I love, love, love rice and this recipe was such a good one. Fast, simple, and flavorful without being overly salty. I was curious when I saw the french onion soup ingredient that it would tasty overly salty but that wasn’t the case at all. I’m going to post the recipe with the original quantities, but be advised that it makes a TON so if you are only feeding a few, be sure and cut it in half. Recipe and photo courtesy of cookiesandcups.com

• 1 1/4 cups beef stock
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 2 cups rice, your choice

Place all ingredients in your Instant Pot. Use the manual setting, on high pressure for 22 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release. Serve warm.

Last Christmas I had this succotash at my mother-in-laws and I knew I would have to make it myself. It is incredibly easy to make and can be kept warm in the crockpot for hours. Recipe courtesy of Dale Fillmer.

• 1 bag frozen lima beans
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• chicken broth

Pour the vegetables into the crockpot. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk together until the flour turns a nice golden color, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the milk, salt and pepper and stir constantly until the sauce starts to thicken. Pour over the vegetables and add chicken broth to desired consistency. Warm on high for at least two hours before serving.

 

I really like to make these green beans for holidays. They come together quickly and are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Recipe and photo courtesy of The Farm Stand on Facebook.

• 5 regular cans of green beans, drained (note: you can substitute a similar amount of frozen green beans, about 4 (12-ounce) bags, thawed, or you can use fresh green beans, too)
• 12 slices of bacon
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 7 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Put the drained beans in a 9×13 pan. Add the cooked bacon pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients ( the crack sauce). Pour over the beans and bake 40 minutes at 350. Toss and serve.

I made this casserole for Thanksgiving and it was so good my dad asked if I would make it for Christmas too. It is practically a dessert, and amazingly delicious. The other thing I really liked about this recipe was that it was dairy-free, which meant that my lactose-intolerant family member could enjoy it also! Recipe and photo courtesy of frugalginger.com.

For the Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
• 1/3 stick butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl for the top crust. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a medium-size casserole dish with nonstick spray. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture. You can also use a stand mixer. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. (At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated.) Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving. The brown sugar and pecan crust should be slightly browned and crunchy.

This recipe comes from a cookbook my mother-in-law gave me that is filled with recipes that are kid-friendly.  I love this cornbread, and has a different flavor than the other recipe on my site.  It goes great with my Texas Chili recipe.

• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 4 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray an 8″ square pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, milk, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg.  Add the water and melted butter to the egg, and mix well.  Combine the two mixtures and blend together.  Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

I made this stuffing recipe for the first time last Thanksgiving to take to my work dinner, and I liked it so much I made it again for my family celebration.  As someone who has never liked stuffing, I’m glad to have found a recipe to make every year.  Recipe and photo courtesy of sixsistersstuff.com.

• 3/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 21 oz can Lucky Leaf Apple Cranberry Pie Filling
• 1 6 oz box of dry stuffing mix

Combine water with butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high until boiling (about 3 minutes).
Add your pie filling and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir in stuffing mix and seasoning packet. Return to the microwave and cook for 5 more minutes. Fluff with fork and serve warm.

* If you don’t have the Lucky Leaf product where you live, you can use the 21 oz can of apple pie filling and about 1/4 cup of whole berry cranberry sauce, (take away a 1/4 cup of the pie filling)

*Do not use meat flavored stuffing