side dish recipes and suggestions

I am getting tired of cooking the same ol side dishes (as is the rest of the family). What do you usually cook as side dishes? Any good recipes? Our staple side dishes are:

Rice (variety of flavors/kinds)
Pasta (variety of flavors/kinds)
Steamed veggies (broccoli/cauliflower/carrots)
Baked beans

and occationally:
canned corn
corn on the cob
canned peas
steamed green beans

I'm looking for some new additions/suggestions

scalloped potatoes, potatoes galette
colcannon

scalloped potatoes, potatoes galette
colcannon

Oh yeah, I forgot mashed and scalloped potatoes. The kids go crazy for that :)

what is potatoes gallette colcannon?

Gallette is potatoes sliced and arranged in a pie plate and baked in the oven.
Colcannon is a dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage.

we bake up sweet potatoes. We also have tator tots, and my husband loves salad. Here's a recipe for a really yummy salad that is a favorite at our house! :)


Apple Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette




<TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="WIDTH: 412.5pt; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=550 border=0><TBODY><TR style="mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top>1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style
prepared mustard


</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top>1 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste
10 cups mixed salad greens,
rinsed and dried
2 Red Delicious apples,
cored and thinly sliced


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Directions
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until
lightly toasted.
2 In a food processor, combine the cranberries, vinegar,
onion, sugar, and mustard. Puree until smooth; gradually add
oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3 In a salad bowl, toss together the greens, apples, and
enough of the cranberry mixture to coat. Sprinkle with
walnuts, and serve.

edited to add that we also use gorgonzola cheese in it and sugared walnuts in place of regular.... yummy!!

One of my faves is steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce. To make the sauce, just melt one stick of real butter, add two HUGE HEAPING tbs. mayo, and 1/4 cup o f lemon juice but more or less to taste. I love it lemony! I make this with a seasoned George Forman grilled chicken breast and dip my chicken in the sauce too. yummmmmmy!

I just wanted to add that the best time to eat heavily fatty foods like the one I just mentioned is during a high movement show, such as "The Biggest Loser". LOL. Somehow, you just don't feel guilty afterwards! ;-)

One of my faves is steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce. To make the sauce, just melt one stick of real butter, add two HUGE HEAPING tbs. mayo, and 1/4 cup o f lemon juice but more or less to taste. I love it lemony! I make this with a seasoned George Forman grilled chicken breast and dip my chicken in the sauce too. yummmmmmy!

I wish I could make asparagus. Dh is highly allergic to it though :( The sauce sounds delish.

we bake up sweet potatoes.

thanks for the recipe. I LOVE sweet potatoes and made them a few times last month thinking the kids would go crazy for them. It was a no go for all three. I was really bummed about it.