Side dishes

Sue's Biscuits are the Shit!

2 packages of "Jiffy" buttermilk biscuit mix (8oz each)
1 cup of warm water
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 stick of butter (YES butter-NOT margarine)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of garlic salt---to sprinkle over biscuits at the end...

In a large mixing bowl, combine the biscuit mix and the cheddar cheese, stir until blended. Add the water and gently mix biscuits until the liquid is absorbed. The biscuits should be moist, but not wet or runny. As a matter of fact, you may be tempted to add more water, but don't. Just make sure it's well blended but be careful not to overstir. If you overstir it the biscuits won't be as soft when they are done. Stir too much=shitty biscuits.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and using your hand or a large spoon, drop the biscuits about 1/2 inch apart onto the sheet. The biscuits won't rise very much while baking. I get 16 of them onto my baking sheet.  Figure about 2.5 inch circular mounds.......

While biscuits are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Add salt, garlic powder, pepper and parsley. Mix together and set aside.

Bake biscuits in a 350 oven for 10-12 minutes. DO NOT let them brown, they will be overdone and taste like shit. They should be firm and when you break one in half it will be done inside and the cheese will be melty. Remove from oven.

While biscuits are still hot, brush butter mixture generously over the biscuits and use every drop. The very last thing you will do is take the garlic salt and very carefully sprinkle a LITTLE bit over the tops of the biscuits. You don't want too much or your biscuits will be too salty and garlicky.  Test it on one biscuit and eat it for yourself. If it's good, then proceed with the rest. If you've used too much, then lay off the garlic salt and go lighter on the rest.

Again, this recipe should make just about 16 biscuits depending on how big you make them.  I always figure 2 per person.

Enjoy!

Cooks tips: Don't use margarine. It tastes like garbage. Don't use milk, it makes the biscuits TOO heavy.
Don't roll these out, or mess with the dough too much. Mix it until JUST combined and plop them onto your baking sheet. Overworking the dough will ruin the biscuits.











Hungarian Rice

Don't blink, or you may miss this.

1 Carrot, minced in processor
1 lg stalk of celery, minced in processor
1/2 half green pepper, minced in processor
1 small onion, minced in processor
1 container of mushrooms, minced in..you got it...processor
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups water
4 tsp chicken bouillion



Saute all veggies in a LARGE saute pan, in a stick of butter. (YES BUTTER) Add 4 cups of hot water(not sure why this matters) and 2 cups of long cooking rice (Uncle Ben's), 4tsp of chicken bouillon.

Stir well. Cook 15-20 minutes, covered. Stir occassionally so it doesn't stick to bottom of pan.

That's it.   This serves 6-8 people easily.

Cooks notes:

Use fresh vegetables.  I ran out of mushrooms once, and omitted, it was still good. Oh, I also only had a yellow bell pepper on hand one time, and used that instead, just as good.

The bouillion is the kind in the small jar that is either powdered, or granules.



Zesty lemon-garlic parmesan pasta

1lb thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
3tbsp butter (can omit if you add more olive oil)
1/4 cup olive oil (plus extra)
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
1 tsp salt plus more to taste
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 lemons juiced (about 2 tbsp) and zested (about 2 tsp)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp parsley

Boil pasta, drain and rinse. Set aside. In a large skillet add olive oil, butter and garlic, saute garlic about 30 seconds, until tender. Do not burn. Add lemon juice and whisk a minute or so. Add drained pasta to skillet and add salt and pepper. Toss well. If too dry, add a bit more olive oil. Stir together over low heat. Add parsley and stir another minute or two. Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese. Toss all together and serve.

Cook's tip: Add parmesan just prior to serving and put extra out in case someone wants more.
If possible use fresh lemons, but you can substitute lemon juice. When zesting your lemons, make sure to only zest the bright yellow part. The white part is bitter. If the pasta seems too dry, you can add more olive oil or butter while tossing it. This goes great with Lemon Pepper Garlic Chicken.  Also goes with most food as a side dish.
Takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. I make the pasta ahead to save myself time.
Serves 8




Sue's Chicken Pasta Salad

1 rotisserie chicken, skin off, breast meat cubed (cold)
1 lb penne pasta
3/4 bottle of Kraft Lite House Italian
6 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 small red onion diced
1 package cherry tomatoes, halved  (10-15)
10-12 basil leaves, chopped  (fresh is best for this recipe)

Boil pasta until cooked. Rinse under cold water and chill in refrigerater as long as possible. Pasta salad is so much better when you really chill the noodles....

Pour pasta into a large bowl. Remove the skin from rotisserie chicken and remove the breasts. Cut the chicken into bitesize cubes and add to the pasta.  Add diced onion, feta cheese, tomatoes and basil leaves. Mix in the italian dressing. I use about 3/4 of the bottle and save the rest for later use if needed. (sometimes the ingredients will suck up all the dressing and you may want to add more) Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately or store in fridge for later use. 

