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Liven up your side dish menu a bit with this Loaded Wild Rice Pilaf. It sports an exciting combination of flavors that make it perfect as part of a holiday meal, though you shouldn’t have any trouble making up a batch for any occasion that you like.

I suppose that this is properly a Thanksgiving or Christmas side, but I got really excited, looking at the different combinations in this recipe, and just had to try it early. I am glad that I did. It’s not that difficult to put together, and it makes a great part of any fall (or winter) meal.

Recipe and photo courtesy of What Would Cathy Eat

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Chicken Cacciatore is a hearty, earthy, robust stew that makes for a great one-pot family meal. It’s quick to make, and it’s surprisingly easy to put together, as well.

This creation is also often called hunter’s stew, but I think that the name “chicken cacciatore” just suits it better. There isn’t much in the way of complexity here, but it does manage good depth of flavor without any fancy methods and with only a modest time investment.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Craving Some Creativity

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This Southern Caramel Cake is a classic regional twist on the butter cake: light and tender, with a rich caramel icing, all made easily from scratch. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can make this, too.

I think that these classic Southern recipes spoil me a bit. You think that making a cake from scratch has to be an involved affair, and then you see a recipe that gets you from raw ingredients to all done in 45 minutes to an hour. It’s just lovely! 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Deep South Dish

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This Mississippi Mud Cake recipe makes use of simple ingredients and a few basic, easy-to-follow directions to make a true Southern classic completely from scratch. And it only takes you about an hour and twenty minutes to put together.

It may look humble from a distance, but appearances are rather deceiving here. If you are a chocolate lover, you REALLY ought to give this cake a try. It’s gourmet-tasting enough to do well at most gatherings, yet it is easy enough to make whenever you want a nice chocolate treat at home. 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Serious Eats

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