Creamed Peas

Creamed Peas

My grandmother poured milk in sweet peas whenever she made them. I’m sure that was leftover from her growing up during the depression when Creamed Peas on toast was a popular meal. We didn’t eat them over bread, we had them as a side dish with Sunday dinner. There is a reason Creamed Peas were popular. They are inexpensive, filling, easy to make and so delicious. Serve this as part of your Thanksgiving menu. You will definitely be thankful.

Creamed Peas are pretty good as is. If you want to change them up, I have given you a list of optional add-ins. Only use one add-in and one herb. I added in pearl onions and dried basil.

I also suggested you use frozen peas, but you can use canned peas if you want. Make sure to rinse them a few times and don’t over cook them. Canned peas can be mushy. These can be made ahead and gently rewarmed.

 

 

 

 

Servings: 6-8
Time:  Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 10 Minutes;  Peas in 14 minutes
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a colander, a large pot for the peas, a saucepot, a whisk, a big silicone spatula and a large serving dish.

 Ingredients:

• 4 cups of frozen, sweet English peas
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup cream
• ½  cup milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½  teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon peppep
• Optional add-ins: ¼ cup cooked, baby pearl onions, ¼ cup cooked, sliced mushrooms, ⅛ cup chopped cooked ham, 1 teaspoon dried basil OR 1teaspoon dried parsley OR 1 teaspoon dried thyme OR ½ teaspoon dried mint

1.  Cook the  peas according to package directions and drain. Place them into the serving dish.
2. Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk until the roux is the color of butter, about another minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream. Bring to a low boil. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the salt, pepper, sugar and add-ins and herbs, if you are using them.
3. Fold the hot sauce over the drained peas. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm.

Thanksgiving Dinner, The Cheaters' Guide

Get these in the refrigerated section of your grocery

If you have been following my blog, you know that I encourage everyone to make homemade food. The less food is processed, the better it is. Home cooking is tastier, healthier and usually less expensive. However, I am also a realist. I teach school and sometimes I work 12 hour days during the week and then go in on the weekend. I get it. You are tired and don’t have time to get all fancy and aren’t into being judged. You just want to open a can of something, heat it up, and have dinner. Especially on Thanksgiving. So. Much. Work….I hear you. I am here to make things easier. I am here to help you cheat.

 You cannot cheat with the turkey. You can make Maple Roasted Turkey which is simple and delicious. You can, however, cheat with the side dishes. I promise you, just hide the packages. No one will know.

First, get refrigerated, pre-made mashed potatoes. Do not get boxed flakes. They actually take more time and effort than refrigerated potatoes and do not taste as good. We like Simply Potatoes. Next, jazz them up. I stirred half a container of Heluva Good Dip (6 ounces) into 32 ounces of potatoes. I have tried every flavor and liked them all except for the pickle and jalapeño. (Don’t get me wrong, those two flavors are still great as dips.) You could add instead (also?) crumbled fried bacon, chopped chives, shredded cheese, a few ounces of cream cheese, garlic butter, sour cream, a little dried dill, lots and lots of ground black pepper or Parmesan cheese. Add the mix-ins and a little bit of butter or a splash of milk (buttermilk?) to the saucepan before you add the mashed potatoes, stir and heat. Finally, just serve them and don’t say anything. No one will know better.

You can also make a quick side dish with wide, egg noodles. Boil the noodles in water with a generous amount of Better than Bouillon. Chicken, veggie or garlic flavors work best. Toss the hot, drained noodles with more butter than you think is necessary. Then add a little more butter. You can then sir in crumbled fried bacon, chopped ham, drained black olives, chopped chives, dried dill, dried parsley, sour cream, ground black pepper or Parmesan cheese. You can also defrost frozen peas or zap a bag of frozen broccoli and toss the veggies in, too. And then add more butter.

This came from a box. Shhhhh!

Cornbread from a box is an allowable cheat. Krusteze is the best boxed mix, but you can use which ever brand you prefer. If you use Jiffy, get two boxes. Follow the instructions for making corn muffins and stir in any one of the following wet ingredients: a can of drained, whole kernel corn, a single serving can of creamed corn, or ¼ cup chunky salsa. You can also add any or all of these: a four ounce can of drained hatch peppers, 4 sliced green onions, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, or ½ pound cooked crumbled sausage. Following the package directions for baking. So good, so easy.