Substitutions:

Rotiserrie chicken: You can substitute for this, but there is not much that beats the flavor. Use rotisserie if at all possible. If not, then any cooked chicken, or frozen cooked chicken breast can be substituted. Don't used canned. It's too soggy.

Fresh Basil Leaves: Use fresh if at all possible, it just has a better flavor and look. If not, use 2-3 teaspoons of dried basil leaves, or to taste.

Tomatoes: any chopped tomatoes should be fine. I like the cherry tomatoes. The salad just looks neater.

Italian dressing: The Kraft Lite House Italian dressing is about the best flavor. I suppose any Italian would do, but try to use the Kraft Lite House Italian.

Don't substitute for the feta unless you can't stand feta cheese.  Use red onion if possible.  As far as noodles go, you can substitute, but try to use a "shaped" pasta. Shaped pasta has centers, or nooks and crannies which better holds the flavors together. Regular spaghtetti or linguini would just suck.

This will serve at least 8 people easily.




Coleslaw Crunch Salad

This is not my original recipe. I found it somewhere online so, kudos to the original chef.  This is great for picnics or as a side dish to go with any meal.

1 bag of coleslaw mix
1 bunch of green onions, cleaned, heads and asses chopped off and diced
2 bags of beef ramen noodles
1 cup of sliced almonds

Sauce

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 sauce packets from the ramen noodles

Empty coleslaw mix in a large bowl. Chop the onions and add. Crush the ramen noodles and add to the coleslaw mix. In a small bowl add the sauce ingredients and whisk together. Pour sauce mixture into coleslaw mix and stir well. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.


Ok, so here is a recipe for one of my favorite potato dishes..I was completely blown away when an old Hungarian Uncle of mine, who is an ultimate cook, asked me for the recipe. You can adjust this recipe many ways, depending upon what you have on hand and how many you are feeding. This recipe below will serve 4-6 people.




My famous cheesy potatoes

1 bag of frozen, cubed hashbrowns
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 container sour cream, 16oz
1/2 onion diced
1 stick of butter
1 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

topping

2 tbsp butter
1 cup of cornflakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread thawed hash browns evenly in dish.  Meanwhile, on stove melt butter and add onion. Sautee over low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add soup and sour cream, whisk until combined. Add cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted.  Pour over hashbrowns..take a fork and poke cheese sauce through the potatoes, so the sauce flows kind of through the potatoes.  Wipe out pan and add butter. Over medium/high heat, add crushed corn flakes and "cook" for a few minutes until the flakes get crispy.  Spread evenly over the potatoes.  Cover baking dish with foil and bake in oven for an hour.  Remove and serve. This will serve 8-10 people depending on how much the pigs take.




Sue's fried potatoes

8-10 red potatoes (skins on), washed cut and quartered. (yukon, or russet will do)
1 stick of butter (or margarine...but go with butter it's much better)
1/2 onion diced (I prefer a bunch of green onions, but don't always have)
1-2 tablespoons of chives, chopped (dried is fine)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of Seasoning Salt
cracked black pepper to taste

With skins on, cut and quarter your potoatoes. Boil in water until they are fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a skillet, melt stick of butter, add garlic and onion. Saute just for a minute or two, until flavors have blended. Add potatos to skillet and stir them in..fry them in the butter mixture for 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat. Add in the seasoned salt, pepper and chives...Cook another 5 minutes or so, tasting as you go. And that is it! I guarantee your family and friends will love these.

Great served with anything off the grill.

Some people like to add a little ranch dressing on the side to dip the potatos in.

Enjoy!!


Garlic Smashed Potatoes

20 baby red or yukon gold potatos, washed and halved
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste


Wash and cut your potatoes in half. Bring to a boil in a large pot of water over high heat. Boil for about 30 minutes depending on the size of your potatos. They should be soft and break open when poked with a fork. Drain and set aside.

In the same pan, reduce heat and add butter and minced garlic. Saute garlic in the butter for about a minute. Return potatoes to the pan and smash them with a potato masher or whatever you have handy. You can either go all out and make them Mashed, or leave them chunky and just slightly Smashed. It's up to you. Turn off the flame, and add in heavy cream, chives and cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and give a very good stir. (You can always add more butter and cream if you like your potatoes creamier.)

I like to toss some more cheddar on top and cover the pan until ready to serve.

This recipe should serve 6-8 people. Goes great with grilled steak or chicken.

Yes, you can substitute milk for the cream and if you don't have red potatoes, you can use any kind. Yukon golds are also very good. And, yes, you can make these ahead of time and reheat prior to serving.