Travel Destinations & Culinary Adventures

side dish

Insanely Easy Hasselback Potatoes

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Hasselback potatoes look fancy, but they are super simple to make. As long as you can slice a potato, you can make my Insanely Easy Hasselback Potatoes. Think of them as baked potatoes with class.

Let’s get started!

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Wash several Yukon Gold potatoes.
  3. Use a sharp paring knife to slice the base of the potato off (horizontally from end to end) so it rests level on cutting board.
  4. Slice multiple deep cuts into the potato perpendicular to its length and about 3/4 of the way through each potato. Don’t slice the potato clear through.
  5. Brush each potato with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt (I used truffle salt from World Market) and cracked black pepper.
  6. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Bake potatoes for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.

    This photo shows what your potatoes will look like once removed from the oven.
  8. Remove potatoes from oven and brush with butter (the real stuff). Then return the potatoes to the oven to bake for an additional 30 minutes. (Ovens vary so check at 20 minutes to see if they are done.)
  9. Remove potatoes from the oven and serve hot topped with your favorite ingredients. (I topped my batch of potatoes with homemade pesto.) 
  10. Enjoy!

Bake these potatoes for house guests or for the next family holiday dinner. Guests will say the potatoes are fancy, but you’ll know they are incredibly easy to prepare.

What’s your go-to holiday dinner side dish? Leave it in the comments below and I’ll try to make my version of it for the blog.

Buttery Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Feta

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There’s no faking the deliciousness of this side dish.

For those eaters who are unsure about squash or perhaps tried it before unsuccessfully, I encourage you to trust me on this one. Butter Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Feta is incredibly tasty. This is not your grandma’s steamed squash.

To the cooks who haven’t made squash with these flavor combinations, hold on to your hot pads!

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The beauty of making this side dish is that it is simple. All you have to do is poke it, bake it, scoop it, and serve! You could make this for a evening dinner with your family or to serve as a Thanksgiving side dish.

Step 1: Use a sharp knife and poke several slits into the skin of your spaghetti squash.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the squash on the foil lined baking sheet.

The beauty of cooking with baked spaghetti squash is that it is easy to incorporate flavors into it such as tomato sauce and mozzarella with sausage or in this case keeping it simple with savory butter and garlic and parsley. Of course, don't forget the creamy...the feta! Oh, wait, goat cheese would also be great with sun dried tomatoes.
The beauty of cooking with baked spaghetti squash is that it is easy to incorporate flavors into it such as tomato sauce and mozzarella with sausage or in this case keeping it simple with savory butter and garlic and parsley. Of course, don’t forget the creamy…the feta! Oh, wait, goat cheese would also be great with sun dried tomatoes.

Step 3: Bake 1 hour 30 minutes.  Remove using hot pads because it is blazing hot and likes to roll around. You can handle it like a football. Wow, I’m having flashbacks of playing Hot Potato in elementary school.

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Step 4: Cut the hot squash length-wise and allow it to cool. Then, remove the seeds with a spoon just like you would a pumpkin.

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Step 5: Once the seeds are removed, use a fork inside each squash half to create the “spaghetti” texture.

Step 6: The final step! Heat the butter on low heat, add the garlic, squash, salt and pepper. Add feta and chopped parsley just prior to serving. Serve warm and well tossed. (Ingredient measurements available on the included recipe card.) Enjoy!

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Buttery Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Feta

onedelightfullife.com
This heavenly squash dish will restore your faith in all that is divine. Melted with butter and garlic it takes on huge flavor thanks to added parsley and feta.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Side Dish, vegetable
Cuisine American
Servings 6 -8 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large squash
  • 3 T butter
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 3 T feta
  • 2 T chopped fresh parsley
  • kosher salt
  • pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Pierce the squash with a sharp knife several times.
  • Transfer it to a foil lined baking pan.
  • Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
  • Remove squash for the oven and cut it in half length-wise.
  • Allow it to almost cool completely.
  • Use a spoon to remove the seeds.
  • Scrap a fork through the squash to create the "spaghetti."
  • Melt the butter and garlic in a large pan.
  • Add in the squash and toss to coat evenly.
  • Add a heavy pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
  • Just about the time you're ready to serve it, add the feta and fresh parsley.

