green beans — A Southern Fairytale

Easter Menu Planning

12:22 AM ByRachelFiled UnderMouthwatering Monday, Recipes, Side Dishes

Do you plan your Easter Menu?

Easter Menus can be daunting, the planning.. down right frightening. Do you serve Ham or Lamb? How many side dishes do you make? Do you serve appetizers?

For my family, it’s always been Ham on Easter, Turkey at Thanksgiving and Chili on Christmas Eve.

If this is the first Easter meal that you’ve cooked it can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Seriously y’all.. don’t let it.

I’m going to be playing with some Ham recipes this week and I’ll share them very soon, promise.

For today.. here are two side dishes that will be appearing on OUR Easter table:

Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Potato Casserole

I made this potato chip topped, creamy, flavor packed, cream cheese enhanced casserole last Easter and it was one of the first things to FLY off our table. Seriously, you add potatoes, green onions, sour cream, potato chips, sun dried tomato and basil cream cheese, cheese and more… how can you go wrong? Plus, it’s EASY to make!!!!

You can find the recipe here.

Chilled Green Bean and Potato Salad

Fresh, crisp green beans, baby red potatoes, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, red wine vinaigrette and more blend together in a dressing that adds a special zing and unique flavor to this refreshing twist on a green bean side dish. If you’re tired of the same green bean or potato salad dish, this is the side dish to add to your table. When I serve it, it gets thumbs up from everyone and requests for it to show up again sooner rather than later.

Recipe here

What’s going to be on your table this Easter? Do y’all do Ham, Lamb or something else for a main dish?

I’d love y’all to share your Easter Menus and Ideas!

Taggedbbq, green beans, holiday recipes, potatoes, veggies 18 Comments

Marinated Chilled Potato and Green Bean Salad

4:39 PM ByRachelFiled UnderMouthwatering Monday, Side Dishes, Videos

potato and green bean salad 2

Can I get a glory, glory Hallelujah!!! Please?

I FINALLY have the Tastemaker Challenge 2 recipe and video ready to share with y’all! This video has been almost comical with the issues it’s had. Lost camera, video software crashing, things deleting, hiccuping and flat out disappearing on me.

BUT, it’s ready!

This month’s Tastemaker 2K10 challenge was nutrition on a budget. We were each given $10 and told to create a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal for under $10. Another Challenge for the Challenge.. keep it as close to the potatoes natural healthy state as possible.

So… without further ado… I present my “TONGUEGASMIC”

Tonguegasmic Apron

Tastemaker Challenge 2 Recipe & Video

please click through and watch the video and rate it using the star system! THANK YOU!

Chilled Potato and Green Bean Salad

1 bag Red Potatoes
1 lb fresh green beans, washed and snapped into 1″ pieces
3/4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp minced shallot (mine was a healthy 1 Tbsp)
salt and pepper to taste

Mince the shallot and whisk together in a glass bowl: lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper, olive oil shallot. Cover and refrigerate.

Wash and snap green beans into roughly 1″ pieces.

Wash the potatoes and quarter

Steam the green beans to snappy crisp tender, remove from steamer and run cold water over them to cease the cooking process.

green beans being rinsed

Drizzle about 2 tsp of vinaigrette over the green beans and refrigerate.

Steam the potatoes until fork tender. Remove and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process.

Add the potatoes to the green beans.

When you’re ready to serve them, toss with the vinaigrette. I had some vinaigrette left over. I didn’t want it to be too saturated.

This recipe was served at our practice Thanksgiving meal and my entire family gave it huge thumbs up. I will definitely make this again and I *might* have snacked on the leftovers for the next day. YUM.

You can see more about the #Tastemaker 2K10 challenge on the Mom’s Dinner Helper website.

If you’re linking up to the Mouthwatering Monday Tonguegasmic Linky, Thank you for your patience!!!!

Make sure to link directly to your recipe URL, leave a comment saying Hi, introducing yourself.. whatever, link back in your post and visit some of the other participants!

Thanks y’all!

Taggedcold salad, green beans, potatoes, salad, tastemakers, veggies 12 Comments

Garlicky Ginger Beef and Green Bean Stir Fry

11:01 PM ByRachelFiled UnderMain Dishes, Mouthwatering Monday

garlic-beef

I can’t decide what the best part of this dish is:
The crisp crunch of the green beans, the savoriness of the jasmine rice, the sweet bite of the fresh red bell pepper, the heat of the chili garlic sauce, the smooth richness of the steak…
This dish is one of those that I fretted over while making, hoping, praying that it would turn out as I wanted it to, and then with the first bite, it far exceeded my expectations.
This dish bursts onto the tongue with heat, rich flavors, savoriness and depth. It captures your tastebuds and senses and takes them on an unforgettable trip with bite, crunch and depth.

Adapted from a recipe found on CookingLight

This recipe may look intimidating.. but there aren’t as many ingredients or steps as it may first appear, and believe me, it is beyond worth it!

3 Tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 to 3 tsp chili garlic sauce (I use 3 and it is zowee nom diddly! If you are sensitive, it will leave your lips tingling numb)
1 (14 oz) can fat free chicken broth
2 Tbsp (divided) olive oil
1/2 C finely chopped green onions
3 Tbsp peeled, minced fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lb boneless top sirloin steak, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 lb fresh green beans, cut or (‘snapped’ if you’re southern) into 2″ pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
3/4 C chopped green onion tops
2 C hot cooked jasmine rice*

Combine first 5 ingredients, whisk briskly until fully mixed and then set aside
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a wok or large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add beef and saute for 4 minutes or until medium rare (you want it still pink because it will continue to cook once removed from heat and you will be heating it up again later, if it is over medium rare at this point.. it will be overcooked at the end) Remove from wok/skillet. Set aside and cover.
Clean out skillet.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and heat over medium high heat.
Add green beans, red bell pepper and cook covered for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 3/4 C green onion tops and saute for 1 minute.
Add in beef mixture and broth, bring to a boil.
Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Simmer for up to 5 minutes before serving over Jasmine rice.

This recipe is CRAZY easy to make as long as you do two things:

Cut, chop, mince, prepare everything before you start. This might take you 10 minutes.
Pay attention to the timing on the rice:* Jasmine rice will take you about 20 minutes from start to finish. Make sure that you don’t have it sitting for more than 5 to 8 minutes after it is done cooking.

If you’ve decided to join in the tonguegasmalicious sharing joy that is Mouthwatering Mondays, Thank you!!!!
Please say Hi and share your thoughts on the recipe that I’ve posted, link up to your MWM post, grab a Tonguegasmic button, link back here so that others can find the joy that is Mouthwatering Mondays and most important of all, visit the other participants and get inspired, drool a bit and have fun sharing recipes with others who love food as much as you

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