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What are your favorite side dishes?

Mine is caesar salad (I am not a fan of pure vinegar-based dressing), corn muffin, mixed vegetables, and mashed potatoes with gravy. My most favorite though is the latter. Whenever I order something roasted or fried, mashed potatoes will always be the side dish to accompany it. I love if it is really creamy and not too dry. It will go well with the gravy. If it melts in the mouth, that’s an added bonus. My grandma used to make such creamy and flavorful mashed potatoes that sometimes there was no need to add gravy.

It tasted so well with any type of meat that our household used to call it, “the universal mashed potatoes”.

This recipe that I found over at Taste of Home gives mashed potatoes a tiny little twist. For one, it’s baked. There are also a lot of new flavors added to its traditional base, creating a finer, fiercer dish that speaks of “star dish”.

For the first time, mashed potatoes are given the spotlight, with its taste highlighted by the different ingredients going on in one pot. It’s not just simply the side dish here; it’s the main dish, the star of the culinary show.

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Quick Tip:  You can adjust the proportions of the ingredients based on your preferences.

I find dessert balls a creative way to present your favorite sugar rush.

Some balls, for example, are cute and handy. Those little balls of donuts, for example, the miniature ones that taste the same as the big ones—they’re easier to eat. There’s a less chance for your face to be covered with a glaze or whatever is the frosting of the donut you’re eating at the moment. There are also those cake pops, which are the miniature version of cakes. They taste the same, but there’s lesser chance for you to mess up your clothes or to overindulge. Then there are those graham balls; the ones made from graham crackers and butter. They’re in bite-size pieces that you can just pop into your mouths.

Then there are these big, mysterious ones. The first time I ever encountered a chocolate cheese ball was at a children’s sleepover. My brother’s wife served the kids this huge ball of chocolate-chip covered thing surrounded by graham crackers.

I watched as they devoured the huge ball of dessert using the graham crackers as spoons. Poor cheese ball. It was gone in less than ten minutes. My sister-in-law gave me the recipe and I tried making it at home. I only added nuts to the original recipe because I love nuts. It turns out that adding nuts isn’t as uncommon as I thought.

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Quick Tip:  Serve with coffee.

Everyone I know boasts of his or her family’s version of steak.

Some have the classic version of grilled steak while some have the “saucy version” of steak. My family, in particular, has the saucy version. We use beef, boiling it first for hours so it will be tender. We save the broth and use it as a base for our sauce. Our sauce is made from a secret ingredient that I can’t talk about (it’s something that thickens the sauce), mushrooms, and flour.

We always place it on top of hot white rice or on top of a bowl of linguine. Sometimes when our relatives join us, we add pork to the recipe. So far the taste doesn’t change as much. It just becomes more flavorful because of the combination of two types of meat.

This recipe that I found over at Taste of Home tastes similar to our family’s steak, except instead of using the secret ingredient that we have, it uses Worcestershire sauce. I did try making it through and served it to my friends over pasta and they all loved it! I just sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top because I put cheese in everything. It tastes good!

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Quick Tip:  Serve steak and gravy with noodles or mashed potatoes if desired.

I love tuna in pasta dishes.

My favorite one to make is a recipe I got from my Mom, who got the same recipe from her Mom. It’s a simple one to make. You just heat the pan, saute finely chopped onions in olive oil, put in the tuna, and season with salt and pepper. You then add the cream a couple of minutes later and stir until it’s bubbling. Then you finally add the boiled pasta, mixing it until the pasta is completely covered with the sauce. Add in the cheeses, mozzarella, and parmesan (or whatever type of cheese you prefer), while stirring constantly.

Once the creamy sauce thickens, you transfer it to a pan and you sprinkle more cheese on top. And then you place it in the oven and bake it until the cheesy top looks slightly burnt. I love eating it with garlic bread and with a side of Caesar salad. This old-school casserole reminds me of that tuna dish, except this has a lot of other flavors going on in there.

The good thing about this recipe is that every ingredient just blends with one another, creating a unified taste that will blow your minds. This one is a must-try.

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Quick Tip: Rotini Or Elbow would be a good substitute for Cavatappi noodles.

I made these for Thanksgiving and several holiday parties.

They were a huge hit with all. Especially, for my healthy “portion controlled” friends!

They liked the fact that they could have one pie ball instead of being served one slice of pie and only eating a small portion of it. A lot of people have asked about a non-alcoholic version: try almond extract if you do not like the taste of alcohol. You can also use a rum non-alcohol flavoring.

Add a little water to an equal liquid amount. Vanilla wafers can be subbed for graham crackers. These are wise words from my friend Camille McClendon. Thanks, Lady!

I am in love with these pecan pie balls. Just like Camille said, they are perfect for those portion-controlled people in your life. I really should be more like these people.

However, on the holidays I like to splurge a bit. Make these pecan pie balls for a church function or holiday party. Just don’t forget to tell everyone that that contain tree nuts as you want to be sensitive to those with allergies.

My son has a tree nut allergy so I make a little note card that details what the food is and what is in it when we are hosting parties. Works like a charm. Enjoy!

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Quick Tip: I like to package these little pecan pie balls up into tins and give them away as gifts.

All three of my kids, as well as myself, made these gingerbread men cookies.

We enjoyed making these and each one of us got to pick out our own cookie cutter that we wanted. Sometimes we made a big mess in the kitchen, but it sure was fun! Then both of my boys got their cookies and took off outside! This left my daughter and me to clean up the kitchen. We all made two batches of these delightful cookies. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

I really do love this recipe and seeing how all the different gingerbread men and women turn out. My youngest son said he was making boys and girls because his gingerbread people weren’t adults but rather children. LOL I thought that was really cute of him to say.

The only thing missing from our gingerbread people were their pets. next year, I’ll be including gingerbread dogs and cats into the mix. Then, we can make out entire family out of gingerbread cookies. Yay! Happy Holidays 🙂

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Quick Tip: Cover your rolling-pin with a new knee-hi pantyhose when rolling out the dough and you’ll keep the dough from sticking.

There are many recipes for baked spaghetti but I do declare that I’ve stumbled upon the perfect one.

In fact, this scrumptious baked spaghetti recipe won a Blue Ribbon award over at my mom’s church. In order to win this award, you have to have your recipe make it through the test kitchen and that isn’t something that is easy to do. So, I can boldly say with all confidence that this baked spaghetti recipe is amazeballs. I hope you give it a try, sooner rather than later. Your family and friends will love it. This recipe is definitely potluck dinner worthy.

This is one of those casseroles that you can eat time and time again without tiring of it. I am 100% thrilled with this recipe and how easy it is to follow! My husband and kids gobbled this stuff up like nobody’s business.

Curious about how to make this yummy masterpiece? Hop on over to the next page for all of the details. Enjoy!

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Quick Tip: This recipe is very easy to make, freeze, and eat on a busy day.