Simple Side Dish Recipes That Taste Like Mom Used To Make

This diverse group of side dishes contains all the favorites that my mom used to make when we had a few guests for dinner. Since we often had a spiral sliced ham or smoked turkey breast to keep things simple, these are some of the flavors that went best with those smoky entrees. Now they sell frozen versions of just about anything but these are all so simple and well worth the couple minute prep time.

Corn Casserole

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour

1 can creamed corn

1 can white corn – drain and save liquid

1 stick melted butter or margarine

1 small container sour cream

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

In 1 ½ quart casserole dish, mix everything plus half the reserved liquid from white corn

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for one hour

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour

2 cups pre-shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 pt milk plus ½ cup

2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles

3 T. melted butter or margarine

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

In 1 ½ quart casserole dish, mix all ingredients. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for one hour. For a one dish meal, add smoky links to the top for the last 15 minutes. Kids LOVE this one.

Broccoli, Cheese and Rice Casserole

Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes

1 package long grain, wild rice Rice-a-Roni prepared according to instructions

1 small box frozen broccoli pieces cooked and chopped fine

1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom, or cream of celery. Cream of anything really!)

1 cup pre-shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In 1 ½ quart casserole dish, mix all ingredients. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole.

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 30 to 40 minutes

A: 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 t. vanilla, ½ cup milk, ½ cup melted butter

B: 3/4 cup chopped pecans, ½ cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup melted butter

Combine A. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix B together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned.

Baked Beans a la Kristen (thank you my friend)

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour

1 large can (40 oz.) Pork n' Beans

1 large can (30 oz.) Kidney Beans

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

½ cup catsup

½ cup brown sugar

2 t. mustard

In 1 ½ quart casserole dish, combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Great addition: Add 1 pound of browned hamburger meat to it.

Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 20 minutes , Cook time: 30 minutes

5 pounds potatoes Cooked boiled

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (we use Neufchatel – lower fat)

1 small container French onion dip

Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel potatoes (optional – especially if you use the little red potatoes). Chop potatoes into small cubes. Cover with water and Boil about 30 minutes. Drain water and mash potatoes. Add remaining ingredients.

Panfried Prawns In A Sweet And Sour Sauce With Thai Herbs

Panfried prawns in a sweet and sour sauce with Thai herbs and mint, served on a thin coconut lace pancake. It is one of the first "East meets West" recipes I created in Saint-Tropez. This lukewarm appetizer has always been very successful when served to the guest. Definitely one of my favourite "East meets West" dishes. It is easy to do, except maybe for the lace pancake that needs a little experience. The sauce can be kept for days in the fridge, much longer if stored in a freezer. Pancakes can be made in advance and stored wrapped in plastic bags in the freezer. If you find the preparation of the lace pancakes too difficult, just skip it and serve the prawns in individual salad bowls, without the pancakes. (You will find Kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and coconut milk in Chinese stores) Serves 4

Ingredients


12 big prawns, shelled and heads removed



Ingredients for the sauce

1cup white vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup finely sliced shallots 1/2 cup finely sliced spring onion 1/4 cup very finely chopped lemon grass sticks 6 to 8 Kaffir lime leaves, cut in very thin julienne 4 cilantro stems, chopped 5 fresh mint stems, sliced in julienne

4 mint bouquets

Preparation:

Make the sauce first:

1- Combine all the ingredients except the spring onions, cilantro and mint in a saucepan.

2- Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for about one hour or until the sauce starts to become syrupy. To check take one tea spoon of the sauce and leave it on a cold plate for one minute. It should be a little thinner than maple syrup.

3- Add the cilantro, and spring onions. Mix well. Boil for one minute, no more, and remove from heat. Keep on one side.



Finishing the preparation:

1- Slice the back of the prawns to remove the gut.

2- Fry on a high heat in a skillet with olive oil, for 2 or 3 minutes on both sides.

3- Place the pancakes on individual serving plates.

4- Reheat the sauce, remove from the heat and add the prawns. Move the prawns in the sauce to ensure they are evenly coated with the sauce. (Do not boil the prawns with the sauce, only coat with the sauce!)

5- Arrange the prawns on the plates with about one table spoon of the sauce.

6- Sprinkle with the sliced mint.

7- Decorate with the mint bouquets.

Ingredients for lace pancakes

1/2 cup coconut milk 1 egg 1/3 cup flour 1 pinch of salt 1 small empty can



Lace pancake preparation

1- Put the flour in a mixing bowl

2- Add the egg, the salt, and 2/3 of the coconut milk

3- Stir with a whisk

4- Add the remaining coconut milk whilst still whisking

5- Set the mixture aside to rest for at least 15 minutes

6- With a nail or the sharp point of a tool make a small hole in the bottom of the empty can

7- Heat a non-stick skillet on a medium heat. Grease the skillet very lightly using a greasy towel (any frying oil will work)

8- Pour one part of the pancake batter in to the can, making sure while doing this to close the hole with one of your fingers

9- Bring the can over the skillet and, removing the finger closing the hole, let the batter run into the skillet while you "draw" arabesques with your hand until you get a pancake imitating lace

10- Let the pancake cook for about 3 minutes until light brown. Turn upside down and cook for 1 more minute. Place on a plate on a piece of baking paper.