Notes

The larger the squash, the more it will serve. Having trouble picking out a squash at the grocery store or farmers' market? Just remember that its rind is the color of butter and it's large in size.

Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake

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Trust me when I tell you that this “get-it-on-the-table-good” pasta is the easiest side dish I’ve ever made, next to Ramen noodles in college. Bonus? EVERYONE loves Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake.

These little pockets of gooey cheese are easy to bake with just a few ingredients in fifteen minutes flat. I make this dish when I need some hubby grub in a hurry. On Trisha Yearwood’s cooking show, I saw that her husband, Garth Brooks, adds tortellini to everything from breakfast bowls to salads. He might just be on to something. Smart man.

Everyone is a fan of this cheesy side dish. Eat it alone and it's dinner. No leftovers tonight!
Everyone is a fan of this cheesy side dish. Eat it alone and it’s dinner. No leftovers tonight!

Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake

onedelightfullife.com
This tortellini dish is "get-it-on-the-table-good." It's a crowd-pleasing side dish that will leave you wanting more.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course pasta
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 18 oz. frozen cheese tortellini
  • 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 3-4 fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 c. shredded colby-jack cheese mozzarella can be used instead
  • 2 T grated parmesan

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook tortellini according to directions and drain water.
  • While the tortellini is cooking, warm up the cream cheese and spaghetti sauce in a saucepan on low. Stir until the cream cheese combines with the sauce completely. Your mixture may be slightly lumpy.
  • Add cooked tortellini to saucepan mixture, stir. Sprinkle 2 T. graded parmesan on to the mixture, stir.
  • Transfer mixture into a 8x8 glass dish. Top with sprinkled colby-jack cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 8-10 minutes. Serve with freshly torn basil on top.

Notes

Substitute mozzarella for colby-jack cheese. This is a super easy and quick side dish or lunchtime entree. If you need a protein, add Italian sausage or pepperoni.

Everyone is a fan of this cheesy side dish. Eat it alone and it's dinner. No leftovers tonight!
Everyone is a fan of this cheesy side dish. Eat it alone for dinner. No leftovers tonight!

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon and Balsamic

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We eat a ton of discount vegetables in our home thanks to the deep discounts in our local grocer’s produce section each week. My eyes are light lasers zeroing in on the bright orange stickers.

$1.99 for a bag of Brussels sprouts? Into the cart! You should see my level of stalking excitement when I witness the produce manager stamping sale stickers on packages portobellos or fresh herbs.

Because I often buy so many veggies, I try to cook them up different ways: grilled, roasted, sautéed, and raw. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon and Balsamic are like little savory cabbages caramelized in savory, tangy flavor. Grab a baking sheet and get to roastin’!

roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-turkey-bacon-and-balsalmic2

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon and Balsamic

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts trim off the bottom stems
  • 4-5 diced turkey bacon strips
  • 1/2 diced medium-large chunks sweet yellow onion (optional)
  • 2-3 T. olive oil
  • 1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
  • heavy pinch salt
  • heavy pinch pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Rinse the Brussels sprouts and trim off their stem ends. Discard any brown leaves.
  • Dice the turkey strips.
  • Dice the onion into medium to large chunks. (optional)
  • Toss all veggies in a large bowl with olive oil and salt and pepper.
  • Pour veggies on to a large ungreased cookie sheet or baking pan.
  • Top with chopped turkey bacon.
  • Roast Brussels sprouts for 8 minutes. Open oven, remove pan and rotate Brussel sprouts using a spatula. Add the balsamic vinegar. Return to the oven and finish roasting for 8 additional minutes.
  • Serve hot.

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