Green Bean Casserole: A Modern Take On An Old Favorite

By Meg Hodson

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that I like to post recipes that are cleaner, made from scratch, and don't involve processed products. That's hard to do sometimes, especially with a classic favorite like green bean casserole. But I have been making this recipe for 5 or so years now and my family and friends seem to be pretty happy with it.

This is by no means a healthy, lowfat recipe. There is plenty of cream and butter; but I will say I always have great success when I substitute unsweetened coconut milk for any recipe that calls for cream. I don't know what it is about coconut milk, but it is so creamy and there is no overwhelming coconut flavor when you cook with it.

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Green Bean Casserole

Serves 4-6

7 cups frozen green beans (that's about 2 average size packages)

1/2 finely diced sweet onion

1/4 fresh leek, finely diced

2 cans button mushrooms OR 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (either option chopped)

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I prefer to use gluten free tamari)

2 tsp, kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. garlic

1 cup heavy cream 

I can french friend onions (I like to use the ones from Trader Joe's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if you are cooking immediately after cooking). This stores well and can be covered and kept in the refrigerator for cooking a day or two later.

Steam and cook the green beans about 2 minutes less than the directions say (I cook mine for 8 minutes). The sauce is so creamy that it will soften the beans up a bit once you add them. Drain well once cooked.

While the beans are cooking, in a large size frying pan, add butter, onions, leeks, and 1 tsp. of the kosher salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Then, add the mushrooms and continue to cook for another minute. Then, add the cream, the remaining spices, and the additional kosher salt. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Finally, blend in beans directly into the frying pan and stir well. Add about half of your can of fried onions directly into the mix and stir well. Transfer to an 9 x 13 casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Add the remaining fried onions evenly across the top of the casserole and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce

By Meg Hodson

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet SM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meets SM blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

I suppose people either love or hate cranberry sauce. I have always made mine from scratch. I make mine more like a puree, so it works great as a sauce or a jam for sandwiches. I also love swirling a little big into a cocktail or champagne.

I recently sampled In The Raw's Monk Fruit sweetener and thought it would be great to try to make a sugar free version of cranberry sauce. Monk Fruit In The Raw is a wholesome, zero-calorie sweetener made from real monk fruit, a vine-ripened fruit that is native to Asia. You can actually use it just like your would sugar. In fact, it tends to be a little sweeter, so you often have to cut the amount you use in half when replacing sugar in a recipe. 

Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce

Serves 4+

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbl. water

2 tbl. orange juice (feel free to sub lemon juice to eliminate all sugar)

1/4 cup Monk Fruit In The Raw

Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce to medium low and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to food processor or blender; blend briefly if you like your sauce chunkier, blend longer for a smooth sauce. 

Very important:  test taste! The In The Raw sweetener is sweet, but since cranberries are so tart, the level of sweetness you may need will vary greatly. If you want it sweeter, add an additional tablespoon and then test taste again. Repeat the process until desired sweetness is achieved.

Chill at least two hours; overnight is better. Serve cold or warmed with your meal. Also great spread on sandwiches, as a jam on toast, or a teaspoon swirled into your mimosa is divine!

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Buca di Beppo Makes Your Thanksgiving EASY!

By Meg Hodson

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Buca di Beppo® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I actually love to cook on Thanksgiving. I have a big family and we get together for a fun, joy-filled day. But I will be honest, as I see more and more friends sharing that they are either ordering pre-made meals or going out for Thanksgiving dinner, I am curious.....and tempted. Would dining out on Thanksgiving be a welcome option?

It might be that I have had some memorable Thanksgiving mishaps over the years. The most memorable was a Thanksgiving where our extended family gathered at my Mother's house. Since she was hosting, it seemed logical that she be the one to cook the turkey. My Mother is a fantastic cook and has prepared turkey many times. Well, for some reason (I am still not sure why), my Mother's oven shut off about one hour into cooking the turkey! Yep, we didn't realize it for several hours. I think she was more panicked about the turkey having e.coli then the fact that we weren't going to eat until 10 o'clock at night. As she is frantically dialing Butterball to get an answer if the turkey is edible, the rest of the family is trying to punt and see if we needed to come up with a "Plan B". We can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was a bit chaotic.

Makes you want things hassle free this year, right? You might want to try Buca di Beppo and their easy-peasy, don't-even-think-about-it answer for Thanksgiving dinner. You have the choice to either order to go (with easy curbside pick-up in most locations!) or dine in in their eclectic, vintage setting. They are even taking Thanksgiving reservations, so you can pick the exact time you would like to dine. Even better, you can make your reservation online by clicking here. No dishes to do, just the time to enjoy Thanksgiving and your time with your family. Honestly, that sounds awesome to me.

