Side Dishes

COMBINE:

• 2 pounds frozen hash browns (thawed) and 1 stick of butter (melted) in a large mixing bowel

MIX AND POUR OVER POTATOES:

• 1 pint sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup or mushroom soup either will do

MIX TOGETHER TOPPING:

• 2 cups cornflakes
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• Spread over casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 slices of bacon, fried crispy
• ½ large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ large head broccoli, cut into florets
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup cream cheese softened
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack mix
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the loaded cauliflower broccoli casserole: Preheat your oven to 370ºF (190ºC).
2. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy and crumble. Drain from fat and set aside.
3. Steam cauliflower and broccoli until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Or nuke in the microwave with 1 cup of water for 7 or 8 minutes.
4. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the steamed cauliflower and broccoli florets, half of the bacon, 1 cup of the cheese mix, and half the parsley and mix well to combine. Transfer to a baking dish lightly oiled and top with the remaining cheese, and the other half of the bacon.
5. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake another 5-10 minutes or just until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Serve the loaded cauliflower broccoli casserole immediately.

LIQUID INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 cups (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. ground Mahlab (Mahlab is a spice made from the seeds of a cherry. The cherry stone is cracked to extract the seed kernel and then ground to make this spice)
• 2 cups white sugar
• Combine milk and butter, heating in a saucepan on medium just until the butter melts. do not boil; stir in the sugar until it is dissolved and add the Mahlab. Set aside to cool too lukewarm.

YEAST MIXTURE:

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tsps. white sugar
• 4 – .25 packets dry yeast
• Dissolve sugar in water, sprinkle yeast over the surface and set aside for about 10 minutes until mixture becomes frothy.

EGGS:

• 6 eggs, very lightly beaten to break up the yolks
• Very slowly, pour in the cooled milk/butter mixture to the eggs, stirring constantly. Add the yeast mixture and stir until blended.

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 8 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur works very well)
• 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsps. Kosher salt (sear salt and table salt are too salty)
• Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the wet mixture. Stir until a soft dough is formed. Knead 10 minutes by hand or 8 minutes with a stand mixer. Place dough into a well-oiled large bowl, oil top of dough too; cover with plastic wrap and set aside to proof (rise) in a warm place. You can preheat your oven to 200 degrees, then cool it down to around 100 degrees and this will help the dough rise more quickly. Dough should double in size in about 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough and let it rise again until doubled – about 45 minutes to an hour.

FORMING THE LOAVES:

METHOD A / TRADITIONAL BRAIDED STYLE:

METHOD B / JELLY ROLL STYLE:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes sliced about 1/8 ” thick
• salt and pepper to taste

SAUCE:

INSTRUCTIONS:

INGREDIENTS:

• Cooking spray
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 small head cauliflower, cored
• 4 Tbsps. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 5 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 3 Tbsps. creamy French onion dip
• 8 oz. shredded mild cheddar
• 8 oz. shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 2 cups crushed sour cream-and cheddar potato chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large Vidalia onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup water
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced
• Chips, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream plus more if needed
• 3 Tbsps. unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsps. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4 Tbsps. Mascarpone cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• freshly chopped chives

INSTRUCTIONS:

SAUTE’ UNTIL DONE BUT NOT CRISP. DRAIN MOST OF BACON GREASE

• 1/2 lb. good quality thick smoky bacon chopped into 2″ pieces
• 1 large onion chopped

STIR IN AND SAUTE’ TO MELT SUGAR

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsps. Kitchen Bouquet
• 2 Tbsps. Bay leaf powder (or 3 large Bay leaves)
• 4 Tbsps. caraway seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsps. Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. pepper

ADD AND COMBINE

• 4- 14 ounce jars of sauerkraut, drain and liquid reserved, lightly rinsed. Use naturally fermented sauerkraut from refrigerated section in store or in pouches with no additives or vinegar.
• 1 small or medium head of green cabbage, core removed, sliced thin
• 3 large Granny Smith or Braeburn type apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• Cover and simmer 4 hours on stove top in dutch oven or 350 degrees in the oven for 4 hours, or 4 to 5 hours in a crockpot. Add some of the reserved kraut liquid as needed to keep mixture from burning/scorching or use 1/2 cup white wine as an option. Add a bit of salt and butter on top and you can serve it with Kielbasa – Polish sausage. You can keep the Sauerkraut in the refrigerator for about a week and a half or you can freeze it in containers.