For dessert, make a dump cake. That name is so NOT appealing. We’re going to call it a Simple Cobbler from now on. This could not be easier. Get 2 cans of some type of fruit. Preferably, something ridiculously sweet, like cherry pie filling or crushed pineapple. Dump the fruit into the bottom of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Then dump a yellow or white cake mix on top of the fruit. Use a spatula to spread out the cake mix to the edges. Give the pan a little shake to make sure that all of the dry ingredients are sort of settled in. Add thin slices of butter over the top of the cake mix. Make sure to add enough butter so that none of the cake mix will be dry when the cake starts baking. (Powdery, unbaked cake? No thanks.) Bake the cobbler at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Simple Cobbler can also be jazzed up. Substitute frozen fruit for one of the cans. If you are making peach or apple Simple Cobbler, stir golden raisins into the fruit. Add a little cinnamon or citrus zest to the cake mix. Sprinkle chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds onto the top before baking. This is really awful and yet really delicious. People will know that you cheated here, but they won’t care. Everybody loves this stuff.

If you are in the mood and have time, you can make any of my Thanksgiving recipes from scratch. However, if you want to take some shortcuts, I’m not going to tell.

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

This year my Thanksgiving theme is ‘all things simple.’ Roasted Parmesan Asparagus couldn’t be any easier if it cooked itself. Also, I know that no everyone loves asparagus, so you could do this exact recipe using green beans. BUT, hear me out, offer these to people who think that they don’t like asparagus. They will change their minds!

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

Servings:  6-8

Time: Prep: 5 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes-asparagus in about ½ an hour

Hardware: A cutting board and knife or kitchen shears, measuring spoons and cups, a large mixing bowl, a smaller bowl, a baking sheet, foil, tongs, silicone spatula

Ingredients:

• 1-pound fresh asparagus
• ½ stick of butter (¼ cup)
• ¼ + ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper (or more according to taste)
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Cover the baking sheet in foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Place the butter in the mixing bowl and melt in the microwave.
3. Wash the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. Mix ¼ cup of Parmesan, the garlic, pepper and salt in the smaller bowl.
4. Put the asparagus in the mixing bowl and coat with butter. Toss with the Parmesan mixture.
5. Spread everything out evenly onto the foil, making sure to scrape all the cheese and butter out onto the spears. Roast for 10 minutes. Toss and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with more pepper if desired. Roast for 5-10 more minutes. Serve warm. Make sure to scrape up all the crunchy bits of cheese and serve that too. Or eat it yourself when no one is looking.

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice, also called Mexican rice or arroz rojo, is a popular side dish in Mexico. I don’t know why it is called Spanish rice. Spanish it is not. Rice dishes in Spain are usually yellow because they have saffron in them. Mexican rice is red because it is often cooked with tomato paste. I used taco sauce instead. Taco sauce has a bolder flavor and can be used to add variety. You can use spicy sauce or chunky sauce, depending upon your preference. I usually enjoy spicy food, but I make this mild because I use it as a backdrop for other dishes. Serve Spanish Rice with tacos or burritos. You can also top this dish with black beans to make a complete meal.

You can make this vegetarian by using veggie broth as your liquid.

Servings: 3 cups of rice, serves 4-6

Hardware:  A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, a strainer (sieve,) a pot with a lid, a wooden spoon, and a fork

Time:  Active time 15 minutes; Cook: 25 minutes, rice in about 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4+1 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion (4 ounces)
• 1 medium tomato (8 ounces)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup of your favorite taco sauce
• ¾ cups liquid (water, chicken broth or veggie broth)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• Long grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro (optional)
• Salt

1. Rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs clear.
2. Dice the onion. Seed and chop the tomato, mince the garlic. Set aside.
3. In the pot with the lid, melt four tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and cumin. Sauté until the aromatics become translucent. Watch them and stir often because you don’t want them to burn.
4. Add the rice to the butter and stir until the rice begins to toast and the edges begin to turn brown (about two minutes.)
5. Stir in the tomato, liquid, taco sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
6. Stir. Turn the rice down to simmer and cover with the lid. Simmer for exactly 18 minutes. Remove from the heat, but do not remove the lid. Allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes. It is still cooking so it is important to leave it alone.
7. Remove the bay leaves. Using a fork, fluff the rice with the extra butter. Add the cilantro if you are using it. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve warm.