Stacked Sweet Potatoes

By now you probably know that Sweet Potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables, especially when I get to throw some cheese on top of them! If you're still looking for a last minute side dish for Christmas these are a fun way to serve up some sweet potatoes. You can slice up the sweet potatoes ahead of time and once that job is done they are pretty easy to throw together. They're cute individual servings that could also work as an appetizer.

I also encourage you to play around, use regular potatoes, mix up the type of cheese and use different herbs.  Get wild! I used 2 sweet potatoes and it made enough to fill up one cupcake pan (12 stacks). 

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Baked Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Sausage

See that ugly blob of spaghetti squash on my plate? Well it tastes a whole lot better than it looks! It's creamy and delicious, and is kind of like a spaghetti squash version of macaroni and cheese. I couldn't have asked for more.

Without the sausage it would make for a tasty side dish, but I added the sausage in to make it a meal and also because I had some in my freezer. I used hot turkey sausage and it added some nice flavor. If you leave the sausage out, I would suggest using a pepper jack cheese to spice it up and add a little flavor. Heck, you can even do that if you use sausage. Have some fun, you can definitely play around with the add ins. Maybe next time I'll add mushrooms, sauteed onions or a hot pepper. 

I also cooked the Spaghetti Squash in the microwave, which really cuts down on the cooking time and makes this an easy weeknight dinner. All you have to do to cook the spaghetti squash in the microwave is puncture the skin a bunch of times with a fork (so it doesn't explode in the microwave), cook for 10-12 minutes and then let it sit in the microwave and hang out for about 5 more minutes to finish steaming. I'll get into the details below with the recipe, but my point is cooking it for 10 minutes in the microwave is a heck of a lot faster than baking it in the oven for an hour.

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Festive Fall Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

I was a late comer when it came to enjoying fruit in my salad, but a few years ago I converted and haven't looked back. I especially like the taste of sweet fruit contrasted with salty nuts and strong cheeses like blue or gorgonzola. I like how the apple and pear bring great color to this salad, brightening up your dinner table and making it a great fit for your Thanksgiving spread. 

It's also quick to throw together as a side for your weeknight dinner or sometimes I'll throw in some grilled shrimp to make a very satisfying meal out of this salad. The recipe is below and I made Thomas Keller's Sherry Vinaigrette for the dressing. If you aren't up to making your own dressing you can always thow on a little olive and vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette.

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Serrano Creamed Spinach

Remember when I told you I tried the most delicious creamed spinach at Stubb's in Austin? Well I gave a homeade version a whirl and I am pretty darn happy with the results.  It was actually a problem, because I couldn't stop shoveling it in my my mouth. I'm going to have to make it again soon and maybe I'll just use Thanksgiving as the excuse to do so. You should too, although if you are making it for a bigger group you're going to want to at least double the recipe. It was just the two of us and we had absolutely no leftovers. Maybe that's something I shouldn't admit to all of my imaginary internet friends.

Did I mention it's super easy? And doesn't take up precious oven space on Thanksgiving? My mom has double ovens and she's still not giving any of that space up to me, so the more stovetop recipes I can come up with the better.

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Butternut Squash, Black Bean & Spinach Enchiladas

Well I already told you yesterday in my Homemade Enchilada Sauce post that I made some delicious enchiladas for dinner last night. They were so good and packed full of healthiness on the inside with the butternut squash, black beans, and spinach. I recommend you make these very soon! If you're not in the mood for enchiladas the filling is really good on it's own too. Although I have no clue why you wouldn't be in the mood for enchiladas.

I usually cheat and buy the pre cubed butternut squash, but this time I didn't. Don't worry it wasn't because I was being overly ambitious, it was still out of laziness. I could either go downstairs and get a butternut squash at the farmers market outside my building or I could go to the effort to get in the car and drive to the store. The point of this tangent is to share this helpful video with you on how to peel and cut butternut squash.  If cutting up the whole squash intimidates you, check it out. Keep reading for the enchilada recipe.

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