11- Repeat the same process until you have used all the batter. Place one piece of baking paper between each pancake to avoid them sticking together.

Note:

With the first pancake the consistency of the batter may have to be corrected. Add more coconut milk if the batter is too thick. Add more flour if the batter is too runny. Correcting in this way will give you the right consistency. If you want more recipes like this one download my free ebook excerpt: "Cook French and Stay Slim" http:http://www.photos-and-recipes.com/newspage.html

Dominican Republic Cuisine

Chicken Rendang

In 1890 the first Javanese immigrants came to Suriname (It is about one-tenth larger than Michigan) to work on plantations. Suriname is also one of the most ethnically and culturally mixed countries in the world. The immigrants came from different parts of Indonesia. Over the years about 32,000 people came to Suriname with there own languages, traditions and typical Javanese food. They have to adjust the spices and ingredients using what are available. So this is a Javanese Suriname recipe.

Ingredients

1 chicken, weighing about 1.5kg, clean and cut into 12 pieces


2-3 cans of coconut milk


1/2 cup of grated coconut


5-10 dried chillies (soaked)


1-2 fresh chillies


8 shallots


10 cloves garlic, peeled


2 cm galangal (laos) it resembles the flavor of ginger but is more aromatic


1 tablespoon sugar


4-5cm piece ginger


2 cm turmeric root (Although best known as a spice that gives a distinctive flavor and yellow color to curry powder and mustard)


1 piece of fresh ginger, 1-inches (2 centimeters) long, peeled


4 stalks fresh lemongrass tied into a knot (Lemon grass has an intriguing, lemony perfume without the bite that lemons can add to a dish.)


1 tablespoon of tamarind liquid


3 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt to taste


1 teaspoon freshly ground fine black pepper

Directions

1. Put every thing, except the grated coconut, lemon grass, the oil, the sugar and the coconut milk into the blender for about 40 seconds.

2. Heat the oil in a large wok and add in the paste and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Keep adding a little oil a bit at a time if the paste becomes too dry.

3. Add the chicken to the pan, cook for 5 minutes, stirring and turning to coat with the spices. Stir in the dry spices (lemon grass), then stir in the coconut milk and add salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to boil then simmer gently for 15 minutes.

4. Put 1/2 cup of grated coconut into a dry frying pan and fry till brown.

5. After the 15minutes add the second can coconut milk, the fry grated coconut, sugar and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve hot with white rice or yellow rice and green vegetables

The Smart Apporach- The Future of Aged Care

The Aged Care industry is facing major changes over the coming years that need to be understood and embraced by Aged Care providers if they are to survive.

The combination of the changing demographics of the resident base and their support families combined with information and infrastructure technological changes are going to work hand in hand with the current serious environmental issues in reforming Aged Care design and operations.
The future of Aged Care will move very soon to a format more like a resort type of living .This format is inevitable as we face the next 20-30 years in aged care. The availability of increased resident's funds, social, family, legislative and market demands for less institutional styles of accommodation will ensure that information technology systems and sustainable outcomes are rapidly integrated into an important criteria for the Aged Care centre of the future.

Design and operational procedures will change significantly in this period and this will provide great opportunities for IT and Change Management to step up and be noticed.
Competition in Aged Care due to this noticeably increased demand will ensure the provider who is looking ahead and who is prepared to think outside the circle will gain the competitive advantage.

There is a very important link in this process between sustainability and Information Technology.
Sustainability is about doing 'more for less" .It is a win/win situation.
Sustainable design combined with sustainable operations and the smooth integration of Information Technology work hand in hand. It is only natural that they are connected. The benefits to an Aged Care centre of Information Technology are only limited by our understanding of its capabilities and as the technology becomes more accepted and more widely used it will only improve while the numerous advantages to residents and operators alike will become more noticeable.

There are many advantages in designing and operating a sustainable facility. Complying with current energy efficiency building legislation (Section J, Building Code of Australia, BCA), which is only going to get tougher in the ensuing years will provide a competitive advantage. Even though it is a necessary requirement and may appear costly at first, the benefits of undertaking Section J compliance will be repaid in a short period of time (usually around 5 years) due to reduced energy running costs.

Through sustainable design we can also greatly improve resident's comfortability and the internal environment quality. Surely a great benefit to all stakeholders!
This sustainable approach is greatly benefited by the adoption of integrated information technology. Modern nurse call systems, for instance, can be linked to the building mainframe system, providing a complete analysis of a resident's lifestyle. This of course can then be used to design efficient and appropriate care programmes for individual residents which can be monitored and adapted as required.

What this does is greatly improve staff and operational efficiencies, ensuring staff are better utilised by spending more caring time with residents, less wasted time and removing their focus from resident attendance to actually caring for residents.
This will in turn result in improved staff productivity, reduced absenteeism and improved attitude.
Another win/win situation.

This integrated IT system concept blends perfectly with our sustainable approach to design which provides us with major reductions in environmental loads. With current energy, water and labour costs rising significantly over the next few years the smart operator will reap great cost, marketing, amenity and operational benefits.
Information Technology plays a major part in improving these technological environmental issues by assisting with environmental monitoring while improving the design and operations of sustainable practice and equipment.

In time, building management systems will be incorporated into the nurse call system which is currently also linked to security and phone systems.
This will allow a smart provider to monitor all building design and operational systems, staff and patient management and maintenance programmes through one integrated IT system. This in itself is a great sustainable outcome.

If we take this concept further, the information gleaned from operational reviews, building management and resident care programmes (all held in the building management system) can be downloaded into the design parameters and form a smart basis for providing future design outcomes that are sustainable and intelligent. "Lesson learned" are not lost.
This approach will result in the following benefits for your Aged Care project.

• Greatly improved operational efficiencies


• Significantly improved resident comfortability


• Reduced environmental loads


• Significantly reduced running and lifecycle costs


• Improved quality of design


• Improved construction techniques


• Improved quality outcomes


• Less maintenance and rework costs


• Improved marketability


• Reduced staff absenteeism.


• Improved staff productivity


• Improved overall efficiencies


• Significantly improved profit

The future of Aged Care is about to change in many ways .It is important to embrace what technology has to offer or we run the risk of being left behind.
The more we involve ourself in smart practices, the more efficient we become and the less we waste. No business can survive if it wastes money. And no business can survive with its head in the sand.
Not even Luddites!

Ingredients (in food) to Avoid : Hydrogenated Oils

I wanted to make this post yesterday, but things came up.

First and foremost, an easy way to tell how bad these oils are for you...google the name. You will find that the first 'x' amount of pages are just about how bad hydrogenated oils are for you.

Here are some links that provide information about hydrogenated oils:
Silent Killers
Proven Effects
What's Wrong With...
Ban Trans Fat

Basically, the hydrogenation of oils, with removal of essential fatty acids, is used in the food industry for the sole purpose of prolonging the shelf life of processed foods (to maximize profits). Trans fats have been proven lethal in many studies, some of these studies can be found in the second link I provided. The second link also includes a list of foods that may contain these oils. Such as...

• Fast food restaurants and chains use a lot of pre-prepared foods. These are usually loaded with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats.
• Restaurants that prepare your food from scratch are much less likely to have foods containing hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils.
• Asian restaurants are generally goo - they may not be low-fat, but they use oils, not partially-hydrogenated containing margarine or shortening.
• Most French or continental restaurants may use large amounts of butter, better than trans fats, but not very good if you're trying to lose weight.
• Italian, Greek, Spanish and other Mediterranean restaurants tend to use health-promoting olive oil.

The following are from the second link provided.

Foods Almost Always Made With Partially Hydrogenated Oils

• Cake mixes, biscuit, pancake and cornbread mixes, frostings
• Cakes, cookies, muffins, pies, donuts
• Crackers
• Peanut butter (except fresh-ground)
• Frozen entrees and meals
• Frozen bakery products, toaster pastries, waffles, pancakes
• Most prepared frozen meats and fish (such as fish sticks)
• French fries
• Whipped toppings
• Margarines, shortening
• Instant mashed potatoes
• Taco shells
• Cocoa mix
• Microwave popcorn

Many Brands of these Foods are Made with Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Check the list of ingredients!)

• Breakfast cereals
• Corn chips, potato chips
• Frozen pizza, frozen burritos, most frozen snack foods
• Low-fat ice creams
• Noodle soup cups
• Bread
• Pasta mixes
• Sauce mixes

Foods that usually do not contain Partially Hydrogenated Oils
(This is not a list of "good" or recommended foods – some are full of sugar, white flour, or saturated fats. It's just a list of types of foods that usually are not made with Partially Hydrogenated Oils.)

• All fruits and vegetables
• Dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt)
• Meat, poultry, fish
• Sugar, flour
• Spices, condiments, pickles, salad dressings and mayonnaise
• Jams and jellies
• Beans, grains, nuts and seeds
• Plain popcorn (not microwave)
• Pretzels, rice crackers
• Candies and chocolate (except cocoa mixes)
• Cooking oils
• Most soups and instant soups (except noodle soup cups)
• Coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices
• Frozen fruits & vegetables
• Canned fruits & vegetables

http://www.bantransfats.com provides a picture where a woman went through her cabinets, fridge, freezer, etc and took all things containing this ingredient and took a picture of them together. I think this is a great idea to show others just how many foods (convenience foods) have these lethal oils in them:



I hope that picture can put this into perspective for some people.
I suggest checking out the sites I listed to learn more about this :)