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Five-Ingredient Holiday Recipes

11/18/2018

28 Comments

 
A roast turkey being carved
Turkey is the classic Thanksgiving dish, but you cannot live by turkey alone. What's your favorite holiday side dish? Comment for a chance to win a free book. Below you'll find two reader-favorite recipes from the first Five-Ingredient Mystery, By Cook or by Crook. The dishes are suitable for Thanksgiving and other holiday dinners. I'm also sharing a simple herb stuffing recipe. To view the recipes, click Read More below.
 
Leave a comment about your favorite holiday side dish to enter a drawing for the Five-Ingredient Mystery of your choice or an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of the upcoming sixth book in the series. To comment, click on the word Comments in the column to the left of this post. 
 
Last day to enter: Sunday, December 16, 2018. The winner is Kay from Arkansas. Thank you to everyone who shared their favorite side dish. Stuffing seemed to get the most votes, followed by yams or sweet potatoes. 

Picture
Just Small Potatoes
Serves 6
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

6 medium potatoes
¼ cup flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

Pour the melted butter into a glass baking pan (13 x 9 x 2 inches). Combine the flour, cheese, and salt in a plastic bag. Peel the potatoes and cut each into eight pieces. Dip the pieces in cold water, put them in the plastic bag a few at a time, and shake. When the pieces are coated, put them in the pan, flat side down, nestled in a single layer. Bake for an hour, turning them after half an hour to brown another side.

You serve the potatoes in the baking pan. Garnish with parsley. 


​Easier-Than-Pie Apple Crisp 

​This recipe is a nut-free version of the apple crisp recipe in By Cook or by Crook.

Serves 6-8
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees


5 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (about 5 medium or 3 large apples)
¾ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar (less if the apples are not tart or you prefer less sweet desserts)
½ cup softened (not melted) butter

Butter a shallow square baking pan (9 inches) or a small rectangular one (7x11 or 8x10 inches).
Combine the flour, cinnamon, and sugar. Add butter in pieces, mixing with a fork or the fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Spread the mixture over the apples.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when the topping is golden brown and apple layer is bubbling.

Cool the apple crisp for at least 30 minutes before eating. Serve warm or cold. The crisp goes well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.


Herb Stuffing
Serves 10-12

As the designated holiday dinner makers in our family for the last 25 years, we've experimented with different types of stuffing, starting from scratch or using various stuffing mixes. We've settled on a 5-ingredient one as the favorite, a modified version of the recipe on the Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing package.  

1 stick of butter
2 cups of chopped onions (approximately 2 large onions) 
2 cups chopped celery (4-6 celery stalks)
2 cups boiling water (or low-salt chicken broth)
1 14-ounce package of Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing

Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions for five minutes or until tender. Add the celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in the stuffing mix. Add hot water or broth slowly, mixing it with the stuffing until moist, using less liquid if you prefer stuffing on the dry side.

Stove-top stuffing: Cover the skillet, remove it from the heat, and let it stand five minutes. Fluff the stuffing with a fork and serve.
Casserole stuffing: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the stuffing into a 2-quart casserole. Bake 30 minutes or until hot. 
For in-bird stuffing: Loosely spoon the mixture into the turkey or chicken cavity before putting the bird in the oven. Don't overfill the cavity. A stuffed bird takes longer to cook than an unstuffed one. Put any remaining stuffing in a casserole dish and bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

28 Comments
Tari Hann link
11/20/2018 11:54:16 am

Wow loaded question, lol. I guess my fave side is simply Stove Top stuffing. My dad always made Tgiving when he was alive and that's what he used. I'm just not a fan of homemade stuffing. I also like the cheesy potatoes my daughter makes. Thanks for the entry!

Reply
Candy Kennedy
11/20/2018 12:24:18 pm

Love the potato recipie. I love the dressing with gravy.

Reply
Charlene Eshleman
11/20/2018 01:49:56 pm

The apple crisp looks yummy and easy!

Reply
Sandy Berg
11/20/2018 02:22:59 pm

My favorite side dish is home made stuffing, covered with gravy, of course.

Reply
Marsha Bonifant
11/20/2018 03:00:23 pm

I love my sweet potato casserole. But I also like corn pudding.

Reply
Penny
11/20/2018 03:24:55 pm

Mine would be desert lol. I love pumpkin pie with cool whip and chocolate pudding pie.

Reply
Joye I
11/20/2018 04:05:30 pm

One of the few in my family that likes Brussels Sprouts.
I bake with a bit of olive oil and put some Feta cheese and pomegranate seeds on top before serving. yumm

Reply
Cheryl Arcemont
11/20/2018 04:05:32 pm

My favorite Thanksgiving side dish is green bean casserole. This year, we are going to kick it up a notch. We are adding crawfish tails!

Reply
Libby Dodd
11/20/2018 04:07:39 pm

My mother made an uncooked cranberry sauce. Just cranberries, an orange (peel and all, but not the seeds), half a lemon (peel and all, no seeds), and sugar. Toss in the food processor and whiz it into a jewel toned delight.

Reply
Marilyn
11/20/2018 04:15:16 pm

My favorite recipe is my mother's homemade pea soup. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Marilyn

Reply
Joan
11/20/2018 04:16:26 pm

My favorite is my grandmothers chocolate pudding. Thank You for this giving.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Joan

Reply
Marion
11/20/2018 04:17:46 pm

My favorite is the homemade stuffing. It takes a little time and energy but it is delicious. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Marion

Reply
Anne
11/20/2018 04:22:46 pm

My favorite side dish is balsamic roasted brussels sprouts

Reply
Anne
11/20/2018 04:26:16 pm

Creamed spinach. I cheat and use a three ingredient recipe: 2 boxes of Green Giant creamed spinach, 1 box of plain spinach thawed and squeezed as dry as possible mix, heat and add a sprinkling of nutmeg. I find the straight Green Giant spinach too soupy which is why I add a box of plain.

Reply
kimberley
11/20/2018 04:42:36 pm

My grandmother's cornbread dressing (what others refer to as stuffing). Always good but sometimes she would put oysters in it! AMAZING!! Tried to replicate without success. Grammie was a "cook by feel"-- original and delicious!!

Reply
Jackie Wisherd
11/20/2018 05:31:16 pm

Candied Yams are my favorite side dish.

Reply
Sharon Guagliardo
11/20/2018 06:55:54 pm

I just love my Aunt Sally's Italian Meat Dressing. It has Italian sausage and hamburgers, onions and celery and more, and it's so good.

Reply
Robyn K
11/20/2018 08:04:57 pm

My favorite side dish is green bean casserole.

Reply
Donna Hinson
11/21/2018 12:06:07 pm

Deviled eggs have always been my favorite.

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NicoleG
11/22/2018 11:29:36 am

Happy Thanksgiving!! I love green bean casserole and my special cranberry sauce!!!

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Meg Gustafson link
11/22/2018 01:34:23 pm

Thank you for these. My daughter is now preparing her holidays on her own since her husband is military. Of course I'm always a phone call away, but these are perfect for her. Thank you so much! Can't wait to share these.
Happy Thanksgiving/ Christmas to you!

Reply
Pam Robello
11/22/2018 01:46:22 pm

Mashed potatoes and gravy. Dinner rolls with real butter

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Robin L. Coxon link
11/22/2018 07:16:04 pm

My favorite side dish is a frozen cranberry salad made of course with cranberries, cream cheese, crushed nuts, crushed pineapple and whip cream. Oh so yummy.

Reply
Kay Garrett
11/22/2018 07:55:38 pm

Few more than five ingredients but super easy to make and very delicious. I get request for this recipe all the time at potlucks, etc.
Green Bean & Shoepeg Corn Casserole
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 can French style green beans, drained
1 can white shoepeg corn, drained
1 can celery soup, undiluted
1 ½ cups grated Mild Cheddar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup chopped onion
1 can water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 roll or tube of Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter, melted
Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Place drained green beans in casserole dish.
Top with drained shoepeg corn.
In bowl mix celery soup, cheddar cheese, sour cream, onions and water chestnuts until combined. Spoon on top of veggies in casserole dish.
Crumble crackers in bowl and drizzle with melted butter. Stir to coat crackers. Sprinkle over top of cheese mixture in casserole dish.
Bake in a 350 degree oven uncovered for 40 minutes.
NOTES: This goes great for a potluck dish. It’s great hot, warm, or room temperature. It never seems to make it to the refrigerator as leftovers but I’m sure it would reheat nicely too.

Reply
Debbie Price
11/24/2018 12:30:43 pm

I love cranberries! I also make a pumpkin pudding that is baked and can be used as a side dish or dessert.

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Lori B.
11/24/2018 02:29:55 pm

I love candied yams. I can never get enough!!

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Grace Tooping
11/25/2018 10:24:09 pm

Never thought of five ingredient recipes for holiday dinners. Makes sense. Here’s one: baked sweet potatoes mixed with brown sugar and butter, topped with marshmallows.

Reply
Julie Hansen
12/3/2018 06:23:20 pm

Sweet potatoe pie!

Reply

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    Maya Corrigan

    This blog, like the books and stories I write, combines mysteries, food, trivia, and a bit of humor to leaven the grim subject of crime. Sometimes random subjects intrude here .

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