Susu (my mom) not these kind of green beans".  Maybe one day I will blog  my mom's green bean recipe, if I ever actually measure it all out and don't just throw it all in the pot eyeing it.  Despite my son's less than excited reaction to these green beans, they were actually very tasty and easy to make! This recipe is adapted from Kate Moving Forward.

2 cup mushrooms (halved)
2 cups fresh green beans
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400. Wash and cut mushrooms and green beans. Place in a medium size bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic, black pepper and salt. Spread on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potatoes

When I told my husband about this recipe he kinda gave me a side eye like he was unsure of the flavor combo. Well we ate all of them so I will say the flavors worked!

2 sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter (melted)
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Heat oven to 400. Cut the sweet potatoes into bite size chunks. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium size bowl them toss with olive oil and butter. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, garlic and italian seasoning. Mix until well coated. Lightly grease a sheet pan. Spread out evenly and cook for 18-22 minutes.

Roasted Italian Vegetables

I love roasted vegetables, they are so easy to throw together and pretty hard to screw up. These vegetables turned out fabulous and will be going into the rotation for sure. This recipe is adapted from The Mediterranean Dish.

1 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms (cleaned and trimmed)
2 cups baby potatoes (rinsed and scrubbed)
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
2 zucchini (sliced and cut in half)
4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 425. Lightly grease a baking sheet.  Toss the vegetables together then coat with olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove and serve. 

Cornbread Muffins

There always seems to be a debate about if corn kernels are a good thing or bad thing in cornbread. Personally, I can go either way on that matter.  Good cornbread is good cornbread! And these little muffins were winners.  This recipe is adapted from Joyously Domestic.

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
6 tbsp butter (melted)
3/4 cup frozen corn (thawed)

Heat oven to 375. Mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar and whole milk. Then add in the egg, butter and corn. Stir until it is just combined. Grease or line a muffin tin. Fill 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Garlic Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

I love mashed potatoes. I could eat them every day I think! For so long my oldest hated anything potatoes but now he finally likes them and he loves mashed potatoes. I tried this recipe a while back and everyone enjoyed them! This recipe is adapted from Le Creme De La Crumb.

2 lbs potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp garlic powder
5 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Peal the potatoes and cut into chunks. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, place the potatoes into the boiling water and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add the sour cream, heavy cream, garlic powder and butter. Mash the potatoes until they reach the desired consistency. Serve hot. 

Baked Garlic Green Beans

 

I love a good and easy side dish and this was exactly that! They reminded me of these garlic green beans we used to get at this wonderful Chinese restaurant back in our hometown.  This recipe is from My Kitchen Craze. 

1 lbs fresh green beans 

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350.  Place the green beans in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour onto a baking sheet in one even layer, not letting the beans overlap.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and toss. Place back in the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove and serve.