They have traditional favorites like turkey and gravy, Italian sausage stuffing, and even pumpkin pie. Not in the mood for the bird (I am in that camp as I am a vegetarian)? Buca di Beppo's entire regular menu will also be available on Thanksgiving. So, you don't have to worry about fixing numerous dishes, trying to please everyone's tastes and food preferences. Dining at Buca di Beppo for Thanksgiving takes the hassle and fuss of juggling all of those food choices. 

I know my husband and my two oldest children would choose the traditional Thanksgiving feast. All three of them are HUGE turkey fans and look forward to it every Thanksgiving. My husband would have an incomplete Thanksgiving if he didn't have green beans. I know my kids would devour the stuffing and mashed potatoes. Pumpkin pie is probably one of their favorite desserts. 

But for myself and my youngest son (who I think is a budding vegetarian, but he just doesn't know it yet!), we would go for Buca di Beppo's regular menu items. Italian food is probably one of my favorite cuisines and being a vegetarian, it's usually pretty easy to find an entree that I would be able to enjoy. For me, it's a toss up between the cheese manicotti and baked ziti for Thanksgiving dinner. My youngest would be happy beyond belief with the pizza margherita. It pretty much would be the coolest Thanksgiving ever if that is what he got to eat!

Here's to a fun, seamless, stress-free Thanksgiving this year!

Oscar-Worthy Cranberry Brie Bruschetta

By Meg Hodson

Whoa, Mama this recipe turned out amazing!  It's relatively quick yet is an elegant presentation for your Oscar soiree.  It's also perfect as a Thanksgiving appetizer.

Cranberry Brie Bruschetta

Serves 4-6

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tbl. water

Squeeze of lemon juice

2 tbl. sugar (add 2 additional tablespoons if you don't want your cranberries too tart)

French Bread of your choice

Small package (about 10 ounces) of Brie

*Note: if you want to prepare this dish even faster, you can buy ready-made cranberry sauce in lieu of preparing it. Try to look for one without high fructose corn syrup.

In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, sea salt, nutmeg, lemon juice, water, and sugar.  Heat on medium until cranberries start to "pop" (about 3 minutes). Then, reduce to medium low and heat until thickened, about 3-4 more minutes.  Transfer to blender or mini prep processor and pulse a few times to blend (you want the sauce on the thicker, chunkier side).  

Thinly slice your French bread.  Spread a thin layer of the cranberry mixture, then top with a few slices of brie.  Cook at 400 degrees for 8-11 minutes (keep an eye on them in those last few minutes of cooking and cook to desired crispiness and brownness).  Let cool a few minutes before serving.

Yep, even my 5 year old loves these!

Hey Mr. President: Can Thanksgiving Be The 3rd Thursday In November Again?

Merry Christmas Eve, readers!  Every year, it does seem like there are always the quintessential comments from friends and family: "Wow, it's already Christmas?"....."Didn't it seem like it was just Thanksgiving?"  I think most of these comments are from people who feel unprepared for the holiday:  they haven't finished up shopping and wrapping, or don't know what they're fixing for dinner. No matter how you do (or don't celebrate) Christmas, my point here is that is simply was a shortened season and came way too fast!

I didn't get the memo that the "rule" of Thanksgiving always being the 3rd Thursday of the month had changed back to the last Thursday of November.  Abraham Lincoln officially made Thanksgiving a holiday and it was always the last Thursday of the month....until Franklin D. Roosevelt became president. Here's a synopsis from Wikipedia:

But in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with this tradition. November had five Thursdays that year (instead of the more-common four), and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving rather than the fifth one. Although many popular histories state otherwise, he made clear that his plan was to establish the holiday on the next-to-last Thursday in the month instead of the last one. With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. Increasing profits and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would help bring the country out of the Depression.

While some today would call this greedy or pulling from the true spirit of Christmas, it made sense at the time.  For me, though, it's not about extra time to shop and wrap presents.  It is more about the enjoyment of the season.  I love driving around and looking at Christmas light with my kids.  I even love just walks through our neighborhood, peering through windows at trees and seeing the decorations.  We help out those in need, such as gifts for those less fortunate.  We bake cookies.  We watch our favorite Christmas movies.

Now, I know a lot of these activities can happen after the actual date of December 25th.  But it's a significant celebration for a lot of people; is it so wrong to want an extra week to savor it?

Have a great Christmas!

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