A tasty stew of southern-seasoned beans and greens with smoked sausage.

Easy Southern-Style Beans and Greens

Whenever I make a pot of white beans and greens close together, a stew of beans and greens are sure to follow.

I believe that Italians have a similar dish, possibly known by the name of Zuppa Di Scarola E Fagioli from what I found on the net, though I was not able to locate a recipe by that name in my copy of The Silver Spoon. They would likely use cannelloni beans and include escarole as the greens, but in the U.S. south, we all know what greens are king. Collards, turnip and mustard greens rule the south.

A classic spinach casserole based on Spinach Madeleine, made with spinach, sauteed vegetables and a simple, cheesy cream sauce.

Spinach Madeleine Bake - My Way

Known by a couple of names with some variations - Spinach Madeline, Calhoun's Spinach Maria, Spinach Supreme, Spinach Justine, Spinach Gratin, Spinach Pauline, Spinach Dorinne, or just simply Spinach Bake - if you enjoy spinach you're sure to like this.

It's really a basic skillet dish made of spinach, seasonings, some kind of cheese, half and half, milk, or heavy cream, sometimes eggs and is sometimes topped with cheese or buttered bread crumbs. Each recipe has its own unique twist and variation. I've even seen one recipe that uses phyllo! Spinach Madeline is a holiday favorite for sure - be sure to double the recipe!

Sweet potatoes, baked, split, mashed and combined with butter, spices and milk, stuffed back into the shell and rebaked. A delicious side dish anytime, but great for a holiday meal.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

I love twice-baked potatoes! Just the expanded flavor from the additions and fluffy texture of the potato after you baked it, mash it, mix it with all the goodies and then bake it, again... outstanding! 

Bet you didn't even think of sweet potatoes. Yep, they're good twice baked too!

Brown Sugar Orange Glazed Ham

A simple clove-studded baked ham, made with orange marmalade, spicy mustard and brown sugar, easy but full of flavor!

Monte's Brown Sugar Orange Glazed Ham

You may not have heard of Monte's Ham. It's been around awhile, dating back to 1995, when Monte Mathews developed it for, and it subsequently became, one of Saveur magazine's most popular recipes, earning the author a bit of fame back then.

I haven't seen much talk of it as Monte's ham these days, though to be honest, I'm thinking the origins just got lost in the shuffle, as the popularity of a ham glazed with some form of orange became more commonplace. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Monte drove that trend though.

A delicious corn casserole side dish, made with a good seasoning base of bacon and drippings with onion and bell pepper, a light roux, and just a touch of sour cream along with some Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Rotel Corn Casserole

I just love corn and I especially love the versatility of it!

Don't get me wrong - I love it pretty good right from the cob, unadorned, with the exception of some butter and salt, of course, and there are a lot of ways to prepare it just for that. One of my top favorites is the no-shuck, no silking, 4-minute microwave method, especially when I need just an ear or two for another dish.

Of course, fresh corn on the cob is best at its peak and in season, but it's now available year-round, and though you pay a little more for it, I still find it to be pretty tasty even though it's having to do a bit of traveling. I also enjoy both frozen and canned corn, and you'll find a wide variety of recipes using all of those right here on my website.