Sides - What's Cookin' Good Lookin' 2025

SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFING

8 cups (400 grams) store-bought seasoned stuffing bread cubes

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups yellow onion (from 1 large onion) ,diced

1 cup celery (from 3 celery stalks) ,diced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound bulk medium spicy Italian sausage (i.e., sausage with the casings removed)

2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, place the bread cubes.

3. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about eight minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes more.

4. Add the vegetables to the bread cubes. Don’t wash the pan, but scrape out every last bit of vegetables, otherwise they will burn in the next step.

5. In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a metal spatula while cooking. The largest pieces should be no greater than a quarter of an inch. Add the browned sausage and fat to the bread cubes and vegetables.

6. Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt and pepper to the bread cube mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake for 65-75 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top.

Submitted by Adriana Eraso from COhatch Lakeland. “I want to dedicate this recipe to my aunt Mimi, who cooked this EVERY Thanksgiving, and when she passed, I took over the tradition.”

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DOC’S CORNBREAD

3 (8.5-ounce) boxes corn muffin mix

1 (14.75-ounce) can cream style corn

2 eggs

8 ounces sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 stick butter (salted)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the first five ingredients well.

3. Melt butter in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

4. Pour corn bread mixture on top of melted butter.

5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. ENJOY!

This is an Orange Blossom Poems original recipe by Dr. Diana Álvarez-Hughes. “Dedicated to my husband, Jeremy, one of them corn fed boys.”

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WINTER FLU NATURAL SYRUP

1-3 heads of garlic (organic if possible)

Raw honey, enough to cover garlic*

1. Peel the garlic and place cloves in a glass jar. Cover them fully with honey, but be sure to leave a one-inch space at the top of the jar. Put the lid on loosely, as this will ferment.

2. Put the jar in a dark area at room temperature. Fermentation will normally take 2-4 weeks, but as with any home remedy, the longer it ferments, the better it gets.

3. Each day during the first 2-4 weeks, take the jar out and swish everything around to get the cloves covered, as they will float to the top. Open the lid to release the gas and then put it back on.

When you start feeling the flu, take a spoonful of the honey (always include one clove) and eat or put it in your tea. This remedy isn’t something that you have to do with just feeling sick, these two ingredients boost your immune system, so it is good to have at any time. I will use a tablespoon to spread on chicken before baking, or on ham or pork when making pulled pork. You can add it to just about anything, as it gives your dish a sweet twist.

The longer it sits, the better!

*I use Natural Nate’s 100% Pure Florida Raw & Unfiltered Honey.

Submitted by Rebecca MacPherson

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POTATO PANCAKES

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of your favorite cheese

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

1/3 cup bacon, chopped (bacon bits)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

neutral-flavored oil (peanut, canola, grapeseed, etc.)

Sour cream (optional)

1. Mix potatoes with eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, bacon, green onions, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup batter for each pancake into the oil. Fry in batches until golden brown on both sides.

Submitted by Aaron Venrick from Destroyer Media. “This recipe was shared with me by an old friend who said that the secret was using left over mashed potatoes from the night before.”