By Autumn Murray, Staff Writer
Thanksgiving Break is coming soon and you’re going home to visit your beloved family. Your mom is insisting that you bring a side dish with you to Thanksgiving dinner but with your college dorm expertise, roman noodles or Spaghettios may not cut it. Have no fear, you can create scrumptious side dishes the whole family will love without possessing many skills in the culinary arts. These three dishes are simple, inexpensive and delicious!
The pressure of having to compete against Grandma’s green bean casserole can be frightening, but you can still steal the show with a heavenly glazed carrot dish.
This is a great alternative for any veggie dishes you plan on preparing for Thanksgiving.
Glazed Carrots
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bag of fresh baby carrots (16 oz)
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of packed sugar
1 tablespoon of molasses
Directions:
In a skillet, and add 1 bag (16 oz) of fresh baby carrots, 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of molasses and toss gently to coat the carrots. Stir occasionally until the carrots are tender. This should only take about 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.
This sweet, simple dish will sure become a new tradition to your Thanksgiving dinner.
Leave the whole family in awe with fresh cranberry sauce made from scratch. You’ll never open up a can of that processed, jiggling gelatin glob again after seeing how easy this recipe is to make!
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
12 ounces of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of orange juice
Orange peel for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Simmer 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Then add 12 ounces of fresh cranberries. Simmer together for about 10 minutes or until all the cranberries have popped. Remove from heat, let cool and serve warm. If you want to be fancy, grate orange peel on top for garnish.
You know it’s almost Thanksgiving when squash is in season and clutter the produce section at all the grocery stores. Classic baked acorn squash is a fall-favorite side dish that you can’t go wrong with.
Classic Baked Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
1 squash
1/2 a teaspoon of butter
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cut 1 acorn squash in half. One squash should serve 2 people, so prepare accordingly to your family size. Once cut in half, scoop out the seeds with a metal spoon. Once cleaned, take a knife and score the inside of the squash in a cross-hatch pattern. Rub a half teaspoon of butter into the insides of each half. Crumble a tablespoon of brown sugar into the center of each half then drizzle with a teaspoon of maple syrup. Pop in the oven on a baking pan for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes until the squash is browned and tender. Remove from oven, cool and serve.
Your family will think you’ve been taking cooking classes on the side with these recipes! May these recipes not only warm your tummy, but warm your home as you spend your holiday with the ones you love.
