Election 2008 (of recipes, that is)

I need to make a couple of side dishes for Thanksgiving. Here are some of my favorites - feel free to leave a comment and cast your vote!

Squash casserole
1 lb frozen or fresh yellow squash
½ cup mayo
½ cup bell pepper, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
1 egg
1 stick margarine, cut in half
salt and pepper, to taste
1 ½ cup grated cheese
20 Ritz crackers, crushed

Wash, slice, and cook squash in salted water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and blend well. Add ½ stick margarine, salt, pepper, egg, mayo, onion, and bell pepper. Pour into greased 8x8” pan. Cover with grated cheese and crushed crackers. Melt ½ stick margarine and pour over cracker crumbs. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Microwave Scalloped Potatoes
4 medium potatoes
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
¼ cup chopped onion
1 ½ cup sweet milk
½ stick butter or margarine

Peel and thinly slice potatoes; arrange in 3 quart glass casserole. Sprinkle on flour, salt and chopped onion. Pour milk over all. Dot with butter or margarine. Cover with glass lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10 minutes. Stir; recover, and continue cooking on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let stand. If necessary, reheat potatoes, covered, for 3-4 minutes or until hot.

Broccoli Casserole
2 10-oz packages frozen, chopped broccoli
Cook according to directions and drain well. Place in ungreased 3 qt oven-safe dish.

Mix:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs

Pour mixture on top of broccoli. Cook at 400 degrees for 45-50 min. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Potato Casserole
1 2 lb bag hash brown potatoes
½ c chopped onion
1 stick melted oleo
1 tsp salt
2 c crushed corn flakes
¼ tsp pepper
2 c grated cheddar cheese
2 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix all together (except corn flakes and ½ butter). Put ½ oleo in mixture and top with the other half (mixed with corn flakes). Cover and bake at 350 for one hour.

Fancy Green Beans
(Recipe courtesy Paula Deen)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
2 slices bacon
1/2 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup thin onion wedges
1/2 cup whole cashews

In a small bowl, stir together the teriyaki sauce, honey, and butter. Fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the lemon juice. Drop in the beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until beans are bright green. Drain the beans in a colander and then plunge them into the iced water. Drain again and set aside.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until very crispy, crumble and set aside. Saute the bell pepper and onion in the hot bacon fat for 2 minutes. Add the beans, cashews, and bacon to the skillet. Add the teriyaki-honey sauce and toss gently.


Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
Cut slices of bacon into 3-4 pieces each. Wrap one piece around 3-4 green beans (canned kind). Stick with toothpick. Pour bottle of Russian dressing over beans and bake until bacon is done (350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes).

Corn Souffle
1 15-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 15- oz can cream style corn
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick butter, melted
1 c sour cream

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until center is firm.

Carrot Souffle (if you have another recipe for this, feel free to send it my way!)
1 3/4 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large pot of boiling water, cook the carrots until very tender. Drain, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. While carrots are warm, use an electric mixer to beat with sugar, baking powder, and vanilla extract until smooth. Mix in the flour, eggs, and margarine. Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until top is golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar before serving.