Stephanie's Slice Of Life

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  • Category: Side Dishes

    • Ratatouille

      Posted at 10:22 am by StephMo
      Mar 22nd

      Ratatouille, a French vegetable stew, got a little boost in popularity from the Disney movie about a rat that becomes a chef. Very cute movie if you haven’t seen it. The vegetables were sliced, and looked not only beautiful but delicious. I recently watched the movie again and it put the idea of making this dish in my head.

      The sliced beautiful ratatouille in the movie is not the ratatouille I remember pushing around on my plate from my childhood. I remember my mother making a ratatouille when I was younger with chopped up vegetables and it having a very strong eggplant taste, which I am not the biggest fan of. While I did anticipate enjoying this dish more than the one my mother made, I was really only making it because I liked the look of it and it was something fun for my daughter and I to make together.

      Well, to my surprise I absolutely loved the taste and went back for more. The sauce and spices mixed with the thinly sliced vegetables was incredible. It is a little time consuming, but worth the effort. Sadly once again I was rushed taking photos because my family was waiting for dinner so it doesn’t look as “pretty” as all the other photos you may see on-line, but it is the taste that really matters, right?

      Ingredients:

      2 mini eggplants

      1 large zucchini

      1 large yellow squash

      3 plum tomatoes

      2 tbsp olive oil

      1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

      1/2 small onion, chopped

      28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

      salt

      pepper

      basil

      parsley

      1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

      When shopping for the vegetables try to find them as close in size as you can. For the yellow squash I only used the fatter part of the squash, and saved the rest to eat at a later time. Mini eggplants are a must as a regular size would make slices much too large.

      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

      To prepare the sauce saute the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue sauting for one minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, spices, and vinegar and bring to a simmering boil. I didn’t measure the spices, if I were going to guess maybe 1/2 – 1 tsp of each.

      Let the sauce cook on a low simmer for about 15 minutes.

      While the sauce is cooking slice the vegetables. Try to slice them thin, maybe 1/8 of an inch.

      Pour the sauce into a casserole dish. I used a pie plate which was a little too small for all of the sauce. I ended up not using all of it, and hindsight should have used a little less.

      Arrange the vegetables in the sauce.

      Brush with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

      Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

      Now, you can either be done or add a little cheese like I did. I grated some Gruyere and sprinkled it on top and continued baking for a few minutes until the cheese was melted.

      So good!

      Posted in Ratatouille, Side Dishes | Tagged food blog, food blogger, layered ratatouille, ratatouille, ratatouille recipe, stephanie's slice of life
    • Mexican Street Corn

      Posted at 7:32 pm by StephMo
      Dec 1st

      Mexican Street Corn is traditionally made with corn on the cob. If you have ever been to Mexico you may have seen street vendors selling it from a cart. This easy recipe is a spin off using frozen corn and it makes a perfect side dish with tacos, or anything.

      Tonight we had pork tacos for Taco Tuesday and this was so delicious not only as a side, but actually in the tacos. I love when I make tacos for dinner on a Tuesday without realizing it, it makes me feel like I am much more together than I really am. So whether your taco dinner happens to fall on a Tuesday or not, give this dish a try as I’m sure you will love it.

      Ingredients:

      4 cups frozen corn

      2 tbsp. butter

      1/4 cup mayonaise

      1/4 cup sour cream

      1 tsp. cumin

      1/2 tsp. chili powder

      Lime

      1/4 cup cojita cheese

      Scallions

      Mix together the mayo, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, and the juice of a lime in a bowl. Set aside.

      Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.

      Add the frozen corn and cook until it is heated through while stirring frequently.

      Turn off the heat and stir in the mayo mixture. Add the cojita cheese and stir until melted.

      Serve with extra cheese if you prefer and topped with sliced scallions. Yum, yum!

      Posted in Mexican Street Corn, Side Dishes | Tagged corn, corn recipe, easy side dishes, food blog, food blogger, mexican street corn, mexican street corn recipe, Recipes, stephanie's slice of life
    • Cauliflower Salad

      Posted at 4:32 pm by StephMo
      Aug 12th

      If you are looking for a healthier alternative to potato salad, try using cauliflower. I have made mashed cauliflower numerous times but never thought to use cauliflower in place of potatoes for potato salad until last night. It went perfectly with my homemade pulled pork and was delicious! The added bonus was my son that won’t eat potatoes ate the cauliflower, Mom for the win!

      I mixed together all the same ingredients I would for my potato salad except used cauliflower in place of potatoes. If you feel like using potatoes, these measurements were for one head of cauliflower so you may need to increase them depending on how many potatoes you use.

      Ingredients:

      1 head of cauliflower

      1/2 cup mayonnaise

      1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard

      1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

      Celery – shopped

      1 hard boiled egg

      Red onion – chopped

      Salt and pepper to taste

      Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl and set aside.

      Cut up the cauliflower florets into small bite size pieces. Chop the celery, onion, and egg and put aside.

      Bring water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the cauliflower and keep boiling for about 4-5 minutes or until it is slightly soft. Drain the cauliflower and run under cold water in a colander to cool.

      Add the cauliflower, celery, red onion, and egg to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour or so for best flavor.

      Yum!!

      Posted in Cauliflower Salad, Salads, Side Dishes | Tagged cauliflower, cauliflower recipe, cauliflower recipes, cauliflower salad, cauliflower salad recipe, cookout food, cookout recipes, food blog, food blogger, potato salad recipe, Recipes, side dish
    • Classic Potato Latkes

      Posted at 10:05 am by StephMo
      Feb 11th

      Potato latkes are considered a traditional Jewish food served on Hanukkah, and even though I am not Jewish, they are something that I grew up having. One of the perks of your mother and grandmother growing up in the old West End of Boston which was a melting pot of nationalities. My grandmother’s best friend was Jewish and I would bet that is where this recipe originated.

      You may not be familiar with potato latkes, as many people are not. They look something like a potato pancake, and are often referred to as a pancake, but to me they are quite different. The difference between a potato pancake and a latke are that pancakes are basically when you take your left over mashed potatoes and fry them in a pan, which I also grew up having. Latkes look like a pancake but are crispy and made with shredded potato. They are not something I make often, but they are delicious!

      They are a little time consuming because you have to grate the potatoes, but they are very easy to make. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and make a great side dish!

      Ingredients:

      6 russet potatoes

      Yellow onion

      1 egg lightly beaten

      1 tsp. salt

      3 tbsp. flour

      1/2 tsp. baking powder

      Vegetable oil

      Heat 1/4″ of oil in a frying pan on medium heat until it is hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle.

      Peel potatoes, and use a grater to grate them. They will be very wet so I put them in a colander to drain the liquid before combining with the other ingredients.

      While you are draining the potatoes, grate some onion. I don’t use that much because I have to sneak it in there so my son doesn’t notice. Maybe about 1/4 cup?

      Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.

      Drop by tablespoonfuls in to the oil and flatten with a spatula.

      Cook until brown, flip and cook the other side.

      Drain on a plate lined with papertowels.

      Serve warm plain, or with the traditional side of sour cream and applesauce. Yum!

      Posted in Dinners, Potato Latkes | Tagged food blog, food blogger, hanukkah recipes, jewish food, latke recipe, latkes, potato latke recipe, potato latkes, potato pancake recipe, potato pancakes, Recipes
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