The Cottage Mama

Category: Sides Dish

  • Roasted Butternut Squash with Onions & Garlic ~ Recipe

    Roasted butternut squash with onions and garlic is the perfect fall side-dish to accompany any meal.  Looking for a new Thanksgiving side-dish? Well this could be it.  Simple ingredients with complex flavor.  You can’t beat that!

    Roasted Butternut Squash with Onions & Garlic
    Ingredients:
    1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
    1 large yellow onion
    1 head garlic
    1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    Peel butternut squash, remove seeds/pulp and cut into 1″ cubes.  Cut onion in half, remove skin and cut into large chunks.  Separate garlic cloves and peel individual cloves.  Place on a large baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss, using hands, to combine.
    Place in oven for a total of 25 minutes or until butternut squash is fork-tender.  Halfway through cooking time, stir up mixture to ensure even cooking on all sides.

    Once cooked, the garlic becomes tender and delicious.  Make sure you get some nice caramelization (color) on the onions and butternut squash, that’s what gives it such great flavor!

  • Summer Berry Cones

    These summer berry cones were one of my favorite looking dishes at Matilda’s “Tea for 2” party!  Not only were they tasty, but they were just so pretty that they made a wonderful centerpiece on our buffet table.

    I had seen this idea on Pinterest to serve fruit salad inside waffle cones and I just thought it was brilliant!  Have I mentioned how much I L.O.V.E. Pinterest?  It is such amazing daily inspiration.  You can see some of my pins HERE.  I loved the idea of fruit salad, but I wanted to do something that represented Matilda and she loves berries, so I went with a berry salad instead.

    With my style of entertaining, I like to have most of my food prepped ahead of time, but this was one dish we saved for the last minute.  Berries can start to go bad pretty soon after they are washed.  So we waited until about an hour before the party to wash and dry the berries.  We wanted to make sure that the berries were thoroughly dried, otherwise they would have made the cones soggy.

    We went with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.  I thought about raspberries, but sometimes those can get smashed pretty easily, so I left them out.  Also, we are lucky that Matilda’s birthday falls right during berry season.  I think if it were another time of year we would have done a different fruit because berries can be really pricey out of season.

    I also toyed with the idea of dipping the tops of the cones in chocolate, but with it being in the 80’s, I was worried they might melt and be messy.  I still think I might do that for an indoor or fall party!
  • Summer Pasta Salad

    Summer Pasta Salad

    I love a good pasta salad, don’t you?  I’ve tried tons of different recipes and I don’t know if I’ve ever met a pasta salad that I didn’t really like.  For Matilda’s “Tea for 2” party I wanted to do an updated version of a traditional classic.  This is my version of Summer Pasta Salad with fresh herbs, sun dried tomatoes, peas, black olives and asparagus.

    Serves 15-20
    Ingredients:
    2 lbs. tri-color rotini pasta
    1 cup zesty Italian dressing
    1 cup Caesar dressing
    1/2 jar of sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
    10 fresh chives
    Handful of fresh parsley
    1/2 cup fresh basil
    2 small cans sliced black olives
    Half bag of frozen peas, thawed (run under hot water)
    10 cooked asparagus spears, cut into 1″ pieces

    Directions:

    Cook pasta according to package directions.  Once cooking is complete, rinse thoroughly under cold water to remove starch and set aside.

    While pasta is cooking, make your dressing for the pasta salad.  Combine both dressings, sun dried tomatoes (with some of the olive oil), and all the fresh herbs.  Place in a blender and puree until dressing comes together.  Feel free to add any additional fresh herbs that your family loves.

    Pour dressing into a large mixing bowl.  Combine pasta, olives, peas, asparagus, and dressing until pasta is fully coated.  Place in refrigerator to cool.  Remove from refrigerator 1 hour prior to serving and stir.  Can be made up to two days ahead of time.

     Garnish with fresh parsley or any other herbs.  We just happen to have a lot of parsley in our garden this year so that’s what I chose to use.  My Grandma Marge always taught us to never serve a dish without a garnish.  I think she would be proud.

    This is a wonderful dish for entertaining because it can be made up to two days in advance and only continues to get better the longer it sits.  You can add any vegetables that are in season or that your family enjoys.  I think this would be amazing with some grilled zucchini or roasted bell peppers.  Just make the dressing and see what you happen to have on hand – you can’t really go wrong!

  • Lemon Roasted Asparagus

    Don’t you just love summer?  It’s that yummy time of year when all of the glorious produce comes in season.  I absolutely love visiting the farmers market and picking up produce from our local farmers.  I recently picked up some wonderful asparagus that I wanted to serve as a side dish with a meal I was preparing.  When produce is actually in season, I don’t like to do too much to it in regards to flavoring and seasoning because it already tastes so good in it’s pure form.

    Lemon Roasted Asparagus in the perfect side-dish for any meal.  Serve it with some rice pilaf or couscous and you have a light, summer meal that won’t weigh you down.

    Lemon Roasted Asparagus
    Ingredients:
    1 lb. asparagus
    2.5 lemons (slice 2 and leave the other one half for juicing)
    Olive oil
    Salt
    Freshly ground black pepper.
    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

    Prep. your asparagus.  Wash and remove the tough ends (cut off approximately 1-2″ on the non-tree-looking end).  If you like, you can reserve these for later to use in a cream of asparagus soup or another one of your favorite dishes.  Or if not, just discard.
    Lay out asparagus out on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top of asparagus, then add lemon slices.  Use your hands to toss and make sure all of the asparagus and lemons are coated nicely with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
    Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the ends of the asparagus start to become caramelized and slightly browned.
    Once asparagus are finished cooking, remove from oven and serve.  I like to serve asparagus spears piled up with several lemon slices.  My husband is not a huge veggie eater, but he loves this dish.  The acidity in the lemons really brings out the deliciously nutty flavor in the roasted asparagus.  Try this with fish, chicken or pork or you could even roast some up and add it to your favorite pasta dish!
      Happy Summer Produce Season!
  • Baked Breaded Zucchini

    Baked Breaded Zucchini

    I have had a taste for fried zucchini over the last several days, so today I tried my hand a making a baked version of this popular appetizer and I must say it was mighty good!  To be honest, I could not tell the difference between this baked version and the fried version that you would purchase in a restaurant.  I breaded these zucchini chips with panko bread crumbs which I think really added to the crunchy texture.

    If you have a taste for fried zucchini, give this healthier version a try.  This is great as an appetizer or a side-dish.  Your kiddos will love these too because, who doesn’t love dipping things into ranch dressing or marinara sauce? YUM!

    Baked Breaded Zucchini

    Serves 4
    Ingredients:
    1 (1 lb.) bag frozen zucchini chips (or 1 fresh zucchini)
    2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs
    1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
    2 eggs, beaten
    1 tsp. Italian seasoning
    Olive oil cooking spray


    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
    For this recipe, I opted to use frozen zucchini since fresh zucchini is not in season.  The fresh was not on sale and can be kind of expensive this time of year.  Plus, the frozen version was already cut into circles!
    Thaw frozen zucchini and allow the excess water to drain out.  If you are using fresh zucchini, you can omit this and the next step, just slice your zucchini into rounds.
    You really want to make sure you get all of the excess water out of your zucchini so it becomes nice a crispy in the oven.  Place the rounds on a paper towel and place a second towel on top.  Press lightly to remove excess moisture.
    Now it’s time for the breading.  I love to use panko bread crumbs – I think they add a crunchy texture that can’t be beat.  I use Trader Joe’s brand, but you can pretty much find them in all your major grocery stores these days.  They are sold in the same section as regular bread crumbs.
    In one bowl, mix your panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning.  In another bowl, beat your two eggs.  I decided not to add any additional salt because I find the Parmesan adds enough, but if you like things a little saltier, then you might add a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.


    Next, coat your zucchini chips in the egg mixture and then dip in the panko mixture.  Coat thoroughly and add to a baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil spray or cooking spray.  If you run out of bread crumb mixture, that’s ok, just make up a little more.
    I love this olive oil spray from Trader Joe’s.  If you can’t find this, then a regular cooking spray will do the trick.
    Once all of your zucchini chips are breaded, spray the tops with olive oil spray.  Place in oven for 6 minutes, then flip zucchini and bake for another 10 minutes.
    Serve with ranch dressing (my personal favorite) or marinara sauce.  Enjoy!
    Cottage Mama’s Note:  This same technique can be used to make eggplant Parmesan.

  • Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes

    My family did not grow up eating sweet potatoes and we definitely did not have sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving.  And quite frankly, I don’t really care for them.  But as many of you know, when you get married and start a family of your own, you adapt to new traditions.  One of which, in my case, is sweet potatoes.

    This past week, we spent Thanksgiving with my Mom and her new (as in just got married a week ago) hubby, Allen.  Like I said before, Mom and I don’t do sweet potatoes, but we wanted to make sure we kept our guys happy so we added sweet potatoes to the menu.  Rather then doing a giant sweet potato casserole that would only be eaten by 2-3 people, we opted for another solution – Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes.  And let me tell you, these were a big hit!  If you are looking to add some sweet potatoes to your holiday entertaining menu, I highly recommend you give these a try!

    Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes
    Serves 4

    Ingredients:
    4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
    4 tablespoons brown sugar
    2 tablespoons butter
    Cinnamon, to sprinkle
    32 small marshmallows or 16 large ones cut up
    Directions:
    Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place sweet potatoes in a deep baking dish and poke several holes in each one.  Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until tender.

    Meanwhile, cut your two tablespoons of butter into four equal pieces.

    Cut each sweet potato down the center (length-wise).  Be careful not to cut all the way through the potato.  Place one piece of butter inside each potato.

    Next sprinkle each potato lightly with cinnamon (as much or as little as your family likes).  Then sprinkle the inside of each potato with one tablespoon of brown sugar.

    If using large marshmallows, cut them into pieces.  If using mini-marshmallows, then just skip this step.

    Divide marshmallows out and place 1/4 in each sweet potato.  Place sweet potatoes back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

    Remove sweet potatoes from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Place sweet potatoes onto serving platter and enjoy!

    If your family really enjoys sweet potato casserole, they will definitely enjoy this recipe.  Try this easy recipe on a weeknight to go along with your family dinner.  Super-easy and super-delicious!

  • Baked Artichoke Bread

    Every year my husband and I host a big fall party.  This was our sixth year hosting and we love being able to get all of our friends together and celebrate our favorite season.  We call the party “The Feast” and it is definitely just that.  We provide a large piece of meat for everyone – we’ve done barbecued turkey, pulled pork, tri-tip roast and this year we did a beef brisket.  My husband did a fabulous job with the brisket – maybe I can get him to “guest post” about it (wink, wink, hubby if you’re reading this). 

    Everyone else brings a dish to share and we have some pretty incredible cooks in our circle of friends.  There was jambalaya, white chicken chili, sweet and sour meatballs, homemade salsa and guacamole and tons of desserts – gorgeous fall leaf cookies, pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie, chocolate dipped cheesecake and the list goes on and on. 

    Even though we are in charge of the meat, I wanted to add a little something to the feast.  I had really been in the mood for some artichoke dip, so I thought that would be a good appetizer that everyone would enjoy.  I had planned to bake the dip in the oven and serve it with cut up pieces of Italian bread.  But as we were running a little short on time, I thought “why not bake the dip ON the bread?”.  So that’s how this recipe was born………

    Baked Artichoke Bread
    Ingredients:
    2 cans artichoke hearts in water
    1 cup good mayonnaise
    1 cup sour cream
    1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling)
    4 green onions (sliced)
    Salt and pepper, to taste
    1-2 large loaves of Italian bread
    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
    Drain both cans of artichoke hearts and chopped them.  Mix chopped artichoke hearts, mayo, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, green onions, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
    Slice bread length-wise down the middle.  Place on a baking sheet.  Spread artichoke mixture all over the top of the bread.  Depending on your bread size, the mixture will cover 1-2 entire loaves.  Once mixture is spread on top of bread, sprinkle Parmesan cheese all over the top and a little freshly ground black pepper.

    Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  To serve, slice 1-2 inch thick slices.

    Cottage Mama’s Note:  This dish would be wonderful for holiday entertaining.  Serve it as an appetizer or as a hearty side-dish with your favorite soup.

  • A Simple Lunch: Avocado Bread

    Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest.  One of my all time favorite quick, yet satisfying lunches is avocado bread.  So simple, yet so incredibly delicious.

    Ingredients:
    1 Avocado
    2 pieces Italian bread
    Olive oil
    Garlic Salt

    Directions:

    Cut avocado in half.  Remove the pit and scoop out the inside.  Place in a bowl.

    With fork mash up avocado.  Sprinkle in a little garlic salt (to taste).  Mash again.

    Toast good Italian bread.

    Drizzle with olive oil.

    Spread avocado on top of Italian bread.

    If you’re really hungry, make two pieces of avocado bread!

    Enjoy!

  • Maple Pecan Coleslaw

    So the title of this recipe may not sound 100% appealing to all of you; however this is one of my favorite coleslaw recipes of all time.  Even if you don’t like coleslaw, I think you will find this one to be a winner.  The following recipe is my adaptation of a Nigella Lawson coleslaw recipe.  It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savory.  A superb accompaniment along-side some smokey barbecue ribs or try it on top of a pulled pork sandwich – deeeeelish!!

    Maple Pecan Coleslaw
    Serves 8-12
    Ingredients:
    1 medium-size head of cabbage
    4 carrots
    3 stalks celery
    6 green onions
    1.5 cups mayonnaise
    4 tablespoons maple syrup
    4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (you can use white wine vinegar or rice vinegar too)
    1 cup pecans, chopped
    Salt and Pepper, to taste
    Directions:
    Shred the cabbage.  You can do this with a knife or use your food processor.  You could also purchase pre-shredded coleslaw cabbage (though buying a head of cabbage is much more economical).  Place shredded cabbage into a large mixing bowl.
    Wash and grate carrots.  Dice celery.  Slice green onions (white and green parts).  Place carrots, celery, and green onions in the bowl with the cabbage.
    In a smaller mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar – stir to combine.  Pour dressing over the top of the cabbage, carrot, celery, green onion mixture and toss to combine.  Add chopped pecans and salt and pepper, to taste.  Toss again to combine.  
    Allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours to allow flavors to come together.
    Cottage Mama’s Note:  This is another recipe from Matilda’s Summer Garden Party.  We used this slaw to top our pork sandwiches at the party – YUM!

  • Grilled Corn Salad

    It’s corn season – yipppee!!  I love a fresh, sweet ear of corn on the cob in the summer.  Here’s another recipe from Matilda’s Summer Garden Party.  This grilled corn salad can be changed up with the addition of different herbs and vegetables, but the base always stays the same – amazingly delicious grilled corn!

    Grilled Corn Salad
    Serves 8
    Ingredients:
    6 ears of corn
    1 jar of roasted red peppers
    4 green onions, sliced
    1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
    1 lemon, juiced
    4 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more for brushing corn
    1 teaspoon sugar
    Salt and pepper, to taste
    Directions:
    Remove the hull and silks from corn and wash thoroughly.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place corn on grill for approximately 8 minutes or until corn appears to be a medium brown.
    Allow corn to cool.  Once cooled, remove kernels from cobs and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add one jar of roasted red peppers, chopped, sliced green onions, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
    In another small mixing bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice (you can add some zest too if you really like lemon), and sugar – add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
    Pour dressing over corn mixture and toss to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Like I’ve said before, if the pop of flavor isn’t quite there, add more salt and pepper and taste again.  You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it away.
    Cottage Mama’s Note:  I just made a variation of this salad that was great as well.  I used cherry tomatoes (halved) from our garden instead of roasted red peppers and I used cilantro instead of parsley.  This went perfectly with our beef and avocado tacos!!
    PS:  So many of you emailed and asked for a tutorial on the Gathered Ruffle Camera strap that I will be putting one together for you in the coming week.