Side Dishes

It’s summertime, you’re having a cookout with the usual suspects – hamburgers and hotdogs. When it comes to the side dishes you may be tempted to open a can of baked beans. DON’T! You can make your own and they will taste so much better!

There is minimal chopping in preparation of this dish. After that, cook the veggies until soft, add the rest of the ingredients and bake in the oven or put it in your slow cooker. For my version of Baked Beans, I made the BBQ Sauce that goes in the beans and I made the spice rub that goes into the BBQ Sauce. While it was admittedly more work than opening the can, the difference in taste is well worth it.

I hope the next time you have a cookout, you serve homemade Baked Beans. Let me know how your version turns out.

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Baked Beans

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 2 hours – Total Time: 2 hrs 15 minutes

Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb bacon cut into small pieces (Omit if you want to make it vegetarian)
• 2 16 oz cans Great Northern Beans
• 2 16 oz cans Cannellini Beans
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Vidalia onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground ginger powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 cup BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 bottle of beer
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2

In a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes (if you omitted the bacon, heat olive oil).

3

Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.

4

Add the beer, beans, BBQ sauce, molasses, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

5

Stir to combine well and transfer to the oven.

6

Bake for 1 hour

To go with my South of the Border feast I also made Guacamole. Anytime I’m having Mexican food, I almost always have guacamole to go with those salty chips. Keep it simple when you make this dish. Nice ripe avocados, lime, cilantro and a few spices – that’s it.

As much as they charge for guacamole at restaurants you would think the ingredients are really expensive or that it is difficult to make. Nope. It only takes as long as it takes you to chop the ingredients and mix.

The next time you make a Mexican meal at home, don’t forget to make some guacamole!

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Homemade Guacamole

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: none – Total Time: 10 minutes

Homemade Guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1/4 of a small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 - 1/2 tomato cored and chopped
• kosher salt

Instructions

1

Cut the avocados in half and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl

2

add the lime juice and zest to prevent the avocados from oxidizing

3

add the rest of the ingredients - except the tomato

4

Stir to combine

5

Garnish with the tomato

On the menu tonight – Vidalia Onion Cornbread! I was feeling like making another Southern dish today so I made fried catfish and this Vidalia Onion Cornbread.

The cornbread is filled with sweet Vidalia onions, butter, and cheddar cheese. Even with the onions and cheese, this cornbread is pretty light – not dense. I hope you’ll try this cornbread and let me know what you think.

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Vidalia Onion Cornbread

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Side Dish

By Paula Deen – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 40 minutes

Vidalia Onion Cornbread

Ingredients

• ½ stick of butter
• 1 Vidalia onion, large
• 1 8oz pkg of cornread/muffin mix
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/3 cup whole milk or butter milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp dill weed

Instructions

1

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

2

In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

3

Remove the pan from heat.

4

Combine the muffin mix, egg, milk, sour cream, ½ cup of the cheese, salt, and dill weed.

5

Pour that mixture in the pan with the cooked onions and mix to combine.

6

Top mixture with the remainder of the cheese and put in the oven.

7

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

8

Allow to rest 5 minutes before cutting.

On the menu tonight – Deviled Eggs! There are tons of different ways to make deviled eggs, but sometimes it’s best to go with the classic version. That is what I made today, classic deviled eggs.

The recipe is quick to make and doesn’t have a long list of ingredients. The next time you have a party, make a batch of these deviled eggs. Pro-tip – make more than you think you’ll need.

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Deviled Eggs

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Smoked Spanish paprika, for garnish

Instructions

1

Place the eggs in a single layer in small pot or sauce pan and cover with water.

2

Cover and bring to a boil. Don’t walk away.

3

When the water comes to a boil, cook another minute, then cut the heat.

4

Let the eggs sit 12 to 14 minutes, then drain the hot water and replace with cold water.

5

When you can handle the eggs, gently crack the shells and rinse under cool water.

6

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise.

7

Put the yolks in a medium mixing bowl.

8

Put the egg halves in your serving platter.

9

Gently mash the egg yolks with a fork and mix in the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper.

10

Mix to combine.

11

Put the filling in a zip lock baggie and snip one of the corners with scissors.

12

Squeeze out some of the filling into each of the egg halves.

13

Sprinkle the eggs with paprika and serve.

Notes

You could also garnish with a little piece of pimento and/or a little finely chopped